Just in case you forgot where we left off...
"I think I peed my pants," Maya said, looking down at her legs which were soaked, wincing as her stomach cramped again.
"Bambina," Carina said, kicking herself for not realizing what was going on earlier, "How often are you having those cramps?"
"I don't know," Maya said, "A lot. It's just Braxton-Hicks and me bring sick. Can you just help me up so I can get out of these pants?"
"Maya, I don't think you peed yourself," Carina said, trying to remain calm, "I think your water broke. I think you are in preterm labor."
"No," Maya said, confused, "No, the baby isn't coming for nine and a half weeks."
"Bambina, I think the baby might be coming sooner than that," Carina said, "It's ok. Everything will be ok. But we do need to go to the hospital. They might be able to stop it, but we have to go."
"No," Maya said, "No. The baby isn't coming for 9 weeks."
"Let's just go get you checked out Bambina," Carina said, "I just want to make sure you and the baby are safe. I can even do a quick check here if you want."
"No," Maya said, "You can't check because there is nothing to check because I peed my pants and am not having a baby."
Maya got up from the bed, pulling off her pants, looking down and seeing a little bit of blood.
"Carina," Maya said, feeling panic building inside her, "There…there's blood."
Carina immediately was at her side, looking in her wife's underwear, seeing a very small amount of blood. She breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't more before looking at Maya who looked like she was about to have a panic attack.
"Bambina, it's ok," Carina said, wrapping her arms around her wife, "It is just a little blood. Perfectly normal if you are in labor. But we want to try to stop the labor so we need to go to the hospital."
"I'm not in labor," Maya said, tears filling her eyes, "It's too early."
"It is early," Carina nodded, "But babies born at 30 and a half weeks have very very good outcomes. Almost all of them survive and go one to lead perfectly normal lives. And there is still a chance we can stop this. But, in order for that to happen, we need to go to the hospital."
"I haven't even packed a bag," Maya said, rubbing her eyes, "I'm not ready."
"It is going to be ok," Carina said, "I promise that the hospital has everything you need and once we get you sorted out, I can come back here and get whatever you need or ask Vic or Andy or Amelia or Teddy to do it, ok?"
Maya nodded, tensing as she felt what she now knew was a contraction surge through her body.
"Ok," Carina said, rubbing Maya's back, trying to apply pressure to help ease her pain, "You've got this Bambina. Just breathe."
The blonde made it through the contraction just fine, Carina immediately starting a timer to track the contractions.
"We need to go now, ok?" Carina said, "If you aren't too far dilated, they can try to stop the labor and give the baby some more time, but time is important, ok? Everything is going to be ok."
Maya nodded, Carina going and grabbing some pants for her wife. She grabbed their phones and some chargers before helping Maya downstairs. Carina grabbed Maya's favorite water bottle, filling it with her orange drink before they headed out the door.
On the way to the hospital, Maya had another contraction, Carina calling their OB as they drove to make sure she was ready for them.
When they got to the hospital, Carina decided they were just going to skip the ER because this was her wife who needed to be admitted to her department and they were not doing the ER today.
"Dr. Bishop-Deluca," one of the nurse said, smiling, "And Chief Bishop-Deluca. Do you have an appointment with Dr. Johnson?"
"No," Carina said, "I mean, she knows we are coming, but Maya is in pre-term labor. I know that's normally an ER first situation but…"
"But you know what's going on and there is no need for the ER," the nurse nodded, "Come on. Let's get you a room."
Once Maya was in the room and in a gown, Dr. Johnson came in along with a nurse.
"Let's get her on an IV," Dr. Johnson said, "Maya, I want to do an exam. Carina, have you done one yet?"
"No," Carina said, "We were just focused on getting here."
"Ok," Dr. Johnson said, nodding, "Well, let's see what we are dealing with. Maya, just relax, ok? We are going to make sure you and the baby are taken care of."
Maya nodded, gripping Carina's hand as she had the uncomfortable exam.
"Good news," Dr. Johnson said as she worked, "You are only two centimeters dilated and 60% effaced. I want to do a quick check on the baby, just to make sure they are doing ok, but assuming they look good, I am going to get you on some meds to try to stop your labor. Because your water broke, I am also going to get you on an antibiotic to help prevent infection and also a steroid to help baby's lungs. Hopefully, we can keep this little one in for another few days at least, ok?"
