A look back...BIRTH DAY! March 23, 2009

Hello, hello, hello friends and family! I'm going to say "I'm sorry" for taking so long to get to another blog update, but I know that everyone understands why! My goodness! Hard to believe this new journey started just a week ago today. Many of you have heard the basic delivery details but I'll recap anyway mostly because I print these entries out for my own journaling purposes. Don't feel you need to read the whole thing....and don't worry...I'm already working on a fun entry FULL of pictures

Happy Birthday Babies!: March 23, 2009

One week ago today, March 23, 2009, in fact right about this time, Brian and I were getting ready to head out the door to UMC. I can't describe the feelings I had that morning...excited knowing I was about to meet my three babies, nervous about all that would be happening to me, scared that something would go wrong, and anxious to get on with this new chapter...

I did my hair, did my makeup, put on semi-cute comfy clothes, (yes, even knowing that as soon as I got to the hospital, they'd be traded for a not-so-cute hospital robe.) We threw our bags in the car, and climbed in. We said a prayer for everyone who would be involved in the day's activities, and prayed for a safe delivery for mom and babies...and then we were off...

We arrived at UMC at 8:15 (15 minutes earlier than we needed to be) :) Unfortunately, right off the bat, things were running a tad late due to the C-Section that was scheduled prior to ours. So it wasn't until about 9:15 that we were finally taken to the first room to begin getting prepped. (Now keep in mind that at this point, our families are downstairs expecting a 9:30 delivery...)

Prep began with the dreaded hospital gown swap and then to another NST. One last time to hear all babies hearts beating together...Another rousing round of Colton's hiccups. :) All hearts were going strong. They knew they were coming out today! We were planning to have Cord Blood Collected through Cbr so we needed to prep for those as well. It's a lot of work and paperwork to do just one, so you can imagine the work needed for three. Let's just say that when all was said and done, my poor nurse Jeannine had collected about 12 vials of my blood...Because there was so much to be done and so many bar codes and numbers to keep track of, Brian even got in on the action, helping the nurses! Such a good husband.
All the while, there must have been 20 people in and out of that room. All of them VERY nice, introducing themselves and telling me how they were going to be involved in our delivery that day. And many of them asked if I minded if their med students were also in the OR to watch. At this point, I figure, the more the merrier!

Tony Lucas (anesthesiologist friend) came in and explained how the spinal would work and then gave me a nasty sea-water tasting shot of liquid that would help with acid build up in my stomach, hopefully preventing me from throwing up in the OR...great! Something else to worry about!

Now fast forward to about 10:30...still no delivery. Luckily, Tony went downstairs and saw our families and told them that the surgery would be a little later than originally planned...11:00 maybe.

Well, it was at 11:05, that the last vial of blood was taken, the last bit of paperwork filled out, the last monitor taken off my belly and the walk to the OR began. Part of the delay was also waiting for the "go ahead" from the NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit) that they were ready for the Bunch Babies! But finally, we start the walk....

This was the only time that Brian had to wait outside. I'm on the table, I've got a handful of nurses, a couple anesthesiologists and apparently a big needle. As I would have expected, my friend Tony jokes that this would be his perfect time to get back at me for anything I had done to him earlier in our lives....a good way to lighten the mood. Other than that, I have to say, he went into full professional mode...(which is good I suppose, because he's now seen far more of me than he probably ever cared to!) I got my spinal and there went all feeling in my lower half! At some point shortly after, I realize that I am lying on the table with about 25 to 30 people standing around, Brian is finally back with me and we're about to begin!

Between Brian and Tony, they made sure to tell me what was happening each step of the way...I have spent a week now trying to find words to describe what this felt like....anyone who has ever had a C-section can at least partly relate, but I'm pretty sure having 3 babies in there makes it just a tad different....all I can say is imagine what it would feel like to have someone's hands inside your gut moving, tugging, pulling, stretching, etc. The pressure I was feeling was much more than I had anticipated....but before I knew it, they were telling me Baby A- Colton Samuel had been born! 11:40 a.m., 4 lbs. 6 oz. I immediately felt lighter...weird. They whisked him away very quickly, so I did not get a chance to see him....Then Brian tells me they're going back in for the second baby. This time, the pressure was even worse. I remember squeezing Brian's hand so hard...And then I hear, "Baby B is born! It's a girl!" Hunter Olivia...11:41 a.m., 3 lbs. 2 oz.

