Our Boys First Few Weeks

After our first day
The next couple of days in the hospital were a whirlwind. Here are some random events/thoughts not in any particular order…

• Jason spent the first night and third night with us at the hospital. The first night went well, but little sleep as so many nurses came in and we worked on breastfeeding. The 3rd night Jason and I got to handle everything on our own and it went great! The second night it was just me and the boys. It went well, but having so many nurses around trying to help you breastfeed can get to be a little hard.
• Recovering from the C-Section was a lot more painful than I thought it would be. My incision is a little bigger than usual due to their size and Gavin’s position (breech and his back against my skin which is why he came out butt first. Instead of pulling out the head first, they had to pull him out doubled over making for a bigger opening necessary.) The pain was different than anything I’ve felt before. Almost like someone was burning me from the inside out. Anyways, it started to get better almost a week later. Now at 2 weeks I’m doing great! A little tender, but nothing bad at all!
• I gained a lot of water weight while pregnant and what's crazy is that I lost 50 lbs by day 10 and 70 lbs by day 13! I look like a shadow of my former self. My tummy is so tiny and I can see all my bones now! I actually lost muscle while pregnant, so my calves/legs have never been this skinny since middle school. Looks like I’ll be working to gain weight/muscle instead of trying to loose fat! A great thing now, but it was very hard on my body the first couple of weeks.
• Because of the rapid weight loss, and so many other factors like hormones and recovery I’m sure, I had a rough couple of weeks suffering from nausea and all that entails. I couldn’t eat much at all which isn’t good for healing, taking care of twin newborns and breastfeeding to say the least… I actually ended up having to go to the ER at day 8 due to violent vomiting all morning. It slowly got better and by day 14 or so, I can say I started to feel so much better!
• My mom came down the Saturday before delivery and left two Fridays afterwards. She was a great help. She went to the grocery store for us and cooked lots of great food to put in the freezer! She helped with the boys at night which allowed Jason to get some rest as well as me sometimes. It was hard seeing her go. It was also great that Jason's mom, my grandma and Selina and Josh were all here too! It was wonderful seeing them with the boys!
• This past weekend was our first weekend alone with the boys and it went real well. We even went for a walk on Sunday!
• This past Monday (2 weeks) was my first full day just the three of us. It went very well. We even went to the pediatrician just us three. I figured I’m going to have to do it eventually, I might as well see how it goes! Then on Tuesday I took them to my OB appt to show them off.
• Adjusting with twin newborns is a little more difficult that I thought it would be. I really wish they came with detailed instructions. With one, it wouldn’t be a big deal at all, but with two, there are a few situations I just don’t know what will work best yet. One is feedings… What do I do when they are both hungry at the same time and crying? The other is related to breastfeeding. They boys love to eat and already eat 3-4 oz at one sitting. That is more than I can produce breast wise. I can now produce about 2-3 oz on each side, but that’s not enough for them seeing that there are two! So we’ve continued to supplement feed with formula which I wish we didn’t have to. Pumping seems to be easier than nursing at this point in our 'schedule'. I’m thinking about contacting a lactation consultant with twin experience to help out. While I want to continue BF, I just don’t know if my body will allow me to produce enough to feed our hungry boys. I'm sure the BM I'm producing is sure better than nothing though!
• Right now their ‘schedule’ or patterns I should say is to eat 3-4 oz total every 2-4 hours. They sleep about 2-3 hour stretches give or take. They sleep best swaddled and w/o the pacifier which they tend to use sparingly. The whole feeding and changing process with boy boys takes about 1.5-2 hours; but we are becoming more efficient as time goes. We never thought this process would take so long. We’ve had a mixture of great nights, good nights and poor nights. I’m looking forward to when we have a schedule and I have a clue about what to do and how to do it all. This learning process is much harder than I thought, but oh so wonderful at the same time!
• While the learning process is harder than I thought, being Gavin and Wyatt’s mother is AMAZING! I wouldn’t trade it for anything. God is so good! I love my boys so much! They are such great boys too! Both boys are very calm and laid back. Gavin seems to be a little more laid back right now that Wyatt though, as Wyatt tends to exercise his vocal cords a little more often ;) Just starting last night (day 15) both boys started to make random ‘coos’ every now and then! They do it more each day. I love it when they smile too! I know it’s not caused by anything specific yet, but they have the most precious smiles! It melts my heart! Gavin sneezes a whole lot and always sneezes in 2s or 3s. I’m hoping he doesn’t have my allergies, but right now it looks like he might. Wyatt ended up getting a bad diaper rash that the Butt Paste and Desitin didn’t help. The pediatrician gave us some cream that has cleared it up in just a day! Their umbilical cords and circumcision ring have fallen off, so we’ve been able to give them better baths. Gavin still enjoys his bath for the most part, but Wyatt didn’t like it at first. The past few days though, he’s been enjoying them more. Guess he’s getting used to it.
• At their 2 week check up, both boys weighed 8 lbs and were 21 ½ inches. They are doing great!
• Starting just a few days ago, about day 15 or so, both boys have started to try to ‘coo’. It’s not a lot of talking, but they are becoming more aware and trying to communicate some other than crying. It’s so precious and just warms my heart.
• As I mentioned above, my milk supply is increasing. I can now make about 2-3 oz on each side which is pretty good. The boys are great eaters though, and require about 4 oz at this point each feeding. Time between feedings now ranges from 3-5 hours, with about 1.5-3 hours of sleep in there somewhere. It takes about 1.5 – 2 hours for the whole feeding, changing and snuggling process of each baby. So sleep is more than it could be, but still not abundant. We couldn’t ask for more though with two newborn boys!
• Yesterday, day 18 we tried out our Baby Hawk Mai Tai wraps and love them! It’s great being able to ‘wear’ the boys around the house and be able to have our hands free. It will come in handy for me when I’m home alone too so I can ‘wear’ one and hold the other.
• Both boys are very gassy. It sometimes hurts Wyatt a little more, but even that seems to be getting better. But I never knew two little boys could toot and burp so loud and so often. When people are over, I have to clarify it’s the boys making all that noise, because it really sounds like grown men!
• We went for our first walk last Sunday at just about 2 weeks. It was great to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. The dogs had fun joining us as well! We love our stroller and car seat getup; it really is easy to use! I call it the ‘limousine’ since it’s so long!