Maya nodded, "Thank you."
"Alright," Dr. Johnson said, "Let's see this baby."
"It's going to be ok Bambina," Carina said, holding Maya's hand tightly, "Look. There's Trottolino. They look good."
"They do," Dr. Johnson nodded, "They are moving nicely. Heartrate is good. The baby seems to be doing great. And they are head down which is perfect. Oh, contraction?"
Maya nodded, squeezing her wife's hand as she rode through the pain.
"It's done," Maya said, feeling the pain recede.
"I am going to put you on a monitor," Dr. Johnson said, "If we can't get those contractions under control in the next hour or two, we are going to have to try other meds, but I am hoping we can get this stopped, at least for a little while."
"Alright," Maya nodded, rubbing her eyes, "Thank you."
"I'll be back in an hour to check on you," Dr. Johnson said, nodding as she left.
"How are you feeling Bambina?" Carina asked, brushing a piece of hair off her forehead.
"Scared," Maya said, biting her lip, "Also, my stomach still doesn't feel great though I don't feel like I'm going to be sick anymore. How long am I going to be here?"
"Depends on how the baby does," Carina said, "And how you do. But you will probably be here until delivery."
"That's so long," Maya said, rubbing her eyes, "That is going to destroy all the progress we have made with the twins."
"Bambina," Carina said, "The medications they are going to give you will probably not help you make it all the way to your due date. It is likely you are going to have a baby in the next week."
"They will still be too early," Maya said, tears filling her eyes again.
"Si," Carina nodded, "But with the extra days and steroids, it will help them be much stronger. And they might not be born that early. We just have to wait and see. Just breathe, ok Bambina. Our baby is going to be just fine."
Within the next hour, Maya had her IV started with all the meds and was sleeping between contractions which were still coming but getting less frequent. It was around that time that Andrew facetimed.
"Hello?" Carina said, confused as she made sure she was facing a wall that was just plain white, hoping no alarms would go off.
"Hey," he said, "You told me to have the twins call before they went to bed and we just finished books and songs so they wanted to say goodnight to you and Maya."
"Well, Maya is sleeping right now," Carina said, "But let me see them. Ciao Bambine. Are you having fun for Zio Andrea?"
"Si," both girls called out before Rowan started talking "We played the fishy game and Zio cooked pasta for dinner."
"And he gave us a bath," Nora added, "With lots of bubbles and he made the water blue. Is Mommy there?"
"Wow," Carina smiled, "That sounds like so much fun. You better tell Zio thank you. Mommy is sleeping right now. She was really tired today, but I will tell her that you two are having fun with Zio ok? Now, I think it is time to sleep, no?"
"Si," both girls said. "Good," Carina smiled, "Buona notte Nora. Buona notte Rowan. Sleep well. Ti voglio bene Nora e ti voglio bene Rowan. Mommy loves you too." The twins both blew kisses and told her they loved her before she heard Andrew tell them goodnight and leave the room.
"How are you guys doing?" he asked, "Are you still feeling ok? Is Maya feeling any better?"
"Well, we are currently at Grey Sloan," Carina sighed, turning a bit so her brother could see the room, "Turns out, Maya doesn't have a bug, but she was going into labor."
"What?" Andrew said, "There's not supposed to be a baby for like two and a half months."
"I know," Carina said, "But her waters broke and she was 2 cm dilated. She was admitted and is on meds, but who knows. Trottolino looks good right now though."
"I'm so sorry Carina," Andrew said, "Is there anything I can do?"
"Just keep the girls for tonight," Carina said, "And then drop them at daycare tomorrow. I'm not sure what is going to happen here, but if you keep them and then take them to daycare, at least I know they are taken care of. And it will keep them in their routine which is going to be really important right now."
"Of course," Andrew said, "Whatever you need, just let me know."
"Grazie Andrea," Carina said, "And don't tell the girls what is going on. I don't want them panicking that Maya is in the hospital again without me being there to explain what is going on. I will talk to them tomorrow at some point to try to help them understand."
"They don't even know she's know she's not feeling well tonight," Andrew said, "I figured they didn't need to and I didn't want to stress them out. They have been doing really well tonight though. Nora asked for you guys a few times, but other than that, they have been rocking this overnight."
