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Stats: Daxton (Left: 7lbs 2 ounces), and Elsie (Right: 6lbs 3 ounces). That's right people, she was carrying 13lbs and 5 ounces of babies and only gained 38lbs during the entire pregnancy. How awesome is Jenny!?The Story...
So, I am sound asleep. It is 6:20PM, Friday January 23rd. For those of you who don't know, I am working graves to have really good insurance in case needed for when these babies arrive. Anyway, it's 6:20 and the middle of the night from me. The door crashes open, the lights flip on. In a gasping voice, Jenny rumbles "We're going to the hospital... get up." She waddles out of the room. The realization, although slow at first, begins to escalate and suddenly I fly out of bed as if stung by one hundred bees. Jenny's contractions were intense and about four minutes apart. She had called the nurse and was told to come in right away.
"Really!!? For real?!! Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh!" Both Isaac and Alex were induced so Jenny and I were able to take our sweet time getting to the hospital. I'm not going to lie. I have always wanted to speed down a road, swerving through traffic, and if anyone dared say anything I wanted to yell "She's having a baby!" You can't really do that when induced. So, in all honesty, my first thought was "Sweet! I get to go really, really fast!" So we flew to the University of Utah Hospital and arrived in record time, no thanks to the womens gymnastic team who had a well-attended meet that night!
Upon arrival, we went to the check in station where Jenny received an answer to prayers in that she was dilated to a 6 and 100% effaced. Jenny started to cry when the realization struck that these babies were coming in a few short hours and her difficult journey was rapidly coming to a close. There was a light at the end of the tunnel (no pun intended!).
After some intense contractions, Jenny was given an epidural which is highly, highly encouraged with twins, especially when one is breach (feet down for the dudes). After reception, only the left side of her body went numb. Like a trooper, Jenny suffered through intense contractions for nearly 5 hours. Half her body was fine... the other half was becoming more excruciating with each intensifying contraction. Finally, the anesthesiologist came back in, readjusted some things, and 20 minutes later, Jenny was able to attain some much needed rest for the big event after 5 hours of basically no epidural.
About an hour later, (12:30am or so) Jenny was checked again and the attending gave things a green light. Nurse after nurse began filtering into our room until 12 people, dressed in full OR garb, wheeled my ailing Jenny to the OR room.
From there on, things went very quickly and everything was quite a blur so I will attempt to piece it all together. Elsie was head down and blazing the trail. After three HUGE pushes, Elsie made her way gloriously into the world. The nurses whisked her away and the doctors attention turned quickly to Daxton who was breach and already making things difficult for his parents.
This is what I recall. When I glanced over, I saw the doctor with his entire arm inside my wife going after Dax's feet. He finally got hold of him and began pulling him out. When babies are breach, arms and head can become obstructed during the exit and Dax fell prone to this scenario and became stuck with just his legs protruding from my wife. Acting quickly, the Doc used forceps and skill to tuck arms and head in and after one long minute of struggling, Dax made his entrance as well.
But all was not well. At first light, Elsie yelled out a shout of something, but Daxton wasn't making a sound. He wasn't breathing. The nurses quickly went to work applying compressions and oxygen. At one point, I saw a nurse shake her head. My heart nearly exploded. Then after a full minute or two of excoriating anticipation, Daxton erupted with a cry and I nearly fell to the floor. Jenny had no idea any of this was happening... and it was a good thing.
And now a little about Jenny... I can't believe what she had to go through. Elsie was an incredibly smooth experience that was similar to the births of our other children. 3 hard pushes and Elsie had arrived. Dax was excruciating for my poor Jenny. To see those doctors have to reach, pull, twist, rip, stretch my sweet wife to extract Dax was an incomprehensible experience for me. I can't believe she survived. There was no leading up to it. The doctor rigorously pulled Dax out in three minutes which, Jenny will confirm, were the three longest minutes of her life. No human should be capable of enduring that pain. This, for me, was much different than just a normal child birth (not taking anything away from that). Simply put, to see a breach baby get stuck, and then survive a vaginal birth was a very sacred, hallowing experience. Words simply fail...
So there it is in a nutshell. I guess it is a pretty big nutshell. So now it is 6:05AM, almost 24 hours later and our lives have changed forever. The babies and my wife are beautiful and are receiving some much needed rest. I feel very blessed that things went so well and I'm excited to complete one chapter and begin another in the lives of the Baker Family!
Thank you so much for writing, you have a gift with words, Becky and I were both crying. I know you have probably described what a lot of people don't know how to. Get some rest and congrats!
Congratulations Baker family! I'm so happy for all of you! I'm glad that things turned out so well. They are beautiful! I can't wait to meet them. Jenny you are amazing! And Matt you are awsome! Congratulations again! And have fun with those beautiful babies!
