waiting for emergency section, 35 weeks with twins, handhold ?

[soontobemummyof3]

Hi all, I'm 35 weeks today with my identical girls. Been in hospital now for 3 days due to severe reduced movements and a drastic dip in their growth. They made the decision today to do a "non emergency" emergency section today at 35 week. No idea what time, so I'm sat here with DP twiddling my thumbs.

Both babies are head down and I'm showing signs of preterm labour and I was looking forward to having a induction/natural birth and I'm incredibly nervous of having a section.

Any words of wisdom or just general well wishes that might stop me from feeling anxious would be greatly appreciated as to be honest I'm crapping myself right now !

Good they're doing well.

Hope the infection bobs off very soon!

Massive congratulations! Twins are awesome.

Congratulations OP wishing you all a speedy recovery and hope you're home soon

i am glad about the expressing. They seem to be very good at encouraging it. Good luck with it all.
35 weeks is not particularly early for twins so it should all be fine. My huge great lumps of things (they were my children 4 and 5 which is probably why) were born at 40 weeks which many hospitals regard as 2 weeks late for twins actually and I remember though throughough the pregnancy being worried about them coming dangerously early as some twins do. 35 weeks is fine.

Infection is not bobbing offbeen very confused and off colour the past couple of days, although I'm on antibiotic drips every 8 hours, I now have a very angry red patch just under and to the left of my belly button that's warm, itchy and tender. Glad they caught it early but it's making me feel like crap. Infection levels are up but have gone down a tiny bit since antibiotics yesterday. Girls are still in incubators and teeny bit of oxygen but have moved rooms now into the nursery so they are less high dependency. Hopefully I'll be feeling much better soon z

Make sure you are looked at very regularly and get your temperature taken regularly, taht you drink enough water and if thsi antibiotic is not working they switch to another one (and that you aren't allergic to the antibiotic).

Do put yourself first as the babies will be well looked after in the nursery and it is bette ryou recover and get rest. Good luck. If you don't feel you are getting the attention you need or feel much sicker if you can get your partner or parents to come in and speak to hospital staff about how badly you feel that might help too - to have another advocate for you.

Thinking of you & your little girls. The antibiotics should make a big difference soon. Speak up if they don’t.

So sorry you're feeling so rubbish OP. I echo what others have said and please don't hold back from telling the medical staff if you feel worse at all.

A pregnant friend of mine was admitted last week for an infection and it took her antibiotics a couple of days to really make a difference but once they did she had a quick recovery, so hopefully when you wake up in the morning you'll notice a good difference.

I'm sending "Bob off smartish!" thoughts lass. That infection needs to do one soonest.

Rest and try not to fret. Everyone's in the right place to recover and all will be well

@SweetMelodies - mine was a VB followed by emcs under general for my twins. Luckily twin one was a teeny 4lb 4 so my easiest vag recovery and the section was a doddle as I was in hospital with the twins for 13 days. So fed regularly and rested which I wouldn't have got at home with 2 toddlers.

@soontobemummyof3, hope you are feeling better soon. My tip would be to make sure you're keeping on top of pain relief. Don't be afraid when the time has come for your meds to have worn off to go and ask for more. And ask again if they're not forthcoming. I was taking cocodamol and diclofenac but staggered so not at the same time. I always had to ask for the cocodamol as it ran out between meds rounds. But it was better to ask than be in pain or even just uncomfortable. Especially when you've also got an infection to contend with. don't feel like you are being a pain as I found being polite but firm got me sorted out quite quickly. And twins are still somewhat of a novelty so mostly the mw and care team were only too willing to lend a hand. Especially at night. Two or three times they took mine so I could have a really good sleep. Not so easy if you're trying to establish bf but I'm sure they would bring them back in time for feeding if this would help you.

BF mums got extra portions at mealtimes as well so make sure you are eating plenty.

Mine were 36+5. Other than being small and an issues with blood sugars initially, they were otherwise fine but I had already had steroid shots as they were expecting them earlier so no breathing issues other than twin 2 being a bit snuffly initially - put down to a c section birth and not getting rid of secretions in the same way that vaginal babies do.

At the same time a mum came in with twins delivered at 35 weeks. Hers were a lot bigger and stronger than mine. I cried when she went home as she was in just a few days. I was so frustrated but it was what my twins needed. Twin one struggled with feeding initially and Was tube fed longer than twin 2, who kept pulling his tube out 😆. But it was my decision to formula feed and just express until my milk ran out. Which was when the twins were about 9 weeks old.