"That's perfect," Carina said, "Oh, Maya is waking up. I'm gonna go, ok?"
"Ciao Carina," he said, "Text me if you need anything."
Carina hung up, looking over at her wife.
"Who was on the phone?" Maya mumbled, rubbing her eyes.
"Andrea," Carina said, moving closer to her wife, "The bambine wanted to say goodnight."
"Oh, I missed them?" Maya said, clearly trying to wake up.
"Si," Carina nodded, "But Andrea is going to put them in daycare tomorrow so maybe I can bring them up here for a visit. He said they are doing really well though. It honestly might have been better that they didn't see you in the hospital right now. How are you feeling?"
"Um, not great," Maya said, taking inventory of her body, "I mean, the contractions have calmed down, but I feel…I don't know…kinda panicky I think."
"It's ok," Carina said, taking Maya's hand in her own, "Some of that is probably your anxiety and some of it is probably the medication they gave you to slow the contractions. Hopefully that feeling will wear off soon."
"I'm thirsty," Maya said, rubbing her eyes.
"Let me make sure you are not NPO," Carina said, about to get up when Danielle walked back in, "I was just about to come find you."
"What's up?" the other OB asked, scrubbing her hands.
"Is she NPO?" Carina asked, sitting down next to her wife.
"Let me check a few things," Dr. Johnson said, pulling on some gloves, "Maya, can I do another quick exam?"
"Sure," Maya said, moving her body to give the OB the best positioning to examine her.
"How are you feeling?" the OB asked as she started her exam.
"Kinda panicky," Maya said, "And hot."
"That can be a side effect of your medicines," Dr. Johnson said, looking up and seeing Maya's heartrate was higher than normal, "I want to grab a temp on you to make sure you don't have a fever though."
"Ok," Maya nodded, biting her lip.
"If the panicky feeling gets to be too much, just let us know and we will either give you something to help or switch meds, ok?" Dr. Johnson said, "So, you are now at 3 cm and 80% effaced which is not exactly what I wanted to see but let me check your contractions. Ok. It looks like they are letting up. You haven't had one in about twenty minutes which is promising. I am going to say you can have some water or other clear fluids, but no food or anything until the morning, ok? I want to make sure those contractions stop."
"That's fine with me," Maya said, "My stomach has been upset all day and it still doesn't feel great."
"Alright," Dr. Johnson said, grabbing a thermometer, popping it in Maya's mouth as she talked, "Well, if you want, we can get you some anti-nausea medicine. Your temp is 98.9 which is perfect, by the way."
"I'm not particularly nauseous," Maya said as Carina went to grab her water bottle that was full of orange drink from home, "Food just sounds blah."
"Ok," Dr. Johnson said, "Well, I will be back to check on you in a few hours, but as long as the contractions have stopped, I won't do another exam. Try to get some rest, ok? You and the baby both look good."
"Thanks," Carina said as she sat the bed up a little, helping Maya get a drink, "Alright Bambina, what can I do?"
"You should get yourself something to eat and go home and sleep," Maya said, "I'm fine here."
"I am not leaving," Carina said, shaking her head, "If something happens, I want to be here, at least for tonight. Andrea has the girls and I want to be here with you and Trottolino."
"You have to eat," Maya said, "And you probably want some pajamas and other stuff."
"Bambina, I am wearing sweats," Carina said, "I can sleep in these. And I will go down to the cafeteria and grab something in a little bit, ok?"
Maya nodded, playing with her hands.
"What can I do to help?" Carina asked, seeing how tired her wife looked but also how anxious.
"Can you hold me?" Maya asked quietly, knowing that was one way to get her body to calm down.
"Of course," Carina nodded, carefully getting into the bed, wrapping her arms around her wife, kissing her forehead, "I will always hold you. You know that."
The Italian stroked Maya's hair as she whispered sweet nothings in both English and Italian in her wife's ear. Carina smiled as she felt Maya's breathing calming, the blonde eventually falling asleep after an hour of Carina's comforting touch.
Once she was sure the blonde was out, Carina carefully got out of the bed, heading down to the cafeteria. As she walked, she was running through everything that was probably going to happen in the next few days with her wife and child from possible infections to what Maya's labor was going to look like to how long the NICU stay was likely to be.
