Ethan and Jonah on their blessing day, Sept. 2004, 4 months old
I was 34 1/2 weeks pregnant with twin boys when I suddenly went into labor one Sunday afternoon. We were sure they weren't coming yet and made a quick stop by the hospital to get something to stop the contractions, taking our 20 month old daughter with us.
They checked me and I was dilated to a 6. No going back.
We were hopeful that the boys could come home with us- they were 5 lbs each at the time.
When they came out, both were blue and were shown quickly to me and then whisked away.
They had twin-to-twin transfusion.
Jonah had cardio myopathy and was put on many different machines.
Ethan needed a blood transfusion.
I couldn't hold them for three days.
I drove to the hospital each day for five weeks to visit them, talk to them and eventually feed and nurse them.
Between that time, I pumped using the hospital grade pumps available at the Hospital and one that we rented at home.
I woke up every 3 hours to pump and then woke up enough to put the milk in the fridge.
One time, I fell asleep, only to awaken with the pump still on and my shirt soaked in milk.
I produced so much milk and the boys were only eating 2-4 ounces a day. A day.
I threw a lot of the milk away. I had heard that I could donate my milk, but I was so busy going from home to the hospital and back- pumping and pumping, that I never found out more about it. We didn't have internet in our small 2 bedroom apartment and I barely made it to the library to send out e-mail updates of the twins.
Today I know I could have mailed in my milk. You can even pump and mail in any extra if you are nursing a normal baby. The milk sells for a lot. It's worth a lot.
I wish I would have known about this site six years ago. I could have donated SO much.
This is my blog. My name is Megan Abbott.
ps. Next baby we have, I will not be able to nurse. I will have to be on lithium- which you cannot nurse with. I am so sad.
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