Kiddie Kwip: Baa Baa Black Sheep

Several times today Bun and Hammy have requested for me to sing "Baa Baa Black Sheep" for them. I've heard Bun trying to sing it countless times hearing variations like:

Baa Baa Black sheep do you have any wool?

Baa Baa Black sheep have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full. One for a lady. hmm.

Baa Baa Black sheep have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full. One for the... Mommy? Who is one for?

But my favorite, by far, must've been this rendition:

Baa Baa Black sheep have you any wool? Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full. One for the master, one for the dame, one for the little boy who lives down the drain.



P.S. I have not forgotten to finish the story. I've just been a wee bit busy. ;) Coming soon!

We are home.

I realize because of several comments and emails that you may not know I am home from the hospital.

I came home from the hospital on August 23, with Baby B. Baby A stayed behind for observation to make sure he gained weight. Baby A came home on August 27th.

My story will get into more detail about me not being well. But I am doing great now and so are the babies. I thank you SO MUCH for all the prayers.

The twin birth story part 4

Between the nurse checking my vitals constantly and the euphoria that I had healthy twins, it was difficult to sleep that first night.

The next morning the doctor who delivered me came around to follow up. She checked my incision, pressed down on my stomach to feel my uterus, and then talked to me about my ovaries. She said, "Each of your ovaries has about 12-15 golf ball size cysts on them. They will probably shrink back down to normal size eventually. The biggest risk is having them torque and causing excruciating pain. You'd probably think your appendix burst. But your ovaries are pretty even and round so they're not likely to do that. And I tucked them in using the uterus to hold them in place. They're the biggest ovaries I've ever seen. Be aware that you'll have major hormone changes following a twin birth- especially with your ovaries in that condition. Make sure you prevent pregnancy right now -- or you will most likely have at least a twin pregnancy."

The thought of a twin pregnancy in my immediate future was absolute horrifying. I dwelt on the "major hormone changes" part.

"What do you mean by major hormone changes?" I asked.

"Oh," she stammered, "you know, like anything that's from hormone changes." It was as if she was worried about scaring me with her answer.

"So like crying or depression?" I inquired.

"At least," she said.

Okay. Noted.

"Do we know if the placenta is a single placenta? Or is it two fused together?" I changed the subject trying to find out about everything I had questions on before she left.

"It's been sent to pathology. That process sometimes takes a couple days."

"So my ovaries are huge then?" I asked, back to my ovaries again.

"Well yes. Do you have a local OB?" she asked.

"Yes, right off base from where we live."

"He will follow up with you and likely scan the ovaries at six weeks post-partum. Or you can come up here and we can follow up. But don't be worried about that. The thing we are concerned about most is your anemia and blood levels. Your H & H (hemoglobin and hematocrit) after the delivery indicate your iron level is 5.9. That's very dangerous. Normally I don't like to recommend blood transfusions, but I think it's what we need here."

I asked about the risks of a blood transfusion and how it actually happens. She explained the very minor chance of getting Hepatitis or HIV from it. She then explained the blood transfusion is just with a bag hung from an IV pole just like an IV. I guess I was envisioning Dialysis. I was relieved. She asked me if I would accept a blood transfusion. I agreed.

I asked her about my pain during the c-section. "I felt a lot of pain during the c-section. Is that because of my ovaries? Would I normally not feel anything?"

She looked uncomfortable. "Well, your anesthesiologist was very quiet. He wasn't communicating what he was doing and by the time he started to administer more drugs, it was too late and your body wasn't accepting them. Normally you don't feel anything."

Shortly after she left I was finally approved for solid food again. I was so excited. It was 9 a.m. and they were still serving breakfast. Lunch was at 1 p.m. the day before, and other than a couple contraband Dove chocolates, I had only had ice chips in the entire time- not even water. I ordered Cheerios, milk, a banana, and two sausage links and orange juice.

When breakfast arrived I inhaled orange juice and ate a sausage link. That stayed down about 90 seconds. I paged the nurse to say I was nauseas and before she could get there Danny held pressure over my incision as I puked it all back up. I was so disappointed. I love sausage. She said it was most likely the drugs and asked if I wanted some saltines. Oh yum, saltines.

Later the doctor called the nurses and requested I be given a fluid enhancer holding off on the blood transfusion to "try to trick the body into thinking I had enough blood." My body was sure tricked as I swelled up to the size of a hippo. Nurses for the next day would come in and check my swelling by poking fingers into my cankles and seeing the indention stay there. My vitals and blood tests didn't change much other than discovering I had a "raging infection somewhere in my body." By midnight they decided they needed to order the blood transfusion.

to be continued . . .


read The twin birth story part 3
read The twin birth story part 5

The twin birth story part 3

Trying to keep my eyes open and filled with the usual questions like, "How much do they weigh? Do they look alike? Can they breathe on their own?" Danny probed the nurse in the recovery room about my ovaries. Danny leaned over to me and said, "Your ovaries are the size of small cantaloupes."

Eh? Did I hear that right? "Aren't they usually the size of a walnut?" I ask.

The nurse was very nice and busily pulling up information on the computer to show me. She explained as she showed me two pictures, "This is what a normal ovary looks like. This picture here shows an ovary like your ovaries. See how it's covered in cysts?"

"Wow. No wonder I was so huge. Cantaloupes? Really?"

Danny then proceeded to tell me that the doctor accidentally nicked one and had to cauterize it. The nurse and Danny were talking about my large amount of blood loss during the c-section and whether it was more than just amniotic fluid I had lost as I continued to pass in and out of consciousness. They also discussed how ovaries get to be the size of cantaloupes.

The nurse explained to me, as I struggled to maintain consciousness, "Either the ovaries caused the multiples pregnancy or the pregnancy caused the ovaries to get like this."

I responded an appropriate response to Danny like, "Danny, it was so awful. It was so painful." And then more of, "How much do the weigh? How long are they?" I was less-than-interested in the ovaries at this point and wanted to know about the babies. "Did they label the card for baby B as baby A since he came out first? Did you call your mom? Did you call my mom and dad? What time is it there? They're probably still awake."

Danny said, "We're still waiting for news from the NICU and then we'll call."

The nurse called over to the NICU to ask about stats. They told her they weren't ready yet. She called again a little later and got weights. Then a little later we got the lengths. We informed the anxious grandparents. The nurse was still pulling up info on the computer to educate us about my "overly-excited ovaries" as the doctor put it.

It was just a little while later when they told me I could go see them in the NICU. "Why are they in the NICU? Do they need oxygen? Are they okay?" I probed. The nurses from recovery and from the NICU reassured us that it's just a precaution since they were five weeks early and they appeared to be doing just fine and in need of no assistance so far.

In the NICU I couldn't really see them except from the side through the clear plastic bed they were in. They were hooked up to monitors for heart rate and blood oxygen level and various other things. I asked Danny to take pictures to show me since I couldn't see from my gurney.

All through the night my nurse referred to me as "Casper" because of my completely colorless face. She'd check and re-check my vitals and shake her head and ask me how I was feeling. I was tired and hungry since I hadn't eaten since lunch but I had no pain due to adequate amounts of drugs. My main concern was the babies. "Can I use a pump to help my milk come in?" I asked the nurse.

"There will be opportunity for that later. I can get you one to use in your room. But right now we're worried about your blood loss and your iron levels. According to your stats, you shouldn't be okay. or conscious."

to be continued . . .


read The twin birth story part 2
read The twin birth story part 4

Fastest weight-loss ever!

I lost 43 lbs. in 2 weeks. Side effects vary.



P.S. Part 3 of The twin birth story later today. hopefully.