Little update, this morning whilst I was on NICU I missed drug round which meant the oral antibiotic I was supposed to take didn't ever make its way too me. During the day I asked over and over and over again for pain relief, blood pressure medication and where my antibiotics where, the general attitude was they didn't know and no one got me any meds despite me constantly asking. By 4pm my temp was back up to 39 and pulse and BP all over the place,they've admired they missed me and I basically got swept under the carpet, shaking, nauseous, cracking headache, shivering and dripping with sweat and literally hardly able to walk, they finally brought meds about half 5 and there was about 12 tablets and an oral antibiotic, a back log of things that they hadn't given, I've told them they should of rang NICU to tell me my meds were ready also back on IV antibiotics for 48 hours but I feel much better so lets hope this is me on the mend now.

My girls are doing amazing, both are completely off oxygen, not even any in ambient air anymore, and the bigger twin is coming out of her incubator most likely today and the smaller one they have started to wean the temp down so all good news when it comes to my girlies x

@soontobemummyof3 I’m angry on your behalf, it’s apalling, new mums in some trusts are treated like they’ve had a lobotomy and not a delivery and this is another example. I’m glad you are on the mend.

However YOUR GIRLS! That’s amazing. They’re getting there astonishingly quick. Absolute legends.

Congratulations on the birth of your twins.

Sorry you are feeling so poorly, especially when it partly down to poor care. I hope you start to feel much better soon.

Bloody hell lass. That's not acceptable on any level. What's your Consultant say?

Good news on your girl's though.

Wishing you all all the very best. I battled to bf my tiny one (31 weeks) in NICU etc, got there after a struggle and all well

Arrh...bless you! Just saw this post and hope it went well and you are recovering with your beautiful girls! I had 2 emergency C-sections and 1 elective do I feel your pain!!

Oh OP can you get your partner or mum to speak to someone on your behalf?

Longer term, my twins were born at 35w. Today they are 18 mos and it is their first day in the toddler room at nursery! It will fly by and your girls will do really well. There is FB group called "Breastfeeding Twins and Triplets" which might help if you want to persevere with bf.

Good luck!

Yoyr last post reminded me I had the same problem with meds it was a really tough time but we did come through it.

@JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff my auntie rang the ward manager and had a polite but firm word, they admitted to her they had missed me and apologised profusely yet all the staff I spoke to tried to deny that they had missed me, just over it now, I just want to feel better for my girls. I've been told about that group a few times so will definitely give it a look, thanks ! X

Feeling a lot better this morning after consultant decided I needed to go back on IVS, pulse, blood pressure and temp have all gone back down and I feel a bit more human again, hopefully this is the light at the end of the tunnel. They've told me what times I'm due meds today so I can write it down so that I can make sure I'm on the ward, frustrating considering I've been asking them to do that for the past five days and it took what happened yesterday for them to actually start doing it but whatever, at least I'm feeling a bit better ! X

I am glad your auntie called them up to complain as that should not happen. They should have told you the times you had to be on the ward so as not to miss the medication. It sounds like your consultant is good and you are feeling a lot better. Good.

My doctor father used to say in some ways few places are as risky for picking up infections as hospitals although of course they are essential for lots of conditions but certainly not always that safe.

Rest as much as you can and if they don't give you the meds on time this time may be a family member could go in and speak to them and get them to bring them to you.

Gosh, poor you. Sounds like an appalling standard of care. Hope you get home with your beautiful girls soon x

@Xenia they've given me the last 3 rounds of antibiotics on time and told me the times my meds are due today, but I've told them as well if I'm not on ward they can ring downstairs to NICU and tell them that I need to come back up, just as NICU ring postnatal to tell me when my girls are up and ready for a feed x

@SnowsInWater Thankyou, they are in the nursery room which the midwife said is basically the feeding and growing room so I don't think they will be there much longer x

Do get someone to take photos if you can manage it as they grow so fast. When mine had a hospital hearing test at 3 days I was glad the midwife said to take a photo of them lying there in little head phones as they were so cute. [Now they are tall 20 year old university student boys and not quite so cute.......]

You should make great progress now that they have stopped making mistakes!
It’s good to hear your babies are doing well.

@soontobemummyof3 how are you and your girls doing?