The c-section had been scheduled for weeks so I knew that my OB appointment on Wednesday, April 15th 2009 would be the final one before the boys were born.
Before my appointment I had a monitoring session. For the past few weeks I had non-stress tests twice a week where the babies were monitored to make sure their heart rates reacted appropriately to their movements. I was always in and out of those appointments in 20 minutes – both babies quickly met the required number of measurements because they were always moving especially when I wanted to lie still and rest. The session that day was no exception, the boys happily bounced around and their heart rates went up and down. When I arrived for my session I would instruct the nurse where to place the monitors since they had been in a similar location for weeks. Both were head up – Wyatt on the right with his head up in my ribs and Ruslan on the left with his head at my side.
The Dr confirmed that both boys were still head up and we went through the plans for the next week. I would be at the hospital very early Monday morning for an amnio and then the boys would be delivered that afternoon.
Saturday morning I went for my final monitoring session. I was very uncomfortable and looking forward to the end of my last pregnant weekend. I settled onto the bed and the nurse started placing monitors and we couldn’t find their heart beats in the familiar locations – they were moved a little bit. I was surprised that they had enough room to move at all.
We arrived at the hospital early Monday morning and the ultrasound tech set-up for the amnio. She located Baby A and noted that he was head down on the left and I thought I must have misunderstood her. She confirmed that Ruslan was head down and then she checked Wyatt and he was also head down. They had both completely flipped in the past few days and I no longer felt guilty for complaining that I had been very uncomfortable. Just looking at these pictures brings back the painful memories (photo from 35 weeks, they were born at 37 weeks and 12 weeks for comparison).
And the final family pictures before the boys were born – I look crazy tired and lack of sleep was about to be taken to a whole new level…
