An End to "The Pregnancy"

I'm not sure if these photos really look so different in the belly area. The first was taken on July 8, this year, the morning that I delivered my twin girls. The second picture was taken on August 18, 2004, the day before I delivered my son. Max weighed 8lbs., 6oz. and the combined weight of my girls was 13lbs., 2oz. The difference felt huge to me. It's kind of like having that little piece of popcorn hull stuck between your teeth...even though it's quite thin, it feels like you have a 2 x 4 piece of lumber stuck there. I was definitely more bloated this time around too.

Anyway, my girls were born on July 8 at 12:23pm. They were taken from my body via c-section. That was no fun at all. I suppose actually going into labor wouldn't have been much fun either and I don't know, for sure, which would have been the lesser of two evils. The weight of the babies crushing all of my organs while I laid flat on my back was incredible. I thought I was going to have a panic attack, because I wasn't able to breath sufficiently, in that position. Then, when the assistant surgeon started to actually PUSH on my stomach to get the babies out while my OB pulled...all I could do was try and psych myself into remaining "there" and not passing out.

After spending two days in the hospital, we were all ready to go home. Brooklyn had a little trouble with her sucking abilities and both girls had lost a little weight. Both were within normal ranges. I had become slightly anemic, but also got the green light to go home. Within 10 days of being home, I've lost 40 pounds out of 40 gained.

At home, things have gone surprisingly smooth. I have a wonderful mother and mother-in-law who have been by our sides to fill in the gaps and lend a loving hand. My husband was able to take two weeks off from working and having him home was so nice. It really completed our family and Max got to spend some special times with his dad.

Both girls are good sleepers and I've been able to get much more sleep than I ever did when Max was a baby. I have them sleeping in a Pack n Play, set up like a bassinett, on my side of the bed. They are about two feet away from me, at most. Max is still sleeping in our bed with us. I don't plan on transitioning him to a bed of his own until it's clear, to him, that it has nothing to do with his sisters coming into our lives and displacing him. And we really do like him being there, with us, anyway.

We've already noticed some differences between the two girl's personalities. Lauren is more laid back and Brooklyn is a bit fussier. Lauren is also quieter and Brooklyn makes all kinds of squeeky sounds. Lauren didn't move around nearly as much as Brooklyn did while they were in utero, and things seem to be consistent there as well. I can't wait to see how these girls will be different and how they will be similar.

I'm just so in love with these baby girls, their brother and their father, that my heart feels full everyday.