She was pretty distracted by her thoughts, running through studies she had read on preterm labor and experiences she had had with patients, and she was shocked when she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Cosa?" she said, turning around, seeing Amelia standing there, looking both confused and concerned.
"Are you alright?" the neurosurgeon asked, "I called your name liked 5 times and you didn't hear me. And what are you doing here? You're clearly not working and there is no possible way the food here is better than at your house so what's up?"
"Maya went into preterm labor this evening," Carina sighed, rubbing her forehead, "Her water broke and she is three centimeters dilated, but her contractions have stopped, and she is sleeping for now."
"Oh Carina," Amelia said, "I'm sorry. How far along is she?"
"Thirty and a half weeks," Carina said, getting in line for her food, "I'm hoping maybe she can hold out to 35 or 36 weeks, but with her water broken, the risk of infection is pretty high. Even if she can just make it to 34 weeks, the complication risks will go down."
"Listen, the baby is a Bishop-Deluca, they will be fine," Amelia said, smiling at her friend, "How is Maya doing?"
"She's alright," Carina said, grabbing a sandwich and salad, "She was sick all day, though looking back, I think it was just her body getting ready for labor. But she's resting now. She's on terbutaline, which is making her feel a little anxious, but she is asleep for now which is good."
"Are the girls alright?" Amelia asked, "If you need somewhere for them to go, Link is off tonight and I'm sure Harper would love a sleepover."
"They are with Andrea," Carina said, "He was supposed to take them tonight anyway because it was going to be date night as a practice to see if we could maybe go on a short babymoon for Maya's birthday which is currently working out in our favor because we spent weeks preparing them to be away from us for the night so they are not anxious about it."
"I remember you mentioned that" Amelia said, "That really sucks that you guys lost your date night."
"I know," Carina sighed, "I feel so bad for her. She's scared. I mean, so am I. I know that even if the baby comes tonight, they will likely be fine, but the thought of the NICU and all the stress that comes with that is a lot."
"I'm sorry Carina," Amelia said, reaching out and placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder, "If there is anything we can do, just let us know. I would be more than happy to take the twins tomorrow night if you need me to, or anything else."
"If Maya is not in full blown labor tomorrow night, I will probably go home with the girls tomorrow night," Carina sighed, "It's been a few months since we have dealt with a hospital admission and they have been doing so well, but I am worried they are going to struggle a lot with this and I want to try to keep things as normal as possible for them."
"I get it," Amelia nodded, "Well, whatever I can do. I'll bring dinner over tomorrow night if you end up going home, ok? And Link and I are both off tomorrow night so if you need to have someone come over in the middle of the night, one of us can do that for you."
"Grazie," Carina said, smiling at her.
"Always," Amelia said, "How are you doing with all of this?"
"I don't know," Carina said as she looked at the late-night food options, grabbing a salad that didn't look too bad, "I just feel bad for Maya. This pregnancy has been so hard on her with the HG and then all the pelvic pain and now this. I am very glad we don't have the desire to have more than three bambini because I don't think she could handle another pregnancy and I don't think I could handle watching her go through one."
"Yeah, your wife never does anything small," Amelia said, shaking her head as they headed to check out. Carina laughed a little as she paid for her meal.
"Are you going to eat down here?" Amelia asked, seeing a conflicted look on her friend's face.
"Um, I don't know," Carina said, biting her lip, "I think maybe I should go back, just in case Maya needs me."
"Don't let me stop you," Amelia said, "I just came to grab something to try to shove down my throat before my patient's CT comes back. I'll come check on you guys later though? Maybe tomorrow morning before I head home?"
"Ok," Carina nodded, "Grazie Amelia."
"I'll see you tomorrow," Amelia said, "Just text me if you need anything, ok? Even if it's just someone to talk to?"
"I will," Carina nodded, heading back upstairs with her salad and orange juice.
She found it weird going to her floor of the hospital not to work. Sure, she had had the girls here, but something about visiting her wife here was strange to her even though Maya had been here multiple times throughout this pregnancy already. This time, it felt much different because before, Maya was just on this floor to keep a close eye on Trottolino while she was the main patient, but now, both of them were the patients and it just felt much different.
