My birth story… by Kathie
In August 2007 I had just started a new job after moving home, I’d only been there 2 weeks when I found out I was pregnant. This came as a total shock to me – I was 36 and had 2 children aged 7 and 3 and was definitely not even thinking about having any more! So you can imagine the shock.
I was instantly worried as I had had a DVT with my daughter who is now 8 and lost a baby at 20weeks in between my daughter and my son, so pregnancy hadn’t been much fun for me. I had to take blood thinners all the way through, but after going to see my consultant she advised me to take half an aspirin a day.
We all went for the first scan and while my husband took my son to the loo the sonographer started. She had turned the screen away and I saw her frown, so my hart dropped. She then asked if there were twins in the family, which there are a plenty! My husband had just walked back into the room when she told me it was twins. I really can’t tell you the shock and joy I felt all at once, and won’t repeat what my husband said! After the scan we got back in the car and just started to laugh, a quite manic laugh that then turned into hysteria!
Because of my history I had a lot of scans and a lot of antenatal appointments, but my actual pregnancy was fantastic (after the first 14 weeks). I got so big so quickly that I had to have diabetes tests as the babies were showing up so big, especially twin 1, but my other babies had been big so I wasn’t worried. At my 23 week scan we found out we were having boys, and were first told they were identical, then non-identical, so we decided to just wait and see. At around 25 weeks I got pelvic displacia (where the pelvic bone rubs on itself) and found it very hard to get around, so spent so much time indoors with everyone rallying round picking up my other children from school etc.
At 34+4 weeks my husband and I went shopping to get the last few bits, I felt a little strange that morning but just put it down to the pelvic problem. We were in Asda and I really started to feel odd. Believe it or not I went into labour with my son in the same Asda. I didn’t say anything to my husband as I thought “no not this early” but the nearer we got to home the more I was convinced that I was in labour.
We got home and I had a bath and called my husband up stairs to tell him I thought I was in labour. His reply to this was that I shouldn’t be such a drama queen (such sympathy!!!) at that moment my belly contracted and as I was so big my skin was so tight and you could see every movement, so he went and phoned the hospital, in a bit of a panic as men do!
We got to the hospital and because I was under 35 weeks they gave me the steroid injection to mature the lungs even though they were big boys even that early. They put patches on me to try and slow down my labour but they sped mine up, which really freaked out the midwife, once I was hooked up to the machines my husband finally believed I was in labour bless him!
I knew I had to have a c section as I found out while having my son I had a tilted pelvis so couldn’t give birth naturally, so after only 3 hours in the hospital I was taken down to theatre. The weirdest thing of all was when I got to theatre my contractions stopped, it was almost as if they knew they were going be born, I think they were just so fed up of not having any room they just wanted out!
At 22.47 on Friday 11th April 2008 Harley Jack arrived weighing 6lbs 13 oz and at 22.48 Corey Francis arrived weighing 5lbs 8 oz both really good weights for the dates, I saw them very briefly before they were taken to special care, but couldn’t believe how much Harley looked like my daughter Kaydi and Corey was the image of my son Riley (and his dad!!!!).
They were taken to special care just for the fact that they were born before 35 weeks, but they both cried when they were born and were breathing on their own as they were taken away.
I was taken back to the ward and the midwife on duty went down to special care every hour and came and told me how they were doing all night long, which I was so grateful for and will never forget her kindness that night.
The next morning I was taken to see them for the first time, they looked like giants next to all the tiny premature babies but they were so beautiful. We came home 4 days later and they have gone from strength to strength ever since. They have been so good since that day we got them home sleeping through the night since they were 2 months old.
As you can see from the picture they are like chalk & cheese and aren’t identical but the older they get the more alike they look! Corey is the joker and laughs and smiles at everyone, Harley is far more serious and is such a mummy’s boy. Not that I mind. He has the dirtiest laugh I’ve ever heard and no matter how bad a day I’m having they just look at me and smile and all is right with the world again. My other 2 children absolutely adore them, and there is never a dull moment in our house!
They really are the best surprise I’ve ever had and I am loving every minute of them.
Kathie
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