Two Weeks Old!

It's been two weeks since Cora and Sutter were born. Each day they seem to be hitting momentous milestones. Frank and I have been spending each day with them as the NICU has 24 hour access to our babes.

At this point, Cora is eating at 9 a.m. and Sutter eats at 10 a.m. The NICU has them eating every three hours, so we try to make it a point to be there for the feedings and diaper changes. I've been able to supply them with pumped breast milk for all of their feedings. Because they were premature, the milk has to supplemented with extra calories. Breast milk has 20 calories, so the supplements increased by 4 calories. This week, they were reduced to 22 calories. They also started taking vitamin supplements. When they come home, the milk will continue to be supplemented with the extra calories until the pediatrician says to stop.

Milestones for release from the NICU include regulating their body temperature, taking 100% of their feedings from the bottle (aka, nippling), instead of through the tube, regulating their breathing, and getting to on-demand feedings. Sutter was able to regulate his body temperature. Cora has had some trouble with this. The difference is their weight. Cora just needs to gain a little more weight and it will naturally happen. At this point, the nurses are keeping her double swaddled to keep her warm. The last two days we've seen both of them eating with vigor. Cora seems to down her entire bottle in 8 minutes, with signs that she's still hungry. Sutter takes things a little more paced, finishing his bottle within 25 minutes and a few moments to stop and burp. They're already above their birth weight and seem to be gaining each day with their weigh-ins. We are so thrilled with their progress.

They passed their hearing exams. Their belly button cords have fallen off (weird). They have been able to focus with their eyes on us. They have latched on to me...mostly. They like to poop when we change them. They are adorable when they stretch right after they are taken out of their swaddle. We are so happy to have these moments.

The good news is they may be coming home soon...like in the next few days. Once I heard this, we put our energy into the last few things we needed to get ready. I've been soaking in all the advice from the NICU nurses on how to manage the transition. However, nothing will ultimately prepare us for these bundles to come home. I'll just put on my Rosie the Riveter attitude and we'll make this adjustment - We can do it!

Here are a few highlights from the last two weeks.

One week old, Frank is holding Sutter and I am holding Cora.

Sutter is on the left and Cora on the right.

Sutter always keeps a low profile while he's sleeping. I love those lips!

Cora loves to smile. 

Taken on 5/30/13, she was giving me the tight lipped look before her feeding. The nurses made her hat more feminine. 

Here we are spending a little quality time together with Cora after her feeding. 

My mom has been with us for the last two weeks. The day that the babies were delivered, my mom and sister flew up here in a moments notice and took a cab to the hospital. My dad drove here. I recall them being around, but that was during my very hazy time. Sara and Dad had to go home after a couple of days and my mom stayed with us. It's been beyond helpful to have her here helping us with the driving, shopping, cleaning and eating. The bonus is she has had all this quality time with the babes and the learning from the nurses in the NICU, too. She leaves today, but I know she will be back soon.

Last weekend, my dad was able to drive up and spend some time with Buster and Posey. We all made the most of our time together.

Thank you for all your love and support. We truly feel blessed from your all your kind words and love.

xoxo

Surprise!

Our babies have arrived! Cora Louise Leach, born 5/17/2013 at 12:54 PM. Sutter James Leach, born 5/17/2013 at 12:55 PM. It was definitely a surprise for us that they were delivered at 34 weeks gestation. But they are healthy and growing stronger each day.

Here's what happened...

On Wednesday morning, 5/15, I wasn't feeling right. My swelling was increasing all over my body. It was becoming harder to walk around. I wasn't peeing what I was drinking. I just had a feeling something was wrong. I called the doctor and they had me come in for some blood work around 11 a.m. In the office, my blood pressure was up just a bit. There was some proteins in my urine. Both of those signs had the doctor concerned just enough that they had me take my lab slip over to the OB-Triage next door at the hospital. She also suggested I call Frank.

I was admitted just a few minutes later for monitoring. They put monitors on both babies to see how their heart rates were and they put another sensor on me to count contractions. Another nurse came in and drew some blood for the lab. Frank arrived as he only had to come from Sausalito. The nurse said that we would be there for a few hours, would we like to order some lunch. Of course...we were hungry.

