A Fetal Blood Sampling turned C-Section

On Sunday evening, I asked Aaron to take one last picture of my belly before we had the babies.  He obliged but told me that they would be in there at least a week longer.  On Monday morning, Aaron and I headed to the hospital for our Fetal Blood Sampling. I still had a rotten feeling in the pit of my stomach that we would probably be delivering the twins that day too. So we brought our packed hospital bags, filled with snacks, clothes, toiletries and itty bitty baby clothes.  When we got there I was admitted and had to take a Covid test that gave results in 30 minutes. Aaron didn’t have to get tested which I’m assuming is because of a shortage of those particular tests. It wasn’t so bad but the waiting was a bit rough. I kept thinking about what they would even do if I was positive, but thankfully my results came back negative!

We got settled in the PACU, the twins were monitored and then they started prepping to take me back for the Fetal Blood Sampling. The protocols just changed last week & Aaron was going to be allowed to go back with me for the sampling which was just the absolute best news. He is my rock and I would have been a basket case without him. When we went into the OR, they asked Aaron to stay out so they could start an epidural for me, but then time became of the essence for the matched platelets on hand and they had to skip the epidural. That meant only local anesthetics for me and an order to stay still while they placed the needles through my stomach and into the girls.

When the procedure started, apparently Baby A was being a crazy lady and was extremely active. Due to this they had a hard time getting her with the sedative needle so they could start the process of sampling the hepatic vein in the liver for a platelet count. The procedure is so incredibly uncomfortable and hard for me and I was getting very frustrated with the time it was taking, especially knowing they had a whole other twin to sample. I was on a tilted operating table, contracting and unable to move or even breathe differently for fear of causing complications for the twins. My blood pressure was very high and they were doing their best to bring it down.  Aaron talked me through what they were doing throughout the procedure because I couldn’t see but also because I was crying throughout the procedure due to pain and feeling out of control. I had another nurse who was assigned to me on the other side and she was very kind and sweet to me even though I repeatedly tried to move my arm away from her to touch my belly and give it some relief from hanging sideways on the operating table. After about 2 hours of both of my doctors trying and going back and forth, they finally sampled the vein and Baby A’s platelets were 95,000– which is pretty decent but still needed an infusion of platelets. They had no good way to get to Baby B’s hepatic vein and the time for using the platelets was running out.  They decided to sample Baby B’s blood through her umbilical cord. Baby B’s platelets were 117,000 and while that’s close to normal, she was still infused with the matched platelets.

I was wheeled to recovery and while there, they were having a hard time getting both girls on the monitor due to my frequent contractions.  My blood pressure was still sky high, my platelets were extremely low and so the doctors met as a team and decided that due to fetal stress and my new diagnosis of preeclampsia, that they needed to do a stat C-section.  I got prepped and got my epidural for my spinal block, while Aaron waited outside of the OR. I kept asking for him and eventually they allowed him back in as they were already cutting into me.  He kept me calm, we were talking about what the girls would look like and hoping we would know which was Baby A and which was Baby B and they wouldn't get them switched up.  The two baby teams got their beds ready and made sure all the equipment was in place for the girls.  Everything and everyone was pretty calm... and then suddenly things changed.

Baby A came out first and she cried pretty much instantly and we watched from afar as they poked and prodded her.  Everything seemed okay but she stopped crying and they were smacking her hands and feet trying to get her to liven up a bit which was scaring us.  Baby B came out next. She wasn't crying, she wasn't breathing and she was purple in color.  We could barely see her through all the doctor's surrounding her and I began to panic and cry.  I was asking, "Is she alive? Is she dead? Please tell me if she's alive!"  I asked Aaron to stand up and go over so he could see what was going on as I obviously couldn't.  He stood up and said that he thought he saw her moving.  He went over and he was able to cut the umbilical cords on both of them.  At the same time, the doctors were cutting my tubes out and I was crying hysterically, asking everyone what was happening.  Aaron came back over to tell me that they were both alive and being worked on. He wasn't allowed to hold them and doctors brought them over to me while I was still strapped down to let me get a picture with them.  I was able to kiss Baby A on the cheek but I couldn't get close enough to Baby B and after the picture, they whisked them both away.

I continued to cry throughout the rest of my surgery, which took longer than expected because I was hemorrhaging and losing a lot of blood. Aaron held my hand until the surgery was over and we just sat there with our heads together as he reassured me that it would all be okay. The next couple hours were a blur, we were sent back to recovery and my blood pressure was still uncontrollable and they transferred me to Labor & Delivery to receive a magnesium drip to help combat it.  The side effects were pretty awful and flu-like and I had to be on it for 24 hours.  I was tested every hour to make sure I wasn’t going to have a seizure and that my reflexes were working.  I was able to be wheeled to the NICU in my hospital bed to see the girls and get some kind of update.  They were pretty bad off and while it was reassuring to see them, it was also awful to feel like I couldn't do anything for them.  I was wheeled back to my room and while receiving the magnesium and waiting for the spinal to wear off, I laid in the bed just feeling so upset and out of control of my life. I felt like my body failed me and feelings of guilt about the delivery were consuming me.

 My nurse, Sara, was the best nurse in the world and she was so helpful and willing to do pretty much anything to help me feel better.  She was funny and warm and really wanted to help Aaron and I through this. She is also a twin and told me she would send healing twin vibes to the girls.  I started pumping with the help of Sara and Aaron was taking my colostrum over to the NICU every few hours.  He spent time there trying to get updates about the girls but there were a lot of uncertainties  and a lot of doctor's saying "we don't know yet.".  Over the next few days we were transferred to the postpartum wing and I think I got maybe 30-40 minutes of sleep at a time.  My blood pressure was so high that I was being checked on constantly and in between getting checked on, I went to see the girls in the NICU or pumped.  My bloodwork showed the signs of my hemorrhage with low hematocrit, red blood cells and hemoglobin which contributed to my postpartum anemia.  I don't think I have ever been so exhausted in my life.  I wasn't sleeping or eating and my anxiety was at an all time high.  I ended up being readmitted to the Labor & Delivery ward to get IV meds for my blood pressure and try to figure out a regimen that would work for me.  I spent the night there with my favorite nurse, Sara, and she made sure I was left alone to get some sleep.  I was sent back over to the postpartum wing with a new blood pressure medicine and orders to sleep and eat!

The twins have been making progress in the NICU, but Baby B is much worse off than Baby A.  It's really devastating to watch one twin make strides toward normalcy and watch the other struggle.  You want to be happy for the good news but you can't help but be upset about the other news.  The worst part is that for the first few days, they just kept saying that Baby B was "very sick," but couldn't tell us why.  The doctors and nurses were doing everything they could to keep her stable but the lack of answers was not only anxiety-inducing, it was often infuriating.  One thing we did know is that both of the girls are feisty as hell.  They are definitely working hard and fighting for their lives and that makes us feel so proud and reassured. We are happy that they are currently stable and the doctors have figured out how to support both of the girls in the best way possible for them.  It's going to be a long road, but we feel confident that it will lead to a beautiful destination.  Please keep our baby girls in your prayers and know that when we feel comfortable updating you in more detail about their health and well-being, we will. Thank you all for your love and support. ❤️

Introducing the Wright twins:

Jasmine Rose Wright (Baby B) & Zoey Jade Wright (Baby A)