First 24 Hours

I feel like I've sent hundreds of text messages in the last week. Actually I'm certain of it! So I thought I'd start posting updates about the girls here for anyone interested in keeping up with them and us. 

We have been on a roller coaster for the last two weeks. Two weeks ago, I went to an ultrasound appointment to check the growth of one of the babies. One of our girls was what they call growth restricted, which means she may or may not continue to grow in utero. Basically one baby had a bigger share of the placenta and was getting all she needed and one baby was not getting what she needed. So the best option was to deliver them to be certain the growth restricted one would grow and get the nutrients she needed. 

My doctor admitted me to Centennial Women's Hospital in Nashville (50 or so miles from home) that day, which was a Wednesday to begin steroid shots to help further the girls' lung development. I needed to have two shots over a 48 hour period and then they would do a c-section. So Friday, September 27 at 8 pm, I was heading to the operating room.  

Karis Jean

Our girls, Karis Jean and Kamin Grace were born via scheduled c-section at 34 weeks at 8:18 and 8:19 pm. Though they were small, Karis weighed 5lbs. and Kamin 4lbs. 7oz. (She was the growth restricted baby), they were still a good size. While 34 weeks is great for twins, they're still premature and we knew going in that they would likely be in the NICU because their lungs wouldn't be fully developed. 

Kamin Grace

The delivery was a whirlwind and before I knew it I was back in my hospital room, no longer pregnant and no babies to snuggle up to. As much as I knew this was the best thing for them, it was hard not to want it to be different. Rob showed me our girls in pictures before I ever even held them. That was rough. But a trip to the NICU to bask in their beauty at 4am made it a little better. I still couldn't hold them, but just seeing them and touching them made a world of difference to my heart. 

The first day was a blur, but I remember the nurses were surprised at how big they were and seemed really optimistic about their health. That was encouraging for us, especially considering most of the babies we had seen in the NICU (they gave us a tour the day before) were itty bitty. Though they were big, they still needed help breathing and were receiving oxygen via canula. 

The big kids came to meet their sisters that first day and while they had a lot of questions (why are they in those beds?, what are those wires for?, etc.) they fell in love and they can't wait for their sisters to get home. 

Saturday evening, the girls had reached 24 hours old. The doctor explained to us that this was when they could tell if their lung development was okay or if they needed to do more. He decided the best thing for Karis and Kamin would be to remove the canula and intubate them and put them on a ventilator to give them a specific medicine to mature their lungs. I was devastated, but understood that it was best for them. 

That's a terrible summary of their first 24 hours. Little did we know the journey was just beginning. It hasn't been all hard, but it certainly hasn't been easy either. My next post will hopefully be a timeline of events to catch us up to this week. 

I'm sure I don't have to ask, but I will, please pray for our girls and our family. We put our full trust in The Lord and know that he has a perfect plan for our girls and our family, but this momma's heart hurts having her babies so far away, and the big kids, while they're doing great, you can tell this is hard for them too, and my sweet man, may The Lord rain down blessing on him for all his strength and support through all of this. We appreciate your prayers more than you know!