They were supposed to be becoming a family of five just in time for Halloween, and while that still could happen, Carina knew the statistics. This baby was almost certainly going to be here within the next month and probably logically less time than that which meant that instead of magical moments with the twins holding their new sibling and the five of them adjusting to life at home as a family of five, their first moments would be spent in this hospital filled with tubes and lines and incubators and a baby that was likely going to be tiny even if they were born on time and would probably be very small if they came early.
All of it was scary to think about and made Carina feel overwhelmed as she stepped back into Maya's room. Her wife was, thankfully, sound asleep in the bed.
Carina carefully sat down in the chair next to her, opening her salad and mixing it before starting to eat as quietly as she could so as not to wake her sleeping wife.
Once she was done, she decided to go to her office for a minute to grab a few things. She quickly found her toothbrush, a blanket, one of Maya's sweatshirts, and a few other things before heading back to Maya's room. She knew that she could have gotten all of these things from the nurses, but she wanted the familiarity of her own things.
When she got back to the room, Maya was just starting to wake up again.
"Hi Bambina," Carina said as Maya's eyes opened, "How are you feeling?"
"I don't know," Maya groaned a little, "Tired but also anxious and hot."
Carina grabbed the thermometer that was left in the room, quickly slipping it under Maya's tongue because while she was pretty sure her wife was just feeling warm from the meds she was on, now that her waters were broken, the risk for infection were high. She breathed a sigh of relief when a 98.8 flashed across the screen.
"No fever," Carina said, "But I can get some cool cloths to help with the hot feeling."
"Yes please," Maya nodded, shifting around some in bed, uncomfortable.
Carina got some cool water and cloths from one of the nurses, giving Maya what amounted to a sponge bath before crawling into bed with her wife to try to comfort her.
Carina through the pregnant woman had fallen asleep when she suddenly heard sniffles coming from her wife.
"Bambina, what's wrong?" Carina asked, moving them so she could see Maya's face which was stained with tears.
"Why is this happening?" Maya said, letting out a small sob, "Why is my body being so stupid? Why can't I do this simple thing and keep our baby safe?"
"Hey, no," Carina said, stroking her hair, "No. Your body is not stupid. These things happen all the time, every day, and most of the time, there is no way to predict it and nothing the mama could have done differently to prevent it. You have done everything exactly right during this pregnancy and nothing you have done caused this. And things are looking good right now. Your contractions have stopped and Trottolino looks very healthy. You are getting medications to help just in case they come early to make sure their lungs are as healthy as possible. And there is still a chance that you will just stay here for the next two months and Trottolino will come in October like they are supposed to."
"I don't want to be here for two months," Maya said, eyes wide as she looked at her wife, panic rising in her chest, "I…and what about the bambine and I can't and…"
"Hey," Carina said, trying to get her wife to focus on her, "No. You need to breathe for me, ok? Breathe for me and… and breathe for Trottolino. You are going to be ok. Just focus on me."
Carina helped Maya calm down, the blonde collapsing into her wife's chest as the panic subsided a little.
"There you go," Carina said, grabbing Maya's water bottle, coaxing some of the orange drink into her wife, "Good Bambina."
"I can't be here for two months," Maya whimpered, "I just…I can't so it and the twins won't be ok if I am and I just…can't I go home and do bed rest there?"
"We will have to see," Carina said, "It depends on a lot of things, but for right now, let's just take it day by day, ok? Let's just see if your contractions stop until morning and then we will see if they have continue to not start again the next day, ok? You are going to be here for at least the next two days to make sure Trottolino gets the doses of steroids they need to help their lungs and to make sure you have gotten enough antibiotics. And then, we will see from there, ok? But for now, let's take it one day at a time, or even one hour at a time if you need to, ok?"
Maya nodded, struggling to take another deep breathe.
"I hate this," Maya said, rubbing her eyes, "I feel so out of control and I hate it."
"I know, Bambina," Carina said, pulling her into a hug, "I know. But let's think about what we can control, ok?"
"We need to pick our names," Maya said suddenly, "I mean, we can control what we name Trottolino when they are no longer just Trottolino and I think that might help tonight."
"Ok," Carina said, "For a boy, which is still what I think we are having, what were our final picks?" They went through their list of names, narrowing it down to one boy name and one girl name. They really loved both names they had chosen and knowing they had that sorted out made Maya feel a little bit better.
"We haven't finished painting the nursery," Maya said after they decided on the names, "And the car seat isn't in the car. How are we going to take them home without a car seat?"
