On that day I became a mother---not just once, but twice over! It was, as one might expect, one of the most profound moments of my life, as hubby and I welcomed our beautiful twin daughter and son into the world.
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| I had pregnancy-induced carpal tunnel syndrom toward the end. And man, I was BIG! Lots of ladies can settle a beverage on their bellies while seated. I could do so while standing. Lemme tell ya, this ravaged me. I should never be naked again! At the end, this horrid bag of an outfit was the only thing that fit me and I wore it every day. |
Rhiannon Michelle Vanderwilt and Ethan Patrick Vanderwilt came into this world at Austin's Seton Medical Center via cesarean section. I share this rather personal detail because it is significant: all three of us would have perished without such surgical intervention. I truly believe that had we been alive a hundred years ago, we would not have survived.
I was able to carry my babies to term, which was somewhat of a surprise to my doctor due to my very small (about 98 pounds pre-pregnancy) frame. She suspected that I'd go into labor prematurely, and toward the end she monitored me very closely, performing ultrasound on a weekly basis. Mine was considered a high-risk pregnancy, and indeed at one point I was restricted to extended bed rest for about six weeks, as I nearly miscarried my precious babes. (If you know me, you'll know this was torture to be confined to a bed for so long. And woe of woes, we didn't have cable television, so I was bored to tears!!!! Lots of reading and doing cross-stitch to pass the seemingly endless hours. It was brutal.)
But I was otherwise healthy and strong, and my body managed to sustain my pregnancy to nearly full-term. Toward the end, when we knew that birth would take place any day, we felt confident that all was well. The babies were in an ideal position for birth, and the doctor was entirely optimistic that the birth would be smooth sailing, as births go. The countdown to birthday was on!
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| Little did I know, but my babies would be born the following day |
One day, however, I felt a huge upheaval---I really can think of no better word to describe it-- in my abdomen. I could actually see my belly contorting and reshaping itself in ways I never imagined! It was the strangest feeling. It wasn't painful--- just a sudden and immense pressure. And it looked like something out of the movie "Alien" when it was happening.
I called my doctor and described what had happened,and she insisted that I come to her clinic immediately. Upon performing the ultrasound, she exclaimed in astonishment that the babies had not only traded places, but that the lower of the two---Rhiannon--- was now lying in transverse (sideways) in my uterus. She was dumbfounded, as she said she wouldn't have believed that they'd have room enough to move in such a way at this point in my pregnancy, particularly given my tiny frame. But move they had, and we knew then that the babies would have to be delivered via cesarean section. She cautioned that it would be extremely dangerous for me to go into labor under such circumstances, and scheduled me for my surgery two weeks hence.
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| I served until very near to my due-date. (Egads, those bangs were dreadful!) |
But Ethan and Rhiannon had plans of their own. One week later, I went into labor, and Pat rushed me to the hospital. My doctor met us there, and within mere moments of my arrival I was whisked into the delivery room for an emergency cesarean section.
I laugh now when I recall the birthing plan that Pat and I had written up for my delivery. We'd planned to have only essential personnel present as we wanted as intimate a birth as possible: just our doctor and nurse, and us. We created a playlist to listen to as we welcomed our babies (mostly David Lanz and Enya). The lights were to be dimmed. We brought champagne. Our reality, however, was far different.
Instead of the intimate birth we'd envisioned, we had a room full of people: my primary OB/GYN and a secondary OB/GYN; a pediatrician and a nurse for each baby; an anesthesiologist and his assistant. Even a person whose only job was to record the time of birth! Others, too, whose role I no longer recall. And moments before it happened, my doctor told me that there was a group of interns that had requested the opportunity to watch the births, if I agreed to grant permission. At that point, I laughed and said, "what the hell, half the world is in here already, why not bring in four more?!" I honestly have no idea how many people were ultimately crowded into that relatively small surgical suite, but I can assure you, it was quite a lot!
And so, with a crowd around us, Rhiannon was born, followed one minute later by her brother Ethan. And although quite small (5 lbs. 4 oz. and 5 lbs., 12 oz. respectively), they were healthy, strong, and utterly beautiful!
Today my beautiful daughter, a mother herself now, turns thirty. And although my son Ethan is no longer with us, I celebrate the fact that thirty years ago today, I was given the gift of becoming a mother to two of the most beautiful children to grace this earth.
Happy Birthday, Rhiannon!!! I love you to the moon and back a million times and a million times again!!!!
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| Pat went to A&M and I went to UT, two schools who had a robust but friendly rivalry with one another. Our birth announcements read, "What do you get when you cross an Aggie with a Longhorn? A special delivery that's twice as nice!" |
And Ethan, you live forever in my heart. I miss you terribly, my precious, beautiful boy... but today is a day of celebration, and I am eternally grateful that I had you with me for as long as I did.
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