18 Months Ago Today...
I believe I left off the night before they were born….
It was a fitfull night’s sleep. The monitor kept slipping off Bobby’s side (he was on a down-slope), and the nurses and residents kept coming in to fix it. Somewhere around 5 am, the resident came in to tell me that the babies were to be born shortly. They hadn’t seen any improvement in Bobby’s condition overnight. I called my parents as promised. My mother said they’d be at the hospital for 7. I told her that the babies would be at least an hour old by then, but that it would be fine. They must have jumped out of bed and flew to the hospital.
Bruce got ready in his spiffy gown. I started what I termed “labor shakes.” I don’t even know if there is such a phenomenon. I’m sure it was some sort of adrenaline rush. Still, I felt completely calm and at ease. I somehow knew that things would be fine. The doctors and nurses soon began rushing around. I gave Bruce a quick kiss as they wheeled me away.
The operating room was chilly and very bright and white. Someone sat me up. They told me to hold onto a rickety looking equipment tray. The anesthesiologist told me to hold still. Easier said than done there, Mister Man! The doctor barked, “Get the spinal block in or knock her out NOW!” It was then I worried a little. Had I been knocked out Bruce would not be allowed in. I was so worried he would miss seeing the babies he had wanted for so long being born. The spinal block was inserted thankfully. Before I knew it, someone asked where the father was, and then I heard Evan cry. 5:54 am. Bruce got to my side as Bobby was pulled out screaming. 5:55 am. Bruce commented that they had good strong cries and that it had to be a good sign. William was pulled out last crying. He was rushed out of the room. 5:56 am. They were all out. I heard their cries as the doctor began sewing. There were no words. I longed to her them talk about something inane-their golf games, their new BMW’s, the show they saw in NYC last week. They seemed too serious for nothing wrong with me.
The nurses brought Evan over. I studied him. They told me there was no time. I told him we loved him and that his Daddy would be with him soon. Then they brought Bobby over. I again had no time to absorb how tiny he was at just 12 inches long and 2 pounds 4.5 ounces. I told him the same thing I told Evan. William was not going to be brought to me. They said that the room had been too small to have all three babies in and that he was fine. I wanted Bruce to go with them. I was encouraged to have Bruce stay with me since he’d be in the way while they were being settled in.
Finally, the doctor told me that they “hated” me because I had lost about 30 pounds on the table and looked about ready to get into skinny jeans right then. I was happy and doped up with morphine. Everything seemed fine. As I lay in recovery with my parents (Bruce was running back and forth between me and the babies calling everyone he ever knew to announce their birth), I even talked to several people on the phone. I felt great! Morphine can be a great thing. My parents said that they saw the boys being wheeled into the NICU from the operating room. I was touched that the teams stopped briefly so that they could see their grandsons.
So our life with triplets began. I learned so much about medicine and about me in the next 8 weeks until we got Bobby home. I didn’t realize that I had it in me to make major medical decisions and to sometimes literally fight for my boys. Mostly, their stay was great in terms of the level of care they got. The nurses who took care of them were the best. I mean that whole-heartedly.
Now onto cute stuff! Today, Will and Evan were up earlier than Bob-not the norm. Every time Will or Evan heard a noise coming from upstairs, they would walk over to me and say, “Bob” pointing to the stairs. At one point, Will even called up the stairs something that sounded like, “I’m coming.” Then, he practically dragged me to the stairs, pointed up and said, “Bob!” He was still for all intents and purposes asleep. Needless to say, they were happy to see Bob this morning and included him in their play as soon as he was ready.
It was a fitfull night’s sleep. The monitor kept slipping off Bobby’s side (he was on a down-slope), and the nurses and residents kept coming in to fix it. Somewhere around 5 am, the resident came in to tell me that the babies were to be born shortly. They hadn’t seen any improvement in Bobby’s condition overnight. I called my parents as promised. My mother said they’d be at the hospital for 7. I told her that the babies would be at least an hour old by then, but that it would be fine. They must have jumped out of bed and flew to the hospital.
Bruce got ready in his spiffy gown. I started what I termed “labor shakes.” I don’t even know if there is such a phenomenon. I’m sure it was some sort of adrenaline rush. Still, I felt completely calm and at ease. I somehow knew that things would be fine. The doctors and nurses soon began rushing around. I gave Bruce a quick kiss as they wheeled me away.
The operating room was chilly and very bright and white. Someone sat me up. They told me to hold onto a rickety looking equipment tray. The anesthesiologist told me to hold still. Easier said than done there, Mister Man! The doctor barked, “Get the spinal block in or knock her out NOW!” It was then I worried a little. Had I been knocked out Bruce would not be allowed in. I was so worried he would miss seeing the babies he had wanted for so long being born. The spinal block was inserted thankfully. Before I knew it, someone asked where the father was, and then I heard Evan cry. 5:54 am. Bruce got to my side as Bobby was pulled out screaming. 5:55 am. Bruce commented that they had good strong cries and that it had to be a good sign. William was pulled out last crying. He was rushed out of the room. 5:56 am. They were all out. I heard their cries as the doctor began sewing. There were no words. I longed to her them talk about something inane-their golf games, their new BMW’s, the show they saw in NYC last week. They seemed too serious for nothing wrong with me.
The nurses brought Evan over. I studied him. They told me there was no time. I told him we loved him and that his Daddy would be with him soon. Then they brought Bobby over. I again had no time to absorb how tiny he was at just 12 inches long and 2 pounds 4.5 ounces. I told him the same thing I told Evan. William was not going to be brought to me. They said that the room had been too small to have all three babies in and that he was fine. I wanted Bruce to go with them. I was encouraged to have Bruce stay with me since he’d be in the way while they were being settled in.
Finally, the doctor told me that they “hated” me because I had lost about 30 pounds on the table and looked about ready to get into skinny jeans right then. I was happy and doped up with morphine. Everything seemed fine. As I lay in recovery with my parents (Bruce was running back and forth between me and the babies calling everyone he ever knew to announce their birth), I even talked to several people on the phone. I felt great! Morphine can be a great thing. My parents said that they saw the boys being wheeled into the NICU from the operating room. I was touched that the teams stopped briefly so that they could see their grandsons.
So our life with triplets began. I learned so much about medicine and about me in the next 8 weeks until we got Bobby home. I didn’t realize that I had it in me to make major medical decisions and to sometimes literally fight for my boys. Mostly, their stay was great in terms of the level of care they got. The nurses who took care of them were the best. I mean that whole-heartedly.
Now onto cute stuff! Today, Will and Evan were up earlier than Bob-not the norm. Every time Will or Evan heard a noise coming from upstairs, they would walk over to me and say, “Bob” pointing to the stairs. At one point, Will even called up the stairs something that sounded like, “I’m coming.” Then, he practically dragged me to the stairs, pointed up and said, “Bob!” He was still for all intents and purposes asleep. Needless to say, they were happy to see Bob this morning and included him in their play as soon as he was ready.
posted by Dana | 4:27 PM
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