"Bambina, we will have time to put the car seat in," Carina said gently, "If Trottolino comes anytime in the next month and a half, there will likely be NICU time so you will have time to install it while they are getting bigger here, and if they don't come early, you have a city full of firefighters trained in car seat instillation and any one of them would be more than happy to put it in for us, ok? And Trottolino is going to sleep in our room for a while at the beginning anyway so we have time to get the nursery done, ok?"
"I…this is so hard," Maya said, rubbing at her eyes.
"I know," Carina said, pulling Maya close, "I am so sorry you are going through this. What can I do? Do you want to talk more or help you make a list of things you can control right now or something else?"
"Can you just talk to me?" Maya said, "In Italian? About anything you want, but I think that will help right now."
"Of course," Carina nodded, deciding to tell Maya about some of the most recent studies she had read.
Maya understood probably about 80% of what she was saying, but she could have understood none of it and it still would help her calm down. Italian was always something that made Maya feel better, and while she didn't fully know why, Carina theorized that it was because Maya was never yelled at in Italian unless it was for pleasure and so there were no negative emotions tied to hearing it, only those of love and passion and pleasure and happiness.
It took a while, but eventually, Maya managed to fall asleep, Carina deciding to just stay put in hopes that she would not disrupt her wife who needed as much rest as she could get. The rest of the night was long.
Nurses were in and out all night, checking on Maya's vitals and making sure her contractions didn't come back and the pregnant woman was up a few times to use the bathroom and also because the baby was kicking. Neither of them got more than an hour of continuous sleep all night and were exhausted by the next morning when Dr. Johnson came in.
"How are we doing this morning?" she asked, going over to the contraction monitor that had been strapped to Maya all night, "It looks like it has been about 10 hours since you had a contractions which is good. How are you feeling?"
"Exhausted," Maya said, rubbing her eyes.
"I'm sorry," Dr. Johnson said, "Now that your contractions have stopped, I am going to move your checks to every 4 hours so maybe you can get some rest today. The plan for today is to keep giving you meds and hydration and just keep monitoring you. I am going to have the nurse draw some labs to check for signs of infections and to make sure you are still doing alright, but as long as those are clear, today will mostly just be about monitoring you and baby. Do you have any questions?"
"How long do you think I am going to be here?" Maya asked, knowing Carina had told her it would likely be until the baby was born, but she still wanted to hear it from Dr. Johnson.
"It depends on many things," Dr. Johnson said, "We need to keep you here for at least 48 hours to get you the steroids to help the baby's lungs mature more and then we also need to monitor contractions and signs of infection. But if everything goes perfectly, I would be willing to try weaning you off the drip of the meds holding off the contractions in about a day and a half once the steroids are doing. And then we will see how you do from there to figure out going home. But if I send you home, it would be on extremely strict bedrest. Like, you can go to the bathroom and that is it, bedrest."
"I just want to be home," Maya said, "My family needs me at home."
"Bambina, right now, we have to focus on what you and Trottolino need," Carina said, "I will make sure the bambine are ok at home, but if being here means keeping you and Trottolino safe, that is what we are going to do."
"Like I said, you are probably going to be here for at least two more days, though it will probably be longer," Dr. Johnson said, "But the twins are welcome to come visit. I am going to go put in the new orders and I will check in with you later, ok? Feel free to page me if you need me."
"Thank you," Maya said as Dr. Johnson left.
"Maya," Carina said, seeing the look on her wife's face, "Talk to me?"
"I…The twins are going to be a mess," Maya said, biting her lip, "It's not fair to them."
"Bambina, they are going to be ok," Carina said, sitting back down in bed with her wife, "We got through your previous admissions and we will get through this one too, ok? They might have a hard time for a little bit, but we are going to be there for them every step of the way and make sure they are ok. They have already grown so much and learned how to regulate their emotions so much better. But even if they end up completely regressing, we will help them through it. I will bring them here every day and make sure they are getting taken care of. They survived a night away from us and Andrea said they didn't even cry. They might surprise us with how well they do, but no matter what, we will be right there for them."
"I hate that there is a chance that I am going to cause them any pain," Maya said, "I never wanted to hurt them."
