March 15th

Tuesday March 15th was just like any other Tuesday.  I had a doctors appointment that day just like I had every Tuesday for the last 3 months.  It was scheduled for the afternoon so that Jason could come home and watch the kids.  My appointments were just too long to have to take them to.  So he came home and I headed to the doctor.  They always did my ultrasound first.  So the girl does all the normal things that they always do.  Measuring and checking everything on the girls.  They would always check my cervical length by ultrasound every week.  Well when she did it I saw that it was very short and I also saw a black spot that was normally not there.  She finished up and went and got my doctor.  She came in and said that it had shortened a lot, which I knew, and that they could see that I was dilated but they cant tell you how many cm from the ultrasound.  My normal perintologist was gone on vacation so we went in and talked to the doctor that was there while he was gone.  Both my doctors there agreed I need to go to the hospital to be monitored and see where I was at.  First the tried to get me to be air vaced to the hospital.  Umm not happening!  Then they tried to get me to go to the hospital across the street and have them take me by ambulance.  I convinced them I would be fine driving :)  So I met Jason half way between our house and the doctor and we went together to the hospital.  We got there around 5:10pm and were back in a room getting settled in and hooked up about 525pm.  They hooked me up to monitor contractions and I was having them about every 6 minutes.  Then the doctor checked me and I was 4cm dilated and 100% effaced.  Once they had all this info they immediately decided that they would be delivering our babies right away.  I cant even begin to explain the emotions that I had in those moments.  For one everything felt like it was happening so fast so you almost feel like you are in shock.  You know for months that this moment is coming but when its there its not something you are prepared for.   I was so scared.  I was nervous.  I was excited to see their faces.  I was just so many things.  I didn't really have time to process it all.  So many doctors and nurses were coming in to introduce themselves and explain things to me.  Its all kind of a blur.  One of the hardest things for me was the fact that these 2 doctors that I have never seen before were going to be delivering our babies.  They didn't know me or a single thing about me.  I hated it!  They came in and told me that because of how high my incision was going to be (its goes all the way up to about 4 inches above my bellybutton) they would have to put me to sleep for the c section.  I was not happy at all.  I was so scared that I would not be able to see my babies alive.  They also told me that I needed to sign  to either have my tubes tied or a hysterectomy because of the large incision and the fact that I have had 2 other c sections.  I was devastated as this was never talked of with my regular doctor.  Looking back now I wish I would have fought this and asked more questions.  It was all just so crazy at the time that I just trusted in them.  I just pray that they were right but there is nothing I can do now because they did tie my tubes after my babies were delivered.  At 7:49pm our beautiful daughters were born.  I was put to sleep and Jason was not allowed in the delivery room.  We were told that they cried as soon as they were born but then had difficulty breathing.  They then put them on ventilators.  I was out for about 2 1/2 hours.  Jason went right with Ava and Teagan to the NICU.  I remember waking up and the only two things I thought was "Oh my gosh I hurt soooo bad!"  All I remember is crying saying it hurts it hurts it hurts.  The other thing was of course "Are my babies ok"  I could not stop thinking but was too scared to ask the nurse in there with me.  She started talking about them like they were ok.  Jason came in shortly after and started talking about them and I knew that for then they were ok.  He showed me some pictures and told me about them :)  I was so grateful that I was going to be able to hold my babies and see them alive and breathing and moving!  Once I was ok to leave recovery they wheeled me up to the NICU to be with our babies.  Holding them for the first time was one of the best feelings in the world.  I will never ever forget those moments.  I did not want to put them down.  They were beautiful and physically on the outside they were absolutely perfect.  They just had to be conjoined at their chest.  It was hard so hard to look at them and accept the fact that they weren't going to be ok.  I still havent accepted it.  Life is just so unfair at times!  I can honestly say that despite the face that I knew they wouldn't be ok March 15th was one of the best days of my life because that is the day that we got to bring our precious girls into this world and meet them. 

I just wanted to share more details on the day we welcomed Ava and Teagan.  It was an important day for us and with them not being here all I can do is share the memories we do have of them. 

Here are a few pictures from the first time I was able to hold Ava and Teagan

Did you know....

Conjoined twins occur once every 200,000 live births (Ive read different numbers, as high as 400,000, but this seems to the the most used number)

Approximately 40 to 60 percent of conjoined twins arrive stillborn, and about 35 percent survive only one day. The overall survival rate of conjoined twins is somewhere between 5 percent and 25 percent

Conjoined twins are genetically identical, and are, therefore, always the same sex. They develop from the same fertilized egg, and they share the same amniotic cavity and placenta

Are more often female than male, at a ratio of 3:1

 Those are some of the facts about conjoined twins. We were blessed with 2 days with our precious girls. To me, they are not only our little blessings but also our little miracles.

Neckalce

Here are 2 pictures of the necklace I ordered.  The print on the left is Teagan and the print on the right is Ava.  There isnt enough room for all 4 of their feet prints so I just did one of each :)  I love it!  Check out www.myforeverchild.com

Time...

Ive never really paid much attention to dates.  Of course the obvious ones such as major holidays and loved ones birthdays you pay attention.  Now every month when I see the 15th and the 17th its kind of like someone punches me in the stomach.  It just instantly puts me in a really down mood.  This month the 15th was 5 months ago that our girls entered this world.  The 17th had been 5 months since they left.  Every month I think "Today my baby girls should be 2, 3,4 months old and every month on the 17th I think "my baby girls have been gone for 2,3,4 months."  I'm thinking of maybe just pretending that the 15th and the 17th don't exist.  That could work :)  I miss my babies so very much and the pain of their loss gets worse for me with each passing day.  Ive had a lot of other medical things going on since their birth that have made everything feel so much worse.  I keep reminding myself that it HAS to get better.  The physical things will.  I feel like I'm a different person since March 17th, 2011.  In good ways and not so good ways.  For now its not something I'm focused on.  Right now my goal is to just manage to get through each day and to take care of and love my sweet B & B.  They keep me going that's for sure.  I saw a quote the other day and I cant remember exactly what it said.  Something along the lines of when you go through a tragedy like this friends become strangers and strangers become friends.  I find this to be soo very true!  I'm sad for the people that aren't close to me anymore but I'm so very grateful for God bringing certain people into my life through this all.  I have made a very good friend that had lost her twin boys at the same time we lost Ava and Teagan.  I am so very thankful for her!  I have also started talking to a few ladies that have lost conjoined twins or are pregnant with conjoined twins right now.  Its so nice to talk to other people that have been through the same thing.  They can understand all the emotions that come along with carrying these special babies knowing that the chances for them are not good.  They know what it feels like to have to carry them and make decisions that are best for them even though it means you will hurt so badly.  Its just not an easy thing to go through. 


This is one of the first pictures of our girls we shared with everyone.  I think they were so beautiful and in my eyes absolutely perfect!