Below are some random pics from the past couple of weeks I wanted to share; in no particular order:

Boys with Great-Grandma Bloomer





Grandma's with the boys


One of our Wonderful nurses at the hospital; Minie. She was such a blessing and really fell in love with the boys and us with her!


Our first afternoon home with our boys!




Wyatt


Gavin


Daddy and Wyatt

Wyatt

Gavin

Grandma French and Great-Grandma Leschber

Our first walk around the neighborhood

Tummy time with the dogs supervising

Wyatt

Gavin

Gavin

Gavin

Wyatt

Daddy and Gavin

Happy Birthday Gavin and Wyatt!!! - March 7, 2011

It’s been 2 weeks and a half weeks since Gavin and Wyatt were born and over 2 weeks since we’ve been back home with our boys! I’m just now trying to get around to updating the blog about the events and time that has passed between that beautiful day and now. (This post will just be about their birthday and more will follow.) These past few weeks have flown by. They’ve been an precious, beautiful, trying and a growing period for us all. We wouldn't trade it for anything. We’ve had so much love from family and friends, for which we are truly grateful. My thoughts will likely be scattered, but here we go…

Sunday March 6th
Jason and I went to On The Boarder for one last ‘restaurant outing’ before the boys were born. Boy was I uncomfortable… I couldn’t even order my favorite dessert… chocolate turtle empanadas! But it was great getting out. We then went home and ‘snuggled’ as we watched RED again. We knew we’d be waking up early, so we tried to go to bed at a decent time. I had to sleep on the couch that night like many nights before due to being so darn uncomfortable. I say sleep, but I only got 1.5 hours of sleep that night! I was so excited and nervous about delivery in just a few short hours, sleep never got to visit me!