"Bambina, hey, no," Carina said, pulling Maya into her arms as the tears started, "You are not hurting them. These circumstances are hard, but we know how to help them through it. I promise that you are not hurting them. If you had any control over this, you would not choose this, but you don't have control over it. Babies do what they want and mammas have very little control over it. You are doing everything right and eventually, all three of our bambini will be ok. And so will you."
The two of them just sat there together until the nurse came in to draw blood and do morning vitals on Maya. Everything looked good and the nurse promised that baring any emergencies, she was going to keep everyone out of their room for at least two hours to let them get some sleep. They both ended up getting some rest and while it wasn't perfect, they felt slightly better after, both of them eating a little something once they were awake. They spent the rest of the day resting and talking and Carina trying to help Maya through the surges of anxiety that she was struggling with all day.
"Bambina, do you want me to see if Andrea can keep the twins again tonight?" Carina asked after she helped Maya calm down again, "I don't want you to be alone tonight if you are still feeling so anxious."
"No, you have to be with the girls tonight," Maya aid, "They need both of us to be there with them, but since that can't happen. They at least need you. I'll be fine. But can you bring them up here before you take them home?"
"Of course," Carina nodded.
Just then, her phone buzzed and she grabbed it, seeing it was Teddy offering to bring dinner by the house for them. Carina almost said yes, but then she had an idea.
"Bambina, Teddy offered to bring dinner to the house tonight, but would it be ok with you if I had her bring it here so we can all eat together tonight?"
"I think that sounds like a great idea," Maya nodded, "I'm not sure how hungry I am, but the longer I can get with the girls, the better."
Carina texted Teddy back, letting her know the plan which the cardio surgeon quickly agreed to.
"Ok, Teddy will be here with dinner in about 45 minutes," Carina said, "I am going to go get the bambine?"
"Ok," Maya nodded, "See you soon."
Carina gave her wife a quick kiss before heading down to the daycare to get the twins.
"Mamma," Nora squealed, running into her arms as soon as she saw her, "I misseded you."
"I missed you too Piccola," Carina said, giving her a kiss on top of her head, "Did you have fun with Zio Andera last night?"
"Si," Nora nodded, "He reads Italian books just like you. And we pwayed a yot."
"Well, that sounds like fun," Carina smiled as Rowan also came running into her arms, "Hi Patatina."
"Hi Mamma," Rowan said, "Tan we go home and see Mommy and my baby Totoino?"
"Well, we can go see Mommy," Carina said, crouching down so she was in front of the twins, "But Mommy isn't at home."
"Is she at the station?" Rowan asked, cutting Carina off, "Can we go see the wee woos?"
"No, Mommy is not at the station," Carina said, shaking her head, "Yesterday, Mommy wasn't feeling very well and then Trottolino tried to be born."
"But Mommy said it's too early," Rowan said, brow furrowing, "She said my baby Totoino would be sick. Is my baby Totoino sick?"
"No Patatina," Carina said, "Trottolino wasn't born, but Mommy had to come to the hospital and get some special medicine and make sure Trottolino is ok."
"No," Nora said, "No hospipal. I want Mommy to be at home."
"I know, Piccola," Carina said, "I want her to be home too, but right now, she has to stay here to make sure that she is still ok and Trottolino is ok."
"But I miss her," Nora said, tears in her eyes.
"I know," Carina said, giving her a hug, "I miss her too, but she is ok. Should we go see her?"
"Tan we stay for a yong time?" Rowan asked.
"Zia Teddy is going to bring us some dinner to eat with Mommy," Carina nodded, "So we can stay for a while. Come on."
Carina took each of their hands, heading up to Maya's room with them.
"Mommy," both girls cried as they walked into the room, running over to the bed, Carina helping lift them up.
"Hi Rowan, hi Nora," Maya said, rubbing their backs as they hugged her, Nora staying curled up on her chest while Rowan moved down to her belly, laying her head there.
"My baby Totoino, you have to stay in there," she said, "We still have yots of papers left until you can come out so you need to stay in there so you aren't sick."
"Mommy how many days do you have to be here?" Nora asked.
"I don't know yet Piccola," Maya said, "We have to see how I am doing and how Trottolino is doing. But I am going to have to sleep here for a few nights at least."
"But I want you to be at home," Nora said.
"I know," Maya said, "I want to be at home too, but I have to make sure Trottolino is ok. I won't be here forever, and Mamma can bring you to see me every day, ok?"
