We Welcome Killian Orion & Piper Wren

Killian Orion & Piper Wren

Well, it happened. I gave birth to two beautiful babies. Here's how it went down:

Last Thursday (10/9) I went to my OB appointment and was 3cm dilated and 80% effaced. Then over the weekend I felt so exhausted and could barely move. Getting up off the couch was a chore and I was still losing my mucus plug. Monday I had another OB appointment.

Monday (10/13)

Dan had off from work because of Columbus Day. Lily went to play at my parent's house while Dan and I went off to my OB appointment. I was not so secretly hoping for my OB to tell me to go straight to the hospital to deliver. I had quite enough of this pregnancy! I was 34 weeks, 4 days along at that point.

We were called in to see my doctor. They weighed me - I gained 55 pounds this pregnancy. Ugh! My doctor came in and checked to see how dilated I was since last visit. He asked if I wanted to have these babies tonight and I said yes. I was 6cm dilated - at least that's what he told us (more on that later). He said to go home and get my things together. Get to the hospital at 6pm so they could check me in and get things going. He would get there about 8pm to break my water. Dan and I were so excited.

Dan and I got home and packed up the van. My parents brought Lily home and stayed until Dan's parents got there to watch her so they could head off to the hospital. We told Lily we were going to get Piper and Killian and that I would see her tomorrow.

We got to the hospital and by that point I was feeling some contractions. I hadn't felt any until my doctor examined me a couple of hours earlier. We got up to the labor and delivery wing of Nassau University Medical Center (NUMC). They redid it since we had Lily there over 2 1/2 years ago. It's really nice. I got my gown on and they started getting me ready by taking my blood and hooking me up to an IV. This time around I decided to get the epidural. Since I was having twins, if something were to go wrong and I needed a c-section, I wanted to be ready. A medical student asked if she could watch the birth. It would be her first time experiencing it. I said sure. I was moved into the labor room about 8pm.

The labor room was huge. There was a recliner and a table with chairs. It even had it's own bathroom. My nurse started getting me set up and my doctor came in to break my water (Killian's) at around 9pm. He then told us that I was actually 8cm dilated when we saw him earlier but he didn't want to panic me. He then told us a very funny joke and left the room for a bit. Then at around 9:30pm the epidural was administered. The epidural didn't seem to be working. It numbed my left leg and both my feet but didn't really do anything for the contractions I was having. Then about 10pm my contractions were never ending and I felt a lot of pressure. They called my doctor back into the room and he checked me. I was 10cm and Killian's head was right there. It was pushing time!

I started remembering how hard it was to push Lily out. I was pushing for about 2 hours with her. This time though, it went much faster. I gave about 4 good pushes and out Killian came at 10:14pm. He started crying, or really he made a sound like a little mouse, and I started crying. My baby boy was born! I held him for a bit while Dan cut the umbilical cord and my placenta was delivered. Then his NICU nurse took him aside to be cleaned and swaddled.

Now it was time to get Piper delivered. She was still head down! My doctor broke my water and said I could start pushing. I thought that was weird since I didn't have any contractions for her. I pushed about 3 good pushes and out Piper came at 10:20pm. That simple! I held her while Dan cut her umbilical cord and I delivered the placenta. Then her NICU nurse took her to be cleaned and swaddled.

I didn't need an episiotomy this time around but I did tear a little bit. My doctor stitched me up and I was ready to hold both of my babies!

Killian Orion, Mommy, Piper Wren

During the labor, there were about 25 medical staff in the room. Only about 8 of them actually needed to be there for me and the babies. The other's were just so excited that a vaginal twin birth was going on that they had to stop by to witness it. I was the talk of the hospital since most of them have never seen a vaginal twin birth before and the ones who have, hadn't seen one done in a very, very long time.

My awesome OB, Dr. Granoff

On Monday, October 13, 2014, at 34 weeks, 4 days along we had some good sized babies!

• Killian Orion weighed 6 pounds, 0.5 ounces, 19.5 inches long
• Piper Wren weighed 6 pounds, 2.2 ounces, 19.25 inches long

Healthy new additions to the Gorman family!

Update On Some Testing

OK. So my last post had some not so good news. This post is a little better. As Dan will tell me, since he "yelled" at me for keeping it 'til the end, I will start off by telling you the results of the fFN Test. NEGATIVE!!! This means that I have a 99.2% chance of NOT giving birth within the next 2 weeks (from the date the test was given). Phew! That's a little comforting. I'll most likely be retested next week  and let's hope again that I still get a negative result.

