Actually, they've been out for quite some time now - around 14 months but life since then had become so hectic, I've only decided to write this now. I just wanted to document my life since the kids were born just as a form of reminder to future Jonathan.
Nikki was 35 weeks pregnant when we found out that twin B (the twin that would come out second) was much bigger than twin A (the first to come out). Dr. Mendoza had earlier informed us that if a Twin B was that much larger than Twin A, it might be necessary to perform a C-section. Up until that point, Twins A and B were always roughly the same size. They'd differ by 100 or 200 grams but nothing so significant that would necessitate a C-section. But Twin B had other plans!
Twin B decided that it was time for her to grow rapidly and as I was writing this, I realize I haven't done a gender reveal. Twin B is a girl and Twin A is a boy! One of each! Who would've thunk? Anyway, Twin B's size though not that much larger than single babies, was much larger than Twin A. That means if we try for a vaginal birth, Twin A can walk down the corridor with however much trouble he needs but he can't open the door big enough for Twin B to go through so it's possible that she could have trouble exiting as well. A possible complication was that there could be possible brain damage to Twin B. Doc Mendoza didn't have to finish her sentence. We really didn't want to roll the dice on that one.
Having decided to go the C-section route, we could easily choose the date we wanted the kids to come out - and we did! We informed Doc Mendoza of the date and had booked everything including the room. The day before Nikki's scheduled CS, we were just staying at home. We ran through our things several more times just to be sure we didn't forget anything. We also needed to get a lot of rest since we knew very well that once the kids were out, it's "Good bye, Sleep!"
I took a nap that afternoon and woke up around 3pm. Nikki had come into our bedroom to take a nap as well. I decided to do another check for our things. I couldn't believe that the pregnancy journey was going to end the next day and it was off to parenthood. Then I heard my phone ring. Now, when Nikki calls me, it's a different ringtone from anyone else so I knew right away that it was Nikki calling me. I found it so weird that she would call me when we're in the same house together. We haven't been married long but I knew that she doesn't just call me to say "hey". My heart sank and I ran to our bedroom - empty. I heard someone in the bathroom and I ran in. I saw her on the toilet and she gave a chuckle then said, "Doc said we need to go to the hospital. hehe."
I was like, "WHAT?!?!?!" Her water broke and we needed to go to the hospital right away! I must admit that I did panic and let me just say, panicking is the worst thing to do ever in any situation. I wasn't thinking straight and I was grabbing things I didn't need and not grabbing things I did need. I had to snap myself back to reality and thing improved from then on. I had been told that once the water breaks, you don't really need to "rush" to the hospital but you do need to be at the hospital in 24 hours, which is a lot of time. I grabbed our bags and loaded them into the car, I made sure I had Nikki's trusty clearbook, I checked my bag for the essentials like my wallet and once I had done all that, I helped Nikki into the car.
I informed both our families that Nikki's water had broke and that we were on the way to hospital. The drive was fairly regular - nothing exciting. For a split second, I thought what I would say if a traffic enforcer would pull me over. I could use the, "My wife's giving birth," excuse and it would be totally legit. All this time, Nikki wasn't feeling much pain and was still her regular self. We got to Chong Hua Mandaue and I dropped her off the ER. I really didn't know what to say to the nurse except, "She's giving birth!" They did take her in and they told me to catch up with her in the Delivery Room. I was able to park rather quickly and was able to catch Nikki exiting the emergency room and going to the Delivery Room. She was still smiling along the way. But we also knew that once she entered the Delivery Room, the next time I would see her in all likelihood would be after the babies come out.
I stayed in waiting room where new dads usually wait. Friends was playing on the TV but I was still very nervous. The nurse did come out once in a while to give me some updates. The last time I caught a glimpse of Nikki was when the nurse came out to hand me a bag with all of Nikki's personal belongings. And then the wait started.
Only one other dad was with me but we didn't talk at all. My brother-in-law caught up to bring some of Nikki's things but he left shortly after. My cousin-in-law, who is a doctor at the same hospital, dropped by and saw that I was basically a mess. I wanted so much to just wait for the whole thing to finish. She had the good sense to snap me out of it and tell me to eat dinner. Good thing I listened as the cafeteria does close and there wouldn't be a good place to find food to eat until the next day.
At around 8pm (5 hours after Nikki told me she her water broke), a doctor came out and shouted "Unchuan?" I rushed to the door and she told me that Nikki lost a lot of blood but that she was recovering and doing good. She also told me that both kids are doing great and that they are just being cleaned up. I felt so much better after that bit of news. I informed both sides of the family of the great news and just kept waiting. Any minute now, I would get meet my kids face to face.
The doctor called out and I approached the door. Now, both twins were in front of me. I couldn't believe it. Looking back at that scene fondly, they looked so ugly and small. But to me, they looked so beautiful and amazing. I got to carry our baby boy, Joey, first. He looked so tiny and came wrapped in a green cloth. All I wanted to do was give him a kiss. We already knew that Joey would be smaller than his sister but I didn't know how small. He was very tiny. The doctors kept saying how strong his cry was. Apparently, Joey cried a lot in the delivery room. Now, this was my first time carrying a newborn. I dislike the idea of carrying babies since I know how fragile they can be and I just don't trust myself with that kind of responsibility. But with Joey, I couldn't say no. And while I held him, I remember seeing the faint glimmer of a dimple.
Next, they took Joey away and handed me baby wrapped in purple cloth. This would be our baby girl, Pia. She looked bigger than Joey but just as fragile. She looked to be much chubbier than Joey and she tried to look at me. Her eyes kept closing - I think she wasn't used to the light yet. I couldn't believe that I was holding my baby daughter in my hands. It was a wish I always had and she was in my hands.
After some time, I thought it was time to return Pia to the nursery but one of the doctors said, "Carry both!" A few minutes ago, I wouldn't even carry one baby since I think they're too fragile and now they want me to carry both? I wanted to say no but I also wanted enjoy the moment. And enjoy it I did. Both of my babies were with me and I was overwhelmed with joy. It would be some time when I would be able to see them again so I tried to savor every moment.
The moment did end and I felt a bit sad that me and Nikki weren't yet together. That didn't last long, however, and we would then always be together after we left the hospital. I'm just writing this now for my own purposes as I do miss that time very much and I'll treasure that time we had together for many many years to come.
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