June 13th...Happy Birthday Quintuplets!

            I woke up early the morning of the c-section to get makeup on and look the best I could (even though I was miserable) for the grand event I worked so hard to achieve!  I was in shock to find out that morning that Dr. Elliott had flown across the country Thursday night to help perform the procedure and was flying back out after the procedure was done!  When we first arrived, he promised he would be there, and he was!  I was a lot more relaxed since he had done this eighteen times before with quintuplets and many more times with quadruplets etc.  The hospital was amazing and video taped the entire birth and gave photographs to us since the day was such a whirlwind!  Michael had to stay on the outside of the OR and change as they prepped me inside the OR.
           Upon entering, I met with the anesthesiologist, anesthesiologist tech, scrub nurses, OR nurses, camera people, residents, and saw the teams for the babies ready in the glassed area conjoined to my OR.  It was about 50 people in there at that point.  I was given a spinal epidural and was laid down on the table.  The sterile field was created and then my three doctors and Michael entered the room and more people too!  I'm glad they were there since I was so nervous of both the c-section and the condition of the babies. I entered the OR at 8 am.  The first incision was made at 8:13am.  The first two babies were delivered at 8:15, second two babies at 8:16, and last baby was born at 8:17.  During the procedure, Dr. Elliott was calling out when to start certain drugs to help my overly stretched out uterus to clamp down at the right time. HOM have to be delivered quickly to prevent shock to set in with my body and my uterus from clamping down on the remaining babies.  The longer each one remains in my body the worse the outcome after the first incision.  As they were delivered, Dr. Elliott held them for the camera and us to see!  They all cried at birth and I did too!
            The babies were then immediately handed off to their NICU team in the other room.  As I was being sewn up on my vertical and horizontal incision, they started bringing them over for us to quickly see in their isolates!  Elias was stable enough they could take him out of the isolate so I could see him and kiss him before they whisked him off!  Michael followed the last baby out.  Dr. Elliott and most staff left as the remaining staff finished closing me up and removed my cerclage.  I was then taken to recovery exactly one hour from the first cut at 9:13.
             I stayed in recovery for another hour.  I was able to start eating ice chips there.  Michael and Susan (cousin) kept running between NICU and me to give updates, show pictures etc.  Afterwards, I was returned to my antepartum room for frequent monitoring, and was allowed a clear liquid diet for the rest of the day.  I wasn't hungry though at all buy forced myself to eat the clear liquids and walk when I was able to slowly.  After I walked, Michael was allowed to take me down to the NICU by wheelchair and wheel me to each baby so I could see them!  It was so special!  They weighed between 3lbs1oz and 3lbs11oz!  Both are great rates for a single baby at 31w1d let alone multiples! They were all on ventilators but at minimal settings! Otherwise, they looked amazing!