Monday March 7th
So 4 o’clock rolled around and I got up to take a shower and get ready since we had to leave a little before 5am to head to the hospital. They say having a C-section is nicer because you get to get ready and be prepared for delivery… but… both Jason and I found it to be very difficult. Because we knew what was coming and when, we both suffered from major anxiety that morning… we both felt pretty nauseas off and on. Yes, we were 100% excited, but something about knowing your precious sons will be entering the world in just a few short hours w/o the adrenaline of labor can send your mind whirling. Anyways, we headed out to the hospital on time and checked in at 5:30. By then Jason’s nerves had calmed down, but mine had only a little. We changed into our OR fashion, I got prepped for the operation and we chatted for a while until it was time to wheel me back for my spinal. We were scheduled for deliver at 7:30, but they were running just a little behind.

They wheeled me back as Jason waited in the room. The spinal was so much easier than I thought it would be, but my nerves were crazy. I couldn’t stop shaking no matter how much I tried to reason with myself all was well. Doctor said it’s normal and hormones increase this shaking. Anyways, spinal done, they put me on the operating table and began to prep me on the other side of the curtain. It seemed like forever before Jason was next to me and actually once he walked in, they started. Jason started filming the procedure, but they quickly said we couldn’t. So we waited to film until the boys were born and then got some great footage! Shortly after they started the operation, I asked Jason if he ‘smelt that’… something was burning! He said he didn’t even though I asked again. Later we laughed as he shared that they were using the lazar to cut me and I was smelling my flesh burning. He didn’t want to tell me then just in case I’d ‘freak out’. It was pretty funny. I felt a lot of strange pushing and pulling, but no pain. I couldn’t move from the chest down, except my right big toe… weird, I know!

Anyways, Jason got to witness both boys being born! Gavin Matthew French was born at 8:09 am; weighing 7lbs 8oz and 19.5 inches long. He came out butt first! Wyatt Paul French was born just 2 minutes later at 8:11 am; also weighing 7lbs 8oz and 20 inches long. Both boys were super healthy and strong! Everyone in the operating room was so surprised to see such big boys! After they cleaned the boys up and checked them out in the operating room, they swaddled them and then brought them to me to kiss them, touch them and talk to them! As soon as Gavin heard my voice, he opened his eyes and stared right at me talking to him. The nurses were in awe watching him respond to me so well. I got to spend some time with both boys before they headed to the nursery for a little while as I was being sewn up. We got wonderful video of our first few moments with our beautiful precious boys! Oh how I love them!!!

Jason left with the boys to the nursery. On the way he got to press the button that plays a lullaby throughout the whole hospital letting everyone know a baby was born. But Jason got to press it twice! We got great video of this, as well as our family’s response as they saw the boys through the nursery window! Oh they were so excited and Jason was so proud. I can’t write much more about this since I wasn’t there though… The video says it all!

Shortly after they took me back to my room where Jason met back with me. They then brought our boys to us and we got to hold them and have skin to skin time. Oh, how I love them. It was a precious moment I’ll never forget getting to hold them for the first time. The amazing thing was, that shaking I said I had earlier, never went away all throughout surgery and afterwards. Doctor said it’s normal and is caused by all the hormones. She said it sometimes calms down after you hold your baby… Well, that is just what happened! As soon as they put Gavin and Wyatt in my arms, the shaking stopped! So amazing what that bond can do! Our moms came in shortly afterwards to say hi, along with my grandma, brother and sister. They then left us for a little while as I nursed and we snuggled our boys.

Below are just a few of our pictures from their birthday:



Mom and Dad the morning of our boy's birthday.




Our first snuggle time!