What a terrifying and amazing experience. Wow. I am so happy for you that Dax is safe and healthy. My sister had her twins at 28 weeks and Bethany had inconsistent oxygen for the first 12 minutes. There was a lot of fear that she would have some brain damage. At 8 years old now, the twins are perfectly healthy. There is something special about twin births. Congratulations. Your lives are truly changed forever, but what a wonderful blessing these much loved babies will be.
Wow. Jenny is so strong and inspiring! You both are with what you have both gone through to be able to have these darling human beings in your life. Your post made me cry, 1) because I felt Jenny's pain and exhaustion. 2) because I felt your anguish and anxiety and joy all rolled up into one big emotional sushi roll. and 3) because there couldn't be 2 better people in the world to be graced with such beautiful blessings!
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
OH man! That is so scary! You totally made me cry. I'm so glad everything worked out in the end, and that both babies are fine.
Give Jenny my love and sniff those babies for me.
I gotta admit, I got a little weepy. So glad all is well! Congrats you two.
Congrats guys, I'm so happy for you guys. They our beautiful. I'm so glad everything went so good.
First off, congratulations. I'm Nicki's sister- I have 8 year old boy/girl twins.
Your birth story is SO familiar to me. Right down to the nurse shaking her head that baby #2 wasn't going to make it. That second was the most terrifying of my husband's life (I didn't see it). Baby #2 was also breech for me but because mine were so premature (11 weeks early) there was still enough room for my 2 lb. girl to turn.
Your wife is quite a woman! She did amazingly well with a twin pregnancy and I'm thrilled for you all that the babies are doing well now. My twins are perfectly fine and healthy despite the fact my daughter is supposed to be retarded due to oxygen deprivation.
I am so very glad that they are here, and SAFE and that she's done with a twin pg because it's SO different than a singleton pg- so much harder. If she has any questions on how to manage at home with 2 babies, Nicki can get you my number, feel free to call. Way to go Jenny! You did good!
Congratulations and congratulations!! Your wife is an amazing woman and your babies are so beautiful. Thanks for letting us peek into your lives with this post.
Congrats
So glad they are here and safe- I can't imagine what you went through seeing all that. So glad Jenny did not see it- she definatly experienced enough!
Congratulations! What an amazing story - Matt you do have a gift. All my babies came fairly easily - I can't imagine dealing with all that. Jenny you are amazing!!! You go girl!!! Try and rest as much as possible - you're life will never be the same again! We love you guys!
Congratulations Bakers!!! We are so glad Jenny and the babies are doing well. Oh, and you too Matt ;) I got a little teary-eyed there! Dax and Elsie are beautiful!
Hoooooooooooooooorrraaaaaaaaaaaay!
Deanna just called and gave us the rundown and we were all breaking down over the phone! What a miraculous event to have those two beautiful little people arrive through that super-woman-of-a-portal. Their photo is adorable! (13 lbs. of baby. Whoo!)
Congratulations! We couldn't be more happy for you!
Love,
Emily & Matt Reynolds
Congratulations! The Babies look beautiful. Glad to hear all is well in the end.
I totally understand about a breech delivery too. I attended one recently and the way the doctor was working to get the baby out you would have thought the baby was going to snap apart. And hearing a cry from a baby when it started out so rough is an awesome feeling.
Congratulations to you all!
(Edna Ramsey Felix)
Holy Smokes!!!! Way to go Jenny!
Wow! Way to go Jenn and Matt. Tracy and I are in Florida with Holly and Tim and we all just read the blog! Beautiful babies and amazing story! We Love you!
Yahoo! I am so excited for you! Congrats! They are beautiful!
How exciting! Congratulations! I'm so glad all is well! Jenny you're awesome!!! I marvel at how amazing this whole process has been and at how strong the two of you are...wow! Thanks for sharing your story! :0)
Congrats... I feel for you Jenny... I am glad to hear that mom and the babies are doing well and I hope that the rest of their lives go easier than the beginning.
Jenny is my hero. I'm so glad everything turned out. Congratulations and I hope you have so much fun with them.
WOO HOO!!! I'm so excited for you both! Way to go!! Can't wait to see the little munchkins.
p.s. And I thought MY breach baby was hard!! OUCH!!!
Congratulations! I'm so excited for your sweet family! And I think it's hilariously sweet that she has hair and he's bald. They look a lot like Alex and Isaac. I'm sure you're totally relieved and freaked at the same time so I hope you can get lots of rest. I'd bring you something if you weren't three hours away.
yay, you guys did great and the babes look so great, congrats to you and your family
Very, very exciting. I'm so happy for you guys. Congratulations!
And next time, Matt, when someone calls your mobile phone while you're driving your wife to the hospital, weaving through traffic—don't answer it! Seriously dude. :)