The next test result I got back was for the gestational diabetes. That was also a negative! I wasn't too concerned with this one since I didn't have a problem when pregnant with Lily.

Now the last test result which came out positive. It seems that when they checked my urine, which they do every time I go in to the office, it came back positive for a urinary track infection. Of course. One more medication to add to my long list. I now am on HUGE antibiotic pills 2x's a day for 7 days. Now that I think about it, this is probably the reason why every time I have to go to the bathroom it hurts. I thought it was just from two babies pressing on my bladder. Good thing they test the urine, otherwise it could've gotten a lot more serious than it is now.

So, what now? Well, I still have a shortened cervix. I go to the OB once a week. My next appointment is on Thursday where my OB will most likely be measuring my cervix again. Next week, they'll most likely do the cervix check and the fFN test again. I don't believe I will need another steroid shot, but we'll see.

Anyway. Dan and I are a bit relieved for now and can sorta rest easy until next week. I don't know about Dan, but I am not mentally prepared to have these two babies within a month. My due date is November 20th, which seems a good distance away. Unfortunately, we are probably looking at their arrival sometime in September. Hopefully it's more towards the end of the month than the beginning. That'll give them a better chance at not having too many struggles.

Every Day From Now On Counts!

Dan and I are a little more than nervous right now with new information we got from my OB yesterday, Wednesday (8/6). Two weeks ago my cervix was shortened to 2.6cm. As of yesterday it is shortened to .9cm. When normal cervix length when pregnant at around 25 weeks is, on average, 3cm, having to be told it is .9cm is scary.

So, what does this mean? It means pre-term labor and it can come at any time now. Thankfully I am not dilated and both baby's heart rates are really good and strong. I had a steroid shot Wednesday to help mature their lungs. I went in again today, Thursday (8/7) to have another steroid shot and a test called Fetal Fibronectin or fFN Test. This test determines if I will deliver as soon as 2 weeks. Hopefully not. I'm 25 weeks along so we hope and pray these 2 little ones will hold out until at least 30 weeks. The lungs are the last to develop and don't fully develop until week 35, hence the steroid shots. So fingers crossed that when Killian and Piper come into this world, their lungs are strong enough and they are healthy enough to: a) survive and b) not have any major health issues.

My OB gave me his cell number and told me that any little cramp, leaking, or blood, go straight to the hospital and call him on the way. Sounds serious. Well, I guess it is. After everything that Dan and I have been through in these past 5 years to have ourselves a family, this is just one more hurdle to get through. Nothing has come easily for us in this journey and to be honest, I'm getting sick of it! There are people out there that get pregnant by accident and don't even care. Then you have people like myself and Dan who have struggled through two miscarriages, testing, uterine surgery, 4 IUI's to get Lily, 5 failed IUI attempts to get pregnant again, IVF, news of twins, and now a shortened cervix with the more than possible outcome of delivering before 35 weeks. I'm not a praying woman, but please, pray that everything will be OK!!

Well, now that we are on "High Alert" I guess I need to pack my hospital bag right away. With Lily, I packed the day my water broke at 37 weeks. I can't really do that with these two. I need to be ready because once something happens I'm rushing to the hospital.

Ugh! This is so stressful and I'm trying so hard to remain calm, not only for myself, but for Dan and especially for Lily.

Our Twins

So, on Wednesday, the 9th, I had an appointment to get our babies measured and to find out for sure exactly what the sex is of the one we were unsure about. As it turns out we will be getting our wish: one boy and one girl! Lily will have a brother and a sister which is fantastic!!!

Baby A is our boy, Killian Orion. He is on the bottom and weighs about 1 pound. He was extremely active when the ultrasound technician started. Punching out both arms and legs, we think he was fighting for "his side" of my womb. By the time we were almost done, he was putting all his fingers in his mouth and falling asleep.

Baby B is our girl, Piper Wren. She is on the top and weighs about 14 ounces. She too was active in the beginning, but I think that had something to do with her brother kicking and punching her. A girl's gotta stand up for herself and it seems to be starting very early! By the time we were almost done, she was fast asleep as well. The technician was using my stomach as a sorta punching bag trying to get her to wake up and turn over. That didn't feel good at all and it didn't work.

The technician had me lay down on the chair flat. About 20 minutes in I couldn't take it anymore. My sciatic nerve pain in my back was KILLING ME!!!! I asked how much longer and she raised the chair up a bit so I wasn't laying flat any longer. It helped a little. Then she had me get up to empty my bladder so she could do an intrauterine ultrasound to measure my cervix. I could barely walk to the bathroom which was two doors down. I was in so much pain.