**Ok, now let's take a time out. Remember-Throughout this pregnancy, Baby A was a Boy, Baby B was a Boy and Baby C was a Girl. So when I hear them say Baby B is a girl, I have a moment of panic that OMG we actually have 2 girls and a boy....

Thankfully, someone quickly brings her over the curtain so I can get a quick peek at her, and I was absolutely in awe of the precious, tiny, bright-eyed little girl before me. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. But we still had one more to go. At this point, I'm so ready for the tug of war in my uterus to be over...I cannot imagine the Octomom at this point....and before I know it, I hear "Baby C is here! It's a boy! " Ethan Bradley...11:42 a.m., 3 lbs. 15 oz. I just remember asking anyone who would listen, "Can someone tell me, did we end up with 2 boys and a girl?" And they all said yes! Whew! I also got a quick peek at Ethan who was just as tiny and just as perfect. And just like that- I was a mom. Brian was a dad. In a a matter of 3 minutes we had become parents to three incredibly beautiful babies who had no idea just how much they had been wanted...

Due to the fact that I apparently, lost a lot of blood in the delivery and the babies umbilical cords did not have enough blood in them to gather an adequate sample, we were unable to collect cord blood...oh well. So much for the 12 vials of blood I gave up earlier!

Unfortunately, the hard part was not necessarily over. While the babies were being examined, I had to be put back together. As Brian puts it, the 3 doctors are reaching in, digging around, and there on my belly is now my uterus! Nice and pink as Brian tells it! This is the part that made me the most nauseous...they literally have to pound the uterus and my stomach to get things back to where they are supposed to be inside. I am a very tough person, with a very high tolerance for pain, and THIS WAS UNCOMFORTABLE!!! They have to keep pushing with all their might on my belly to try and get out any blood clots which have formed. (And of which there were many!) Anyway, after the smell of cauterized skin...I finally realize they are stapling me up and I get to go the recovery room....

I'm not sure when I actually got in there, but sometime just before that, Brian finally went to find the family and tell them that the babies were here! Needless to say, they were a group of very relieved people! And slowly, Brian brought them one at a time up to see me in the recovery room.

BRIAN & AMI

AMI & AUNT MARY

AMI & GRAMMA DANIELS

AMI & GRAMPA DANIELS

AMI & GRAMMA BUNCH
AMI & GRAMPA BUNCH

AMI & JEN B.

My body was so relieved to be done housing 3 babies....my spine felt lighter which was an incredibly nice feeling....but the periodic pushing on my belly continued throughout the next 4 hours...just as the feeling in my legs slowly returned. All the while, everyone else has gotten to go into the NICU and see my babies. I was very saddened by this. I was excited that everyone could go meet the babies, but very upset that I still had not gotten to meet my own babies. After almost 4 and a half hours, I again asked the nurse taking care of me when I'd be able to see the babies. Bless her heart, she finally just said, "let's go!" I didn't know where Brian was at this point, and I was a little worried that he'd come back to the recovery room and not know what happened to me...but on the other hand, I was going to see my babies!

She literally wheeled my bed right into the NICU (which is not necessarily designed for a bed to be traveling through! But she did it! And I'll be forever grateful to her for that....oddly enough, no one else (family or friends) were in the NICU at that point, so it was kind of a nice way to meet my babies....Even with all the tubes and wires, they looked so peaceful. One by one, I sat at each babies' bedside and just looked at them. As you can imagine, I was overcome with emotion and tears...those 3 babies were mine. I had carried them for 33 weeks and felt every little movement they made,and now, there they were before me. It was the first time I felt that tug on my heart to make sure I gave equal attention to all three babies...

Before long, the others joined me in the NICU and together we all celebrated and marveled at the newest additions to our lives! After spending a pretty good amount of time in there, I finally got wheeled back down to my own room, where I'd spend the next 5 days.

I have to say, I feel sorry for anyone who is delivering babies anywhere else but UMC...I strongly belive the best nurses, doctors, Patient Care Technicians etc. are at UMC. I was continually amazed at what outstanding care the babies and I received! Thank you, thank you, thank you...

So that day came to a close...Brian and I went back up to the NICU later that evening to "tuck our babies in" and say good night...the start of our new routine. :)