The monitoring of the babies went fine. However, my lab work indicated that my platelets were low - 123,000. Platelets allow your blood to coagulate, which is important - especially during a c-section. This number, combined with the elevated blood pressure and infrequent urination, gave the doctors just enough reason to keep me overnight for monitoring. They decided to give me a shot of steroids just in case they had to deliver the babies. The steroids were to help their lungs be as strong as possible.

I moved upstairs to a labor and delivery room for overnight monitoring. Frank and I were undoubtedly scared and nervous, as it just seemed so early. But we had each other to get through it. We knew nothing was going to happen overnight, so Frank and I agreed he should go sleep at home. That night, I had someone monitoring my vitals - blood pressure and temperature every 2 hours. It was not a restful evening. I was growing more uncomfortable.

Frank arrived just after the sun rose the next morning, in time for the doctor's rounds. They ran a blood test at 5 a.m. so that the doctor could have some results. My blood had dropped to 105,000. They were starting to be concerned, but didn't have enough information to develop a trend line. Since I hadn't been monitored for a full 24 hours I needed to be there at least until 3 p.m. They would run another stat blood test on me around 2, give the final steroid shot and continue to monitor my vitals all morning. I jumped on a scale and had gained another 4 pounds overnight. I was really swelling with out much relief.

The day seemed to whiz by until the next round of blood work that afternoon. I decided to call my boss to let him know about the progress report and think through what needed to be handed off in the case anything did happen. I also informed my parents and sister of the situation. I really didn't think too much about it. There wasn't much that was an indicator at this point that we were going to be delivering.

Results showed that my platelets went up to 122,000. This was a good sign, right? Um..."we're going to just continue to monitor you overnight to be sure." Blood pressure was slightly high and my temperature was starting to drop a bit. According to my doctor, she felt confident that nothing was going to happen anytime soon. So, Frank and I decided it would be good for him to go home and get a good night's rest. No need to get up at the crack of dawn. If there was anything important that was happening, I would call him right away in the morning. A good nurse also gave me an Ambien, so I was also able to get a decent night of sleep, as vitals only needed to be monitored every 4 hours.

I woke to blood work at 5 a.m. on Friday morning. The doctor came by at 7 a.m. to let me know that the platelets had dropped to 90,000, but she needed a second opinion. A doctor from SF Perinatal would be by in an hour or so, and she would decide what would happen. But my doctor didn't feel there was enough information to think that this delivery would happen today. I decided to not call Frank and wake him since she seemed to be casual about it. At that point, I dove into work with my laptop to just move my open items around to others on the team.

Around 10:45 a.m., the doctor from SF Perinatal arrived. She sat on my bed and rubbed my foot. "How are you doing?" which seemed more of a rhetorical question than anything. After the standard, OK response, she followed up with the words that changed everything. "We are going to deliver your babies today. You have a surgery scheduled for 12:15 p.m." She went on to inform me that my platelets were just getting too low for them to take a chance. The anesthesiologist would be in a few minutes along with my surgical nurse. I was stunned, to say the least. I asked for a few moments to take a shower, call my husband, my parents, sister, freak out, cry...

Frank arrived in 25 minutes with packed bags to the hospital. I managed to get in a shower and contact a few people about the upcoming delivery before he arrived. He jumped in his scrubs and I was placed in a wheel chair. And we were off  to the OR.

There were about 20 people in the operating room. A sheet was put up near my neck so we couldn't see what was going on. It seemed like a fairly fast procedure, especially because I couldn't feel anything from my chest down. The epidural kicked in pretty quickly. In no time, they were able to pull out Cora and she cried right away. Look at our little one....

Just a minute later and out came Sutter. We gave birth at CPMC, which is part of the Sutter Health system. Sutter was not named after the hospital, but there was a collective groan and chuckle from the staff after he arrived. "Just don't give him the middle name 'Health'." Such a funny team.

I had one moment with my son before they whisked both babes off to the NICU for their full evaluation. Frank went with them to ensure that everything was going to be OK. I was off to recovery.

I was in recovery for over 24 hours, which is much longer than most people. My blood pressure was rising. My temperature was dropping. I bled too much on the operating table, so they had to put a balloon inside of me to get it to stop. I had a tough recovery period, which was very hazy. I was oblivious to the facts. Frank later told me that the doctors said they didn't know what was wrong with me. I was on morphine for the pain, magnesium for the pre-eclampsia/high blood pressure. I just could rest. I remained in a recovery room without windows until they were able to move me.