Wyatt Paul French



Gavin Matthew French

My Final Pregnancy Post - 37.5 weeks

In 29 hours (when I started writing this post), Jason and I will be heading to the hospital to deliver our sweet baby boys! Wow, in just a little over a day we will be holding, kissing and loving on our blessings we have prayed so much for. I can't believe the time has finally come. I always imagined what it would feel like, but I realize that I couldn't back then. For as real as every moment is, the surrealness of parenthood is all around. I am not sure when it will sink in; perhaps when we hold Gavin and Wyatt for the first time on Monday, but perhaps not truly until we bring them home.

I think back to a year ago. It was last March that I started taking fertility treatment in preparation for in-vitro. I look back and read through my thoughts during that time and those leading up to it. I had no idea what was ahead of us; only that God was with us and leading. I never could have guessed just how much He would be with us and how thankful I would be for His ever presence. It warms my heart knowing as we cried out to Him over a year ago, He already knew and loved our sweet Gavin and Wyatt! God is so very amazing and leaves me in awe.

Looking back on this pregnancy, I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this gift God has granted us. (enjoyed the process, not the 'unfun parts' of course!) Like every stage in my life, I try to get the most out of everything so I can look back without regrets; high school, college... and now pregnancy. I can honestly look back and say I treasured each stage. Now that it's time for delivery, I feel no sadness about 'not being pregnant' as you hear some experience. I thoroughly love feeling our boys grow and move in my tummy, but I am completely ready for the next very special stage in our lives! I want to watch them grow and not just feel them. I am ready not to be pregnant any more.

Fear... I wouldn't say Jason or I are fearful of parenthood or anything that comes with it. We are so excited to embrace life with our boys. We both consider having twins to be a great experience we are thankful to be blessed with. We can't wait to watch them grown into the young men God created them to be. More than fear, I think right now everything just feels surreal as I mentioned above.

The house is completely ready for the boys! The car seats are in the van! The hospital bag is technically packed minus last minute items we'll be using in the next 29 hours! What a beautiful feeling knowing they'll be here soon!

Fear... While Jason and I are not fearful of parenthood, I have to admit I'm slightly nervous about a C-Section. I know it's 'routine' these days and I trust my doctor and more importantly God, but still... it's a little nerve wracking knowing you'll be cut open and exposed! I pray recovery goes well too. I guess the unknown can make one a bit nervous, but nothing I won't get through. I pray that God continues to give me the peace only He can give. I do honestly feel a little like the special process of birth is taken away from me having to have a C-Section, but I realize this is how God wants it and thus, nothing is being taken away. This is a blessing instead and perfect for our family. It's just another part of life when I realize that God gives each of us what is perfect for us... He gives others what is perfect for them... all is well when we do not compare or hold expectations.

Speaking of expectations... Jason and I are trying not to have any expectations about anything the next several months. I've read many books, have ideas on how we want to do things, but realize that each baby is different as is each family. We will take one day at a time and figure out what works best for Gavin, Wyatt, Dad and Mom. Without having expectations, we free ourselves to enjoy each stage without becoming disappointed or irritable at how things are or are not going.

We filled out Gavin and Wyatt's birth certificate paper work and got everything in order for their new pediatrician. These two steps did make it seem even more real, although still hard for my mind to comprehend! I love signing paperwork for them and having to fill out 'relation' as Mother! What a great feeling!

My mom, grandma, sister and brother arrived today from El Paso! So thankful they were here a little before the boys are born and of course that they'll be here on Monday! Tomorrow morning we are going to have coffee and cinnamon rolls with Jason's mom and my family. After some visiting, Jason and I will be left at home for our 'last evening' before the boys arrive. Not sure if we will try to see a movie or stay in and just snuggle, but either way, we are looking forward to this special time. Then we'll try to get some sleep before leaving the house at 5 am on Monday! I'm looking forward to the adrenaline I'll be getting this week, because without it, I don't think I'll manage. Sleep just isn't my friend and won't be for a while!

I'll have to update this post with pictures soon, but for now, I wanted to make sure I captured just a few of my thoughts before we sing Happy Birthday to Gavin and Wyatt!