Once in the bathroom, I needed to give a sample so they could check my glucose levels. Let me just tell you that when you are pregnant and have a huge belly which is unmovable, getting that little collection cup in line with your "stream" is extremely difficult! That's all I'll say about that.

When everything was measured and I was done, Dan and I met with the doctor. This was a new doctor in the office, not the regular ones I normally see. Everything seemed to be OK. Both babies are at a good weight and I was given my next appointment date in four weeks for the gestational diabetes test.

Thursday, the 10th, I got a call from one of the regular doctors I see. He said that the babies looked good but that my cervix was a little shortened. Meaning I could go into preterm labor more easily because my cervix is not at a normal length. Since I didn't have my cervix measured when I was pregnant with Lily, I don't know if this is a pre-existing condition or if it's just this pregnancy. My doctor seems to think I could've had a shortened cervix with Lily since she came at 37 weeks, but we'll never know for sure. He said it is common for twins to come early anyway, but he prescribed Crinone (progesterone) to try to help prolong the pregnancy. I took Crinone in the 1st trimester to help keep the pregnancy and prevent miscarriage.

Anyway, I'll be taking the Crinone for the rest of the pregnancy and instead of waiting four weeks to go back, I have to go back in two weeks so they can check my cervix again. He said I wasn't dilated or anything so that is a good thing. I'm just hoping I don't have to go on bed rest. Or if I do, I hope it's just to limit my activities like not lifting anything heavy, aka: Lily, and no strenuous activity. I've already told Dan I'm putting myself on  limited activity so as to not make this a bigger problem than it is.

So, that's that. On a lighter note, Lily said her name for the 1st time on Wednesday. When we had asked her what her name was previously, she would always say, "Me." Now she says, "Leelee." Too cute!

Testing the Tube: A New Journey

As many of you know by now, we are pregnant with babies #2 & 3! That's right, TWINS!! EEEKKKK! This more than makes up for our 5 failed attempts at conceiving last year. For those of you who are interested, this post is the story of how we got pregnant.

We started the IVF (in-vitro fertilization) process January 8th. It was quite different from doing IUI's (intro-uterine insemination) which we had done to get our Lily. I had a thought the other day that Lily, even though we had to do an IUI to have her, she still was conceived "inside" of me. Meaning, the sperm found my egg and the whole fertilization process was done inside my body as if I actually got pregnant by having sex. TMI? Sorry. But baby #2 will be a "test tube baby." I don't like that title, but that's basically what he or she will be. My egg floats around in a petri dish and Dan's sperm will be placed in the dish to find it's way to the egg OR the sperm will be ejected directly into the egg with a process called ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection). Once fertilization happens, the now embryo, will be placed back inside of me to hopefully implant itself into my uterine wall. How amazing is it that we live in an age where this is a new normal for people who can't conceive naturally?

All together, it took 9 weeks from the start of the process to the end when we found out that we were pregnant. What a long journey but definitely worth it.

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I was on 10 medications with the IVF process:

Medication #1: The Pill - Started 1/10/14 ... Ended 1/30/14

True that the pill is used to prevent pregnancy, but it also has a greater function for those who will be doing IVF. The Pill will stop my follicles from growing eggs. This is important because we need a lot of eggs to grow all at once for the best chance of egg retrieval.

Side effects? A little moodiness.

Medication #2: Lupron - Started 1/26/14 ... Ended 2/24/14

Lupron (leuprolide acetate) prevents ovulation in order to control the timing of IVF or artificial insemination. I started taking Lupron 2 1/2 weeks after the start of my cycle. It is taken as an injection in my abdomen.

Side effects? It has been giving me major headaches at night and upset stomach. Luckily, once I started the next 2 meds on my list, I went down in the dosage amount of Lupron...which helped ease the headaches and stomach issues.

Medication #3: Menopur - Started 2/9/14 ... Ended 2/23/14

 This is used to stimulate the development of multiple eggs and is injected in my abdomen.

Side effects? Well, besides the horrible burning sensation I get from injecting it into my stomach, I would say moodiness is a major side effect.

Medication #4: Gonal-F - Started 2/9/14 ... Ended 2/24/14

This is a human follicle stimulating hormone that gets injected in my abdomen. I take this in conjunction with the Lupron and Menopur. 

Side effects? Moodiness.

