I wrote this elsewhere but realised that I hadn’t added my birth story to my blog, so here it is:
It was decided at my 35 week check up that I would have a caesarean section. The girls had been transverse at the previous scan a week before (having been breech before that) and were still extremely active so a section seemed a sensible option. I was booked for 39 weeks exactly and insisted on going in for monitoring every other day for the final two weeks.
I had a session on pain relief with an anaesthetist a couple of weeks beforehand, where I was advised to have an epidural. I also had a pre-op appointment the week before, where I was weighed, blood samples were taken and I was given two tablets to take, one the night before the section and one in the morning. I had to sign loads of forms and was warned that one of the babies might get a cut on the head or bottom, depending on how they were lying.

At 7am on 12th December 2007 we arrived at the hospital and were shown to my bed. The head anaesthetist came to see me and said that he would give me a spinal block (one-off pain relief) rather than an epidural (which can be topped up if necessary), which I was happy with although it meant the previous consultation had been pointless. The midwife who would look after me during the section came to see us and checked the position of the babies (one was head down, the other transverse) and my ‘shaving’. I cringe about it now, but I asked her if I had to remove my knickers for the op!!!

I was scheduled to be the second op of the day, at 10.30am but an emergency section took place just before mine so I went down to theatre just after midday. I was already dressed in my gown and no knickers!! Dh and I were parted at the door to theatre (he was looked after by another midwife) and I went in for my spinal block and he got changed into his scrubs.
I had watched lots of birth programmes on TV and the administering of the spinal block looked unbearably painful but it actually wasn’t too bad. There seemed to be about 20 people in theatre as there was a full team of medical professionals for each baby. I had agreed to some students being present and they were excited because they hadn’t seen a planned twin section before. They chatted to me while the drips were put in and the spinal block applied and helped to take my mind off the pain.
I was prepped for the op (drips in, wired up and laid back) and as they erected the screen, dh was led in. He looked very dashing in his scrubs but looked very pale and frightened. By this time, the drugs had kicked in and I was finding everything hysterically funny. I told the two (barking mad, one short and German, one incredibly tall and skinny) anaesthetists that they reminded me of Guy Secretan from Green Wing. Behind the screen, I could hear the medical students hooting with laughter!
Suddenly, I felt quite nauseous. I must have gone pale because the incredibly tall anaesthetist leaned over and asked if I was feeling sick. He flicked a switch on his control panel (apparently it looked like something from a sci-fi film) and I felt better so I assume I was administered something to ease the nausea.
I was told that the operation had begun but as I was awake it all felt very surreal. I didn’t feel any pain but I did feel a sort of rummaging sensation in my stomach area. Apparently the bed was moving around rather violently as they were trying to prise the girls out! In no time at all, I heard a baby cry, then a second one. Within a couple of seconds dh was presented with Twin 2 – Ruth (6lb 7oz), wrapped in a towel with a woolly hat jammed on her head. All we could see was her tiny round face peeping out. I have absolutely no idea why we were given her first. Twin 1 – Grace (6lb 5oz) had a tiny cut on her head so perhaps they were sorting that out. Ruth was taken away for further checks and dh was given Grace to hold. We couldn’t get over how perfect they looked and didn’t quite believe they were ours.
Once I had been sewn up, dh’s midwife led him back out of theatre and he resisted the urge to look back and see the carnage. My consultant appeared and said he was happy with the procedure and the girls were in perfect health. The girls were given their vitamin k injections while I was taken into recovery. I was only in recovery for a couple of minutes before the girls were wheeled in. The midwife appeared, lifted the girls out of the travel incubator and I tandem breast-fed them. About half an hour later, all three of us were wheeled back to the ward, where dh was waiting.
I don’t remember very much about the next few hours. I recall feeling nauseous, being sick and bursting my stitches. I was also given a dose of morphine in a syringe that I had to squirt into my mouth. The midwife came to see us and gave the girls a top and tail bath and dressed them in the bodysuits and sleepsuits we had bought in for them. I remember feeling very happy (the drugs!) and that the girls were very sleepy.
Looking back, I think it was a good birth. I found the whole thing curiously relaxing, after so much build-up and anticipation. We knew that I was going to have the section beforehand and could therefore prepare for it. I was incredibly lucky to have such a long pregnancy and that the girls were so big and healthy.