A positive planned twin c section: Jamie and Skye’s birth story
Trigger Warning: Miscarriage
We found out I was pregnant with twins very early on, at 6 weeks and were very surprised but excited. It was a nerve-wracking first trimester as I had had a miscarriage earlier in the year, but the pregnancy progressed normally and there were no real hiccups or surprises until the third trimester when I experienced contractions and had to go to hospital a couple of times for monitoring. HPHB helped in this aspect as I knew what contractions were meant to feel like and also the risks of pre-term labour for twins. Fortunately, the babies stayed put until the booked c-section date!
I really enjoyed the session on hypnobirthing; I was a bit anxious about the pregnancy and the hypnobirthing techniques and guided meditations with my husband helped to chill me out and make me excited and not just nervous about the birth.
I had decided, along with my husband, from quite early on that a planned c-section was the best option for us and felted supported from the HPHB team with this. The information provided reinforced my decision and made me feel confident going into the surgery on the day.
The information HPHB provided was so useful and I felt prepared for everything on the day of the procedure. I think it could have been quite overwhelming being in the operating theatre had I not had the information and I felt confident going in. My husband was also fully in the loop in terms of everything that would happen so he was able to be really supportive with me as well.
The hospital team were great and especially the anesthetist was really kind, checking in with us and talking to us throughout the procedure. He was a twin himself! The procedure itself was really quick, we got to meet Skye and Jamie within a few minutes of me being laid down. Having the spinal block was definitely one of the stranger feelings I've had, especially when I could feel them pushing Jamie down from higher up in my belly. The HPHB class had told us about all this, so I was able to remain calm and enjoy the experience.
The first time I saw my babies I was so thrilled! When Skye was held up over the curtain, it was just joy hearing her cries and was the best sound I've heard. I knew that in a c-section the babies sometimes need additional care, but hearing her screaming and seeing her moving about was incredible. Jamie came out a minute later and again his little cries were the best thing. He was shown to us with his arms stretched wide out, superman style, and he still does this little pose regularly. It makes us laugh to remember.
I stayed in the hospital for a couple of days with the twins for monitoring and over those days, the babies required some support that HPHB had prepared me for. For example, Jamie briefly needed to have the blue light treatment to prevent jaundice - I think this would have been quite scary to see had I not learned it is relatively normal from the course.
I made sure to get help from the midwives with breastfeeding whilst I was in the hospital, which was recommended from the course. I actually felt quite prepared for the breastfeeding after the session we had with the feeding specialist and I didn't find it as difficult as I've heard other friends have.
I was lucky enough to miss the meconium nappies - my husband took care of these and getting them dressed for the first couple of times! When it was my turn to change and dress them, I felt all thumbs at first, but you quickly get the hang of it. The hospital bag check list from HPHB was very helpful for me and the babies.
We still aren't getting a lot of sleep, but hopefully will get into more of a schedule with the babies in the coming days/weeks(/years?!). The baby care session was really helpful on what to expect from newborns and how to prepare yourself for feeding them, cleaning them and all the rest that comes with an infant.
I still can't really believe that we are Skye and Jamie's mum and dad. Even with 9 months of preparation through pregnancy and 2 1/2 weeks with them now, it doesn't really feel real. We are so in love with them and it really is the best feeling knowing you get to take care of them as they grow.
I would absolutely recommend the HPHB course – in fact, I have it! I really enjoyed the variety of sessions HPHB provided and felt that I was able to be informed in all aspects of birth, even those that weren't really relevant to me (stage of labour for example, since I knew I'd be having a planned c-section). All of the course instructors were really professional and provided interesting and useful information. They were also approachable and we felt able to ask any sort of questions we had.
Top Tips:
There is so much information out there about various things that can happen - I would say it’s important to be informed, but not worry about these 'worst case scenarios'
Appreciate the time during the pregnancy and with your baby.