Medication #5: Ovidrel - Started 2/25/14 ... one dose only

Another injection in my abdomen, Ovidrel stimulates the release of the egg during ovulation. I only take this once.

Medication #6: Dostinex - Started 2/27/14...Ended 3/4/14

This was used to prevent Ovarian Hyper-Stimulation Syndrome (OHSS). I had a lot of follicles so they didn't want to take any chances.

Medication #7: Doxycycline - Started 2/26/14...Ended 3/4/14

This antibiotic pill will be taken 2 times a day for 7 days starting the night before they retrieve my eggs. We don't want an infection!

Medication #8: Methylprednisolone - Started 2/27/14...Ended 3/4/14

I take this pill once a day for 6 days the night of the egg retrieval. It is used to relieve inflammation.

Medication #9: Crinone - Started 3/1/14...Ended 4/24/14

This coats the vaginal tissues to provide long-lasting release of progesterone. I'll be taking this once a day. I will continue to take this for the 2 week wait and if I am pregnant, I keep taking it until week 10 of my pregnancy.

Medication #10: Estradiol - Started 3/8/14...Ended 3/17/14

Making sure the estrogen levels are where they need to be, I will be taking this pill 2 times a day.

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As you may have guessed from reading all the injectables I needed to take, my abdomen looked like a drug addicts arm with all the puncture marks and bruises. Not pretty.

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The Retrieval Process

On 2/27/14 I went in to my fertility doctor's office at 7:30 am. I was put under local anesthesia for this procedure.

I had a total of 16 eggs retrieved. Out of those eggs, 9 were able to be fertilized. 2 were chosen to be placed back inside of me. Out of the 7 remaining embryos, 3 survived to the freezing process for that just in case we need them scenario.

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The Transfer Process

On 3/4/14 I went in to my fertility doctor's office at 8:45 am. I went in with a full bladder, the 2 embryos got injected inside of my uterus at precisely the spot where they will need to implant themselves, I stayed laying down for 30 minutes, I went home to wait.

I was a 5-day transfer, meaning the 2 embryos that were placed inside of me already made it to the blastocyst stage. This is a good thing because it means that they were stronger and more likely to survive. Now they just need to attach to my uterine lining.

Here's an outline of what is happening when everything goes according to plan.

5-Day Transfer

Days Past Transfer (DPT)	Embryo Development
One	The blastocyst begins to hatch out of its shell
Two	The blastocyst continues to hatch out of its shell and begins to attach itself to the uterus
Three	The blastocyst attaches deeper into the uterine lining, beginning implantation
Four	Implantation continues
Five	Implantation is complete, cells that will eventually become the placenta and fetus have begun to develop
Six	Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) starts to enter the blood stream
Seven	Fetal development continues and hCG continues to be secreted
Eight	Fetal development continues and hCG continues to be secreted
Nine	Levels of hCG are now high enough to detect a pregnancy

                                                                                                                                                           Taken from nyufertilitycenter.org

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The 2 Week Wait

Once I got home, I was put on strict bed rest for 48 hours.  After that I was on restricted activity for the dreaded 2 week wait. That meant no lifting heavy objects. Hmm? What about Lily? Yes, she is a heavy object and I was very limited by how I could lift her if needed (in and out of the crib only).

The 2 week waiting period to find out if all the work to get pregnant was a success was so dreadful. I just wanted to know already!!!! During that time I was going in for blood work to make sure my hormone levels looked good.

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Our Wait Is Over

On 3/12/14 we got our answer to whether this whole lengthy process worked. We didn't have to wait the full 2 weeks to get the call that informed us of our future... We are pregnant!

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Our 1st Ultrasound

On 3/19/14 Dan and I went in for our 1st ultrasound to make sure everything was looking good. We were very curious to find out if just one embryo made it or both. We got our answer - BOTH took and we are having twins. Wow. The first thought was, "We need a bigger car." Oh boy. We are going to be a family of 5!

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Our 2nd Ultrasound

On 3/27/14 Dan and I went back to our fertility doctor to hear the heartbeats. This was nerve racking. With everything that we have been through from our very first pregnancy back in 2009 to now, we have always been very cautious...or at least I have been. No need to worry right now though, we heard two healthy heartbeats!

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Our 3rd & Final Ultrasound With Our Fertility Doctor

On 4/3/14 I went in for my last ultrasound with our fertility doctor. This time, my sister Kristene came along to videotape so Dan could see when he got home from work. Again, we heard two beautiful, healthy heartbeats! 

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Now our journey to being a family of 5 really begins. Stay tuned!