I finally felt OK enough to be in a wheelchair to go see the babes. It was a magical moment for us. We were a family. Frank, Lisa, Sutter and Cora. The picture below was my first time holding my babes. I am a Mom.

Those days in the hospital were long, but as I came off the heavy medication, I started to feel better. There were many milestones in those four days following their arrival. I was able to start pumping. I was able to walk down the hall to see them in the main NICU. I took a shower! Sutter was on a respirator for over a day, and then he stabilized. I started eating human food again. The babies were moved to a "well baby NICU" and were out of their isolettes. The well baby NICU was for babies that had stablized. The environment was a bit calmer than the main NICU. And I was able to be with them for as long as I could each day.

I had moments of pure joy and sadness. The expediency of the entire event was overwhelming, as you can imagine. In looking back on this, I saved my life by calling the doctor. I saved my babies lives by calling the doctor. It was hard to see that is what happened, but in reflection I understood the gravity of the situation.

Cora and Sutter are getting the best care possible. The nursing staff has been helpful beyond our expectations. Each nurse provides us more understanding about our tiny little ones. We have learned techniques on feeding, changing, burping, scheduling, and more. Those nurses are a special bunch of people that have provided support, compassion and understanding to us during this time of transition.

Each day, Frank and I visit the hospital. My mom has been here to help us with the transition and my recovery. She has been so helpful to our household. She's been able to drive me back and forth to the hospital, get groceries, help with laundry, dishes, and the bonus is getting to hold the babies. They say that it takes a village, and that's an understatement. We love all the family that will be here to help over the next few weeks, too. It's going to be a wild ride bringing these two home.

Keep us in your thoughts. We love hearing from you.

xo

Dear Buster Posey...

I wrote to Buster Posey via Facebook and the SF Giants Corporate website today.

Hello...
I am a pregnant mother of twins - a boy and a girl. These babies are due on 6/17/2013. They have already been nicknamed "Buster" and "Posey" by their grandfather, a huge Giants fan since the 50's when he lived in SF.

For my baby shower, my dad, the grandfather, bought the babies onesies with Buster Posey's number on it, but one jersey reads Buster and the other Posey. They brought the entire party to tears of joy.
I am contacting you to see if there would be an opportunity to take a photo with you and my babies once they arrive this summer. The onesies will fit them for at least a month or so. So, we'd love for them to meet the originator of their nicknames.

I hope that you find this a compliment. I understand that you have your own set of boy/girl twins, too. I am excited and nervous about becoming a new mom.

I look forward to hearing from you. This would truly be an honor to have you meet the babies.

Keep up the great work this year!

Thank you,
Lisa

I'll keep you posted!

Mother's Day

I am a Mom.

Every day that passes during my pregnancy, I feel the devotion that I only heard other women talk about on what it takes to be a mom. I think about every bite of food that I eat should nourish them. I walk as often as my swollen feet will allow me to give them the circulation they need to thrive. When they kick or dance around, I hold my belly as if I was already holding them. I feel connected to these two little ones and I haven't even seen them. But we've already met.



I celebrated on Saturday with a pre-natal yoga class. There were two other women in there that were having twins. The class started off with a beautiful poem about the devotion that a mother feels when their child gives them the special gifts that they've made. It was a lovely class, and I feel stretched out. But I still would rather dance than do yoga.

I followed yoga with a pre-natal massage. Frank had treated us to massages for our anniversary this year, so I already knew what I was in for with this experience. She concentrated on my arms to work out the carpal tunnel and my legs to move the water weight around. I think I need to go back at least one more time before these babes arrive.

Finally, I had a mani-pedi at my favorite little spot on West Portal. Since I can only wear flip flops right now, the toes must be ready at all times.

Above all, I am glad that I have a fantastic partner to share this Mother's Day. I am a Mom. xo

The Nursery

Over the last weekend in April, my Dad came up to help Frank put together the nursery. Thanks to Frank's creative mind and love for all things video, he was able to use the GoPro to create this amazing time-lapse video. This took them two days, with a total of eight hours, to pull it together.

