The birth of the twins may be best described by one of my favorite movies, Apollo 13. The original mission was to land on the moon but after an oxygen tank explodes and cripples the landing module a new mission emerges. During this time the crew back on Earth frantically try and bring the Odessey safely back to Earth, not knowing if the heat shield was damaged by the explosion. If in fact the heat shield was damaged, re-entry into the atmosphere would burn the Odessey and it's crew of three.
In our story, Odessey is our twins and our mission is to have the twins arrive safely into the world. The oxygen tank that explodes is the breaking of the waters, which happens on Aug 25, 9am at the hospital. The doctors and nurses are the crew members making our goal possible. The outcome is unknown, like the heat shield was for Odessey.
Our story begins at 9am and progresses to midday where contractions have regular frequency. Like the Odessey, Neilynne during this whole time is monitored. Sensors connect to fetal monitors that detect the heartbeat of the twins. It also detects and graphically charts the intensity of the contractions. By 2pm, the contractions get stronger and the medical crew decide on a possible epidural. The anesthesiologist is called in and the needle is inserted. Pain subsides temporarily.
The mission goes on as planned. By 5pm. maximum dilation is achieved and Neilynne is asked to push. She pushes hard and progress is slow. Nurses have told her she is making good progress. At 6:30 the doctor checks and tells us otherwise. "Nope, she's not moving the kid." The epidural is turned down to give more feeling to Neilynne's lower half so she can push better. She continues to push for another 3 hrs. Their arrival is imminent, the mission hitting a critical point. The doctor now orders us to all move to the procedure room.
I watched the nurses wheel Neilynne into the OR room, I followed close behind. We enter the OR room, brightly lit, and the feeling of coldness surrounds me. Shiny, cold metal birthing tools are also laid out onto the table and counted. Neilynne gets transferred onto the operating table with stirrups at the end. "I'm sorry but we have to put you in stirrups." The doctor says and begins the birthing procedure. A suction is brought out and inserted to assist in the arrival of baby A. I stood by Neilynne's head watching the doctor work at her feet. This is the part where Odessey begins it's re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
For the next 30 min, it's the moment where baby A and B will arrive. Will they be okay? Will they be able to use their lungs for the first time? Are they going to survive? There is silence in the room and communication goes blank. All I could think of in my head was:
"Odyssey, this is Houston. Do you read me?"
"Odyssey, Houston. Do you read me?"
"Odyssey, uh Houston. Do you read?"
With one final yank from the doctor, a human being emerges, head first, purple and blue in colour. She has thick black hair and resembles her father. Within seconds she is whisked away into another room. Two mins later baby B arrives feet first and is also whisked away. She too looks similar to her twin.
The moments after, the placenta is delivered, and Neilynne is shaking on the OR table. Minutes go by and still no word from the nurses and the babies. The doctor continues working on Neilynne when the door opens and a nurse enters with my daughter (baby B) in her arms. "Do you want to hold your daughter?", she asks. "Yes." I respond like a little weakling, barely able to speak. I held my daughter for the first time, an undescribeable feeling. Her eyes looked straight into mine, not blinking but purely focused. The gush of feelings that occur next correspond to when Odessey re-enters the atmosphere and over the radio we hear,
"Hello, Houston. This is Odyssey. It's good to see ya again."
Nothing can come near to describing the feeling but I thought that was the closest. At that moment, I knew things were going to be all right. Even though baby A did not join our family till 1 hour later because she was under observation, I knew she would be all right, and she was. Baby A is a striking image of her father.
By now, the names have been revealed but to make it official, we welcome into the world:
Aug 25, 2011
Jayde Mackenzie Leung - 5lbs 13oz @ 21:49
Quynn Riley Leung - 5lbs 1oz @ 21:51
I also want to make it official, I can eat chips again!!!!! And I'm making up for some lost chip time, believe that. Thank you everyone for all your support, we really appreciate it. It has been crazy with two newborns but, I wouldn't change it. They are a blessing and a miracle.
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| Chips vs Baby |
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| "Sorry kid, I aint sharing these chips" |
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| Tagged and ready to ship out |
