By Tonio,
On October 16, 2011 our two baby girls were born: Katya Sophia and Ruby Alexandria. They are 1 pounds 2 ounces each (Katya 505 gr. and Ruby 515 gr. to be precise). Katia is 10.8 inches long and Ruby 11 inches. Katia was born at 2:27 PM MDT, Ruby at 2:29 PM. Their birth took everybody by surprise as they were not expected for another three months (Katrina had been pregnant for 22 weeks and 6 days).
It all began the night before when Katrina was starting to feel cramps in her lower abdomen. Initially she thought that this was normal due to the expansion of her uterus. However, the cramps were also accompanied by discharges. This got us worried and we called the doctor at 8 in the morning. The doctor suggested that we should go to Labor and Delivery at the Hospital and have Katrina checked.
Upon arrival, Katrina was visually checked and nothing looked out of the ordinary. However, after an examination of her cervix it was discover that she was dilated 3 cm. It was then when we worried. The doctor gave Katrina some medication to reduce the number of contractions and to try to prevent her body from going into labor. She was even tilted back so her legs here higher than her head in order to avoid gravity working against us. The goal was to keep those babies inside for as long as we could.
Initially we thought this was working. However, a few hours later Katrina started to have more frequent contractions. The doctor and nurse checked her but they hoped that the medicine she received would help. The contractions were not detected in the monitoring devices but were most definitely noted by Katrina. I had never seen Katrina in so much pain. Around 1:30 PM the contractions became more painful so Katrina had to lay on her left side. One nurse came to check on her as her per our request as her pain was incrementing. We help Katrina sit up and despite her best tries not to push her body was pushing so hard that eventually her water broke.
We were all in shock. This was not supposed to be happening. As I rushed to the bathroom to help clean the spillage, I heard the nurse say “she is being born”. I turned back and saw our little Katya coming out. I could not believe my eyes. She was so small. My brain was telling me that she was not supposed to be outside and my heart was sinking as the thought of her little survival chances crossed my mind. I was amazed to hear her little, muffle cry as she came out. I hurried back to Katrina’s side and held her hand as the brave nurse was doing her best to attend our girl while shouting for help. In an instant 10 nurses flooded our room. They managed to put Katya in a small bed by our side when another violent contraction came. As I looked down I saw our second baby, Ruby coming as fast as a rocket. She was barely caught by the nurse before she made if off the bed. I must confess that when I saw the force with which she was launched I feared the worst. She was hurriedly treated, her umbilical cord removed, and taken to an adjacent room for cleaning. Just like Katya, Ruby also offered a small, muffled cry that gave us the assurance that she was trying to breath. Our two baby girls were fighting to stay alive.
At length the doctor came and helped Katrina with the removal of her placenta. Our once peaceful room was now a hive of activity. All I could do was to hold Katrina’s hand as all this was happening and say a silent prayer for our babies and the people who were helping them. This must be the most surreal experience in my life. People were congratulating me but I could see the worry in their eyes. I did not know what to think myself. I always imagine the birth of our two girls to be full of nervousness followed by overwhelming joy. However, all I could feel now was a deep concern for the well-being of our babies. I did not know whether they would survive her first five minutes of life.
The babies were taken to the Infant Care Unit (ICU) and Katrina was being assisted to get her cleaned after a completely unexpected labor. Shortly after, we were told that I could go and see our babies if I so wanted. I waited a little bit to make sure Katrina was fine. She was cared very well by all staff member. One nurse came along and gave us our two pink bracelets. I must confess that up to that point I was still in denial. I just did not want to accept the fact that I had just become a father because it was not supposed to happen like that. Not this way, not this day, and not this year. When I got my bracelet and saw their hospital identifiers: Baby A and Baby B it finally hit me. This was real. What I had just saw really happened. Katrina and I were parents of two little, fragile girls that were in deep need of a miracle.
Eventually I asked one of the nurses to take our daughters. I was taken to the ICU unit dedicated to premature labor. My heart shrank as I saw our little Katya laying there with tubes through her mouth, arms and belly. I was told quickly what they were trying to accomplish with all that but I paid little attention. All I wanted to hear was that they were OK. Next I saw Ruby, in a similar situation. As I perceived that the doctors were still working to stabilize them I decided to come back later and let them do their job.
As I came back to see Katrina, I saw Brian, Katrina’s brother and his family. They had come to see how she was doing and it was then when I mentioned that the babies were born. His face expression said it all. However, I reassured him that the babies were fine and that they will survive. We visited Katrina for a while and then I decided to go back and see check on the status of the babies. This time I was calmer and actually heard what the doctors and nurses where saying. They explained to me the purpose of every tube, Intravenous line, and medication. I took a few pictures of our girls and was deeply touched to see how fragile they were. I asked the doctors what were the survival chances of our girls. They said that it was difficult to say as complications can come up, however, they said that they were around 70%. My heart jumped of joy to hear that. I was expecting worse than that. I take 70% anytime. Our girls have a good fighting chance.
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| Katya Sophia |
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| Ruby Alexandria |
My mom, sister-in-law, and other friends were with Katrina as I returned. A nurse was also coming every 15 minutes to check on Katrina. Once their visit was over, the nurse, Katrina and I went back to the ICU to see our babies. Knowing that their survival chances were good and that the babies were considered to be doing great our visit was very comforting. Katrina was full of love and tenderness for our girls.
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| Katya Up Close |
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| Ruby being turn around to help with her lung medication |
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| Ruby Up Close |