Third Trimester Trials and Tribulations

I was warned that the third trimester was no fun. I was lucky enough to have a few co-workers who were either going through it in front of my eyes, or their wives at home were in the midst of it. I heard how easy I was having it, blissfully living in the second trimester. Even the doctor said that the second trimester was the honeymoon phase. I only agreed that it was miles better than the first trimester where I battled nausea everyday. But the growing belly and limitations on exercise during the second trimester were not exactly the picnic I would use to define a honeymoon.

Now that I'm in the third trimester, I am starting to see what they were talking about with the woes. I have my list:

 - threw out my back turning over in bed.
 - carpal tunnel in my right hand's thumb, pointer and middle finger.
 - cankles - the left foot seems to be bigger than my right and I am quite the fashionista in flip flops every day.
 - inability to bend over for long periods of time
 - wheezing walking up the street
 - monitoring my glucose after every meal

Break out your tiny violins and play me a little tune. I know I'm not the first woman to go through pregnancy. I just am really feeling it these days. I'm lucky enough to get to work from home to help take it easy.

But when I'm at work, I've found interesting ways to modify my surroundings.

Feel free to share your woes with me, too. I would love to know that I'm not alone.

Maternity Shots

Every week or so, I take my own photos of my belly. But when you have a professional photographer in your family, the photos take on a whole new meaning. My sister, Sara Ancich, offered to take a few photos of Frank & I around the city, followed by a few of me, alone. (check out her site)

I absolutely love the photos. What a thoughtful memory to have these to share with our kids. I was 29 weeks along at the point we took these photos.

This is the same pose we had on our wedding day!

Bup's Little Giants

Buster Posey is the hottest player on the San Francisco Giants this year. He just signed a 9 year contract with the SF Giants. He nearly has a home run every game, so far. Since we found out that we were having twins - a boy and a girl - my Dad has taken to calling them "Buster" and "Posey." I love that they already have their nicknames.

These little outfits will only fit them for the first few weeks of their lives. So, I am going to write to the SF Giants to see if I can do a meet and greet with Buster Posey. It would be a total treasure to have their photo taken with him. Otherwise, a Photoshop job is in order mid-summer!

If you happen to know Buster Posey, please let him know I'm not a crazy mother...yet. I just want to have a little fun with these kids.

GO GIANTS!

Baby Showers R' Us

Frank & I were really looking forward to our baby shower thrown by Melanie, Andra, Iris, Sara, and a little help from Avery. The theme was "Under the Leach Big Top" so everything at the party was on a carnival theme. I loved it.

Here is the invitation:

Frank & I had to leave our house at 9 a.m. so the Baby Shower Party Planners could put everything in order. It was an amazing transformation of our house. Here are a few highlights from the day, as captured by Sara.

The table was filled with all kinds of delicious treats - fruit on a stick, chicken kebabs, warm pretzels and mustard, corn dogs, popcorn, candy and shrimp on a stick.

Champagne for every guest as they left the house.

Cake Pops by Aimee, Sara's friend.

The little details all over the house included bags of peanuts, popcorn and candy. 

The ladies that made this day so special!

Once the guests arrived, the party really swung into action. It was a very baby, yet no so baby shower. Everyone played the game to not say the word "Baby" by wearing a safety pin. There was a wish list that every guest filled out, after having a drink or two, to show their support, love and some humor for our future. There was a diaper raffle, so every guest who brought a pack of diapers was entered into the raffle to win a gift card. Finally, all guests were invited to decorate onesies. There was some creative work done by all. Frank & I chose the winners. Here are just a few highlights from the day:

Generous gifts for the babes

This was just the start of the creativity.

Decoration station out on the open deck

Dad (aka, Bup's) gift for our "Buster" and "Posey" were a total hit.

Love this shot of my belly at 29 weeks.

Me and my sissy...soon to be an Auntie.

The Grannies are excited for these babes to arrive.

Frank and Todd enjoying the day.

Kim and Sergio 

Bob and Iris

Sylvia, Marina, Jan, and Avery at the decoration station

Guests enjoying the gifts.

You can just see how much love everyone was giving.

Aunt Mari delivers her specialty via mail on the shower day. I love the tie-dye!

Frank & I choosing the winners.

The baby shower truly exceeded my expectations of a good party and a loving time. There was so much thought that went into this party. It just shows how much love we have in our lives. Frank & I are truly excited to share this next step with everyone.