A Baby Story

Here's my TLC version of 'A Baby Story', the show I watched countless times while pregnant wondering how my episode would play out.

After my doctor's appointment last Thursday showed the amniotic fluid surrounding the girls was low yet again, they admitted me into the hospital and scheduled a c-section for the next day. Months of waiting building up to this moment! I made it 35 weeks and 6 days with a twin pregnancy, amazing!

It was finally happening and I felt surprisingly calm. It was a totally different birthing experience than with my son, where my water broke in my sleep at 4:00 in the morning and I spent 20 hours in labor before he was born via c-section 20 hours later. The day of their birth I was able to eat breakfast, walk around, even take a shower..... and best part of all: no contractions!

When the time came to prep me for surgery, Kenny's sister Tabitha accompanyed us in the operating room as a nursing student at Galen college and she helped keep us calm and laughing until it was showtime. I felt immediate relief from all the pressure my body was enduring carrying around two babies as soon as the first baby was out of me. 'Baby A' was delivered first at 6:47p.m. and weighed in as the smaller of the two at 5lbs 8oz.

The first cries of your newborn baby is the best sound you've ever heard in the entire world.

'Baby B' was delivered shortly after at 6:48p.m. weighing 5lbs 15oz. Though she cried initially, the second baby breathed in some amniotic fluid during delivery and had fluid in her lungs. They showed her to me briefly before taking her to the nursery to monitor her more. She was very blue. I could tell the babies looked different than each other, Baby B was bigger and had more hair than the smaller one, who we named Carly because her name means 'Little and Strong.' Baby B became Alyssa, which means 'Rational and Kind'.

Carly was alert and born ready to eat, sucking on her hand and rooting around from the moment she was putin my arms. I was able to nures her immediatly in teh recovery room. Proud Papa ran back and forth from the nursery where Alyssa was showing off their first pictures adn birht video to the waiting room full of family.

By the next morning, Alyssa's lungs had been cleared out and she was able to leave the nursery and I got to hold her for the first time. Carly had to be readmited to the warmer because she could not keep her temperature regulated. It was two days until I had them both together with me at the same time, which was actually kind of nice because I had the chance to spend a little time with each individually before the craziness began! I had the honor of chosing the babies middle names, a right I claimed considering I was the one carrying them for the whole nine months.

I chose Carly Angelia in honor of my friend Angie who died in a car accident when we were teenagers. I always wanted to name my daughter after her in some way and thought combining my name with hers was

Baby A: Carly Angelia

Baby B: Alyssa Gail

Bryce visited several times and loves kissing his new sisters. I missed him terribly the four days I was in the hospital and by Tuesday was ready to get home to begin our new life together.

Our New Family