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Matthew (T1) blissfully asleep... |
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Workers of the world unite, and and all that! Labour took on new meaning for Genevieve when she produced two healthy baby boys on May 1 at 11.30am and 11.33am Eastern Australian time! We had a false alarm with a trip to the hospital on Thursday evening (31st), but we were sent home. Contractions started again around 2.00am on May 1 (I was totally unaware...), and were still happening when I got up around 6.00am. We assumed it was another false alarm, so I hung around waiting to see whether I should go to work or not. Contractions came and went, so in the end we decided to play it safe and go into hospital anyway. A quick examination indicated that Genevieve was indeed well into labour - so much so that a foot had already made its way out! Yes, one of them was breech, and the other was in the correct position most of the time ( I discovered that babies are normally clever enough to orient themselves head first before delivery!) |
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Matthew (T1) blissfully asleep... |
| So it was off to the operating theatre straight away in scenes that made ER look ordinary! I was permitted to be present for the Caesarian. There were 17 people in the theatre - not sure what they all did. It was a weird experience to see 2 purple 'dolls' emerge from the midst of Genevieve's open tummy. Genevieve was awake for the entire proceedings, and was a very brave soldier indeed. |
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| Both boys were born premature
at 34 weeks - 2.4 and 2.1 kilos. They went straight into humidicribs.
T1, the heavier of the two, came out of the crib after a day and is now
in a normal baby's cot. T2 is still in a crib (as at May 4), but is mainly
there for observation purposes, and there is no real concern. Both are
being fed with tubes straight into their stomach, would you believe.
The babies are being expertly cared for by the staff at the John Spence Nursery at King George V hospital in Sydney. Genevieve and I have occasionally been administering feeds using a syringe. The stuff they are being fed on tastes foul, but it is only temporary till Genevieve gets up to speed with producing her own milk - we have to let her body know that the babies have actually been born, and to start producing milk! |
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| Names?
We'd been agonising over names for some time. We chose not to know the sex beforehand, but we were both sure one would be a girl. I did see 'bits' on one of the ultrasounds which was compelling evidence for at least one boy... We poured through lists in baby name books, but could not agree on anything. How did we finally decide? Scientifically! The NSW Waratahs were playing Otago (a would-be rugby team from NZ...) on the evening of May 1, so we decided to seek inspiration from the Waratah's performance... It's true! There were several good players, but we ruled out Semi Taupaafe, because I can't spell his name, and Tiaan Strauss (for the same reason!), which left Matthew Burke, who scored the first try, and Michael Brial who scored the second! So T1 became Matthew Robert, and T2 Michael Fergus. I've kept a copy of the newspaper report of the match to show them when they are big enough to read it! The Waratahs won - just! Yes, I know they'll become known as the 'M&Ms'... |
| Genevieve will be in King George V Hospital for over a week - ie till at least May 12. Her phone number is (02) 9515 5341. Here she is, proving that the Caesarian experience is well and truly behind her! |  |
| May 5 Update - twins 'unplugged': Michael
(T2) graduated from humidicrib to a normal cot, and is now completely 'unplugged'
- no heart rate monitor, and no drip - he was on a sucrose drip for the
first three days.
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| May
7 Update - first team photo!
'Dad' finally gets in on the act... |
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May
8 Update - special visitors!
 Photo courtesy of News Limited (click on the photo for an enlargement) |
The twins had an unexpected visit (well, unexpected for them...) from Waratah players Michael Brial and Matthew Burke, after whom they are named! NSW Rugby came across the twin's web page (well, let's be honest - dad may have alerted then to it...), and decided that it would be a good thing if Matt and Michael (Burke and Brial) met Matt and Michael (McCrea)! And so the meeting was arranged. The momentous event was recorded by a photographer from the Sydney Daily Telegraph, and appeared in the May 13 edition, page 84. To be honest, the twins seemed a little non-plussed about their celebrity visitors, but mum and dad got a kick out of it, along with the staff from the John Spence nursery! |
| Michael B and Matt B presented the twins with 2 miniature footballs, autographed with appropriate words of encouragement such as "To Matt, a future Wallaby - Matt Burke". From mum and dad - thanks for coming guys - it was great to meet you! |
| May 9 Update -
Mum and dad
bathed the twins for the first time! And dad is introduced to the
formidable task of nappie changing, which is now routine... The twins graduated
from the John Spence Nursery, which provides intensive care, to the K7
West nursery, which is an observation nursery.
The Waratahs beat Wellington 36-32! Matt Bourke again scored the first try again! May 10 Update - Mothers' Day! The twins gave mum a steam sterilising unit as a present. Genevieve celebrated Mothers' Day in fine style with her first simultaneous feeding exercise - one under each arm - which worked quite well. Michael, the smaller of the two, is still having some difficulty feeding because his mouth is so small. May 12 Update- Great news! Genevieve came home from hospital after having been there for 11 days, but the twins will be there for at least a couple more weeks. Genevieve's routine will involve going into hospital at least twice a day to feed the boys. They will release the twins when Genevieve is able to feed them entirely on her own. May 13 Update - The twins made their first media appearance today by being featured, along with mum and dad, in the Sydney 'Daily Telegraph' (page 84) in a photo with Matthew Burke and Michael Brial! A great shot! May 23 - the twins went home. See next chapter. |