Liam stayed in the well-baby nursery and Lily in the NICU the rest of the hospital stay. I have such amazing and wonderful friends who were able to come and visit through the recovery (the same amazing and wonderful friends who helped my sanity by bringing me great food and movie nights and taking Abby out on play dates so she wouldn't go crazy.) The whole experience was such a double-edged sword though as I was able to feed and bond and show off Liam, Lily was hooked up to machines and wires and IVs on a different floor and I had never spent a night away from Abby before this hospital stay and I really missed her so much as well. I wished I could spend so much more time with little Lily, but I still had to be wheeled everywhere due to the weight gain and surgery and had to do it in between taking care of Liam. It was a couple of days before I could hold her and I was finally able to nurse her on Friday. She was a real trooper and latched on right away. That was a real turning point in her recovery I think... but more on that later.
Liam was a real entertainer and enjoyed all the attention I think.
He nursed well at first, and then forgot what he was doing. The Nazi lactation consultant was no help whatsoever, but we eventually got back on track after a few emotional breakdowns by his mother. The water in my body started coming out every possible way it could and very often... I couldn't notice any change at first and finally, after a few days there was some change. I think that recovering from the c-section was actually a little easier than recovering from Abby's birth... not to give away too many gory details, but let's just say that it took a lot more than 6 weeks to recover from that one.
Abby REALLY was so excited to meet her brother and got to hold him which was what she had been dreaming about since she found out I was pregnant. I have to give her major props for her patience.
I CANNOT tell you how nice it was to have Paul's mum here! I never had to worry about Paul or Abigail the whole time I was in hospital and she, of course, is completely in love with her new grandchildren and we are so glad that she is here to share this experience with us. Abby finally got to meet Lily on Saturday, the day Liam and I were discharged. She fell in instant love and it was such a great experience. It was still one of the hardest things I ever had to do to leave one baby at the hospital while taking the other one home. I wondered if they missed one another. We are more fortunate than most people as we live just a couple of blocks from the hospital. That would REALLY be nice over the next few days.
Lily was never too bad compared to many of the others there. The leg started looking more and more normal everyday and now, they are just a little worried about the hip joint, but we have an appointment at Children's Primary Hospital (one of the very best children's hospitals in the world) at the end of the month just to make sure it doesn't need further work. Worst case scenario: She'll need surgery, but everything is 100% fixable. The other issue she had that kept her in the NICU- the main reason- was an air bubble that was outside the lung... not uncommon. They had to wait to see if it would get bigger- which would indicate a larger issue- or get smaller. Hers stayed the same, didn't seem to affect her breathing and finally got smaller toward the end of the week.
Except for the first day, she was on room air the entire time and mostly on observation. The last step was to get her to gain weight and nurse and she was finally able to come home on Monday, November 6.
When we first came home, my schedule went something like this: Feed Liam, pump, go to the hospital and feed Lily, come home and maybe eat or nap for a second, then start all over again all day and all night. My milk finally came in the day Lily came home. Paul and I were so happy to reunite our twins and have our entire little family together for the first time.
At first, there didn't seem to be any difference, but as soon as it was time for them to sleep, we put them down together and they (especially Liam) cuddled up together and went straight down. They are still sleeping that way today. He loves putting his head on her shoulder and when I thought about it, that was exactly how they were in the womb for the last few months.
They are just so precious and I CANNOT believe that I- that this little body of mine- actually grew them and that we have been given this great blessing. Our family feels complete now and I am constantly overwhelmed by the amazing gifts Heavenly Father gave to us... our 3 wonderful, healthy children and amazing extended family and friends without whom we could have never done what we've done.
Here is Abigail (holding Liam); big sister extraordinaire. She is very helpful and sings songs to the babies when they cry. She has been extremely patient as her whole world has changed. We are very lucky to have such a happy, adaptable little girl. And she was only one of 2 children in our entire primary to have her lines memorized for the Primary program. Way to go, Abby!
Here is Lily; bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and (surprise) ready to eat. She is actually pretty mellow and can fall asleep in the crib by herself and can wait a little while for her brother to finish when she's a little hungry... that is until she's had it and then she has the loudest cry in the house.
Here is Liam during a rare moment of satiation. He is constantly hungry and gulps down his milk (lucky me, eh?). He also has gas. Lots and lots of gas, poor lad. He loves to cuddle into a little ball and snuggle... especially under one's chin and he has the softest little head. Lily's shoulder still is another favourite place to lay his head.