"Mommy," Nora said, just clinging to her.
"Bambine, Mommy is ok," Carina said, rubbing their backs, "And maybe, when we are home without Mommy, we can take lots of pictures and tell her all about what we are doing, ok? And she can send us videos and pictures too so it can be like we are together. It's going to be ok."
The four of them spent the rest of the evening together, Carina just letting the twins fall asleep on Maya because she didn't want to cause any more stress tonight. After grabbing their stroller out of the car and loading the twins into it before giving Maya a long kiss and hug and taking the twins home.
The next few days were long for the Bishop-Delucas. The twins did pretty well all things considered, but there were a lot of nighttime wake ups and just overall fussiness and clinginess that were hard. Nora complained about her tummy hurting before daycare, and while she didn't ever get sick, it was still hard for Carina to watch. The Italian was pretty exhausted trying to juggle work and the twins and her wife, but their friends had been amazing, helping them with food and Andy had even come over one day when she was off work and done their laundry for them which was such a nice gesture.
Maya was also struggling not being able to move around much in the hospital and being away from her babies and wife left her in tears most days. However, about two days after she was admitted, Dr. Johnson decided to start lowering her dose of medication to see if going home would be possible. The level of the meds she had been on was fine short term, but she needed a lower dose for longer term. It went well, and they were starting to talk about possibly discharging her.
Carina had brought the twins by in the morning as was their routine before she went to drop them off at daycare. Not five minutes after she got back to Maya, however, the contractions started up again by the time Danielle checked, she was already 5 cm dilated and 100% effaced.
"It looks like we are having a baby today," Dr. Johnson said, looking up at Maya and Carina, "This baby isn't going to wait any more. I want to get you moved to the labor and delivery wing right away."
The next half an hour was a whirlwind and Maya was transferred from the antepartum unit to L&D where she would be giving birth. Once she was settled in her room, Dr. Johnson came back to check on her again.
"I know we talked about no epidural, but I just wanted to check again and make sure?" Dr. Johnson said, checking Maya's contractions, seeing they were already picking up in frequency.
"No epidural," Maya said, shaking her head, "I can handle it. And Carina promised me some all-natural pain relief. Is that still allowed?"
"Yep," Dr. Johnson nodded, "Of course. Just no penetration because of your broken water, but Carina, I know you know what is safe. I will give you both some privacy and let the nurses to know to knock and wait for a response before coming in. I will be back in half an hour to check how things are going and put the NICU on standby."
"Do I have to labor in this bed?" Maya asked, laying down making her skin crawl and her body ache so much more than she wanted it to, hoping moving around would help, "Or can I please get up?"
"I am going to say yes for now," Danielle said, "Your baby has been doing very well since you have been admitted, and I am going to go grab a smaller monitor that will let us keep an eye on baby but allow you to get up and shower and move around at the same time. And if you are in this room, I would like you on the larger monitor."
"Ok," Maya nodded, "I think I want to try the shower first. I haven't showered in days and warm water sounds like heaven right now."
"I'll go get the shower started," Carina said as Danielle started unstrapping Maya's monitor and capping her IV which was really just there in case of emergency at this point since Maya had gotten her morning round of antibiotics already, Dr. Johnson stepping out to get the other monitor.
Carina got the shower going, making the water pretty hot, knowing how much Maya liked her hot showers.
"Carina," Maya called as the Italian adjusted the water. Carina could tell from the tone of her voice that her wife was having a contraction and ran to be at her side.
"I'm right here Bambina," Carina said, Dr. Johnson slipping out after having placed the monitor as Carina helped Maya through the contraction.
"Good Bambina," Carina said as the contraction started to ease, "Good."
"Those hurt," Maya said, shifting a little in the bed.
"I know," Carina said, frowning as she saw tears in her wife's eyes, "What's going on in that brilliant brain of yours?"
"I'm nervous," Maya said, "What if there's something wrong with them because they are so early?"
"They are going to get the best care there is," Carina said, brushing a piece of hair off Maya's forehead, "And they are 31 weeks. That is good. They will probably be small, much smaller than the twins especially because of the HG and you have been measuring small, but they got medicine to help with their lungs and brain and you did a good job keeping them in for those few extra days. It let them get medicines to help their lungs and brain. All of that makes you a very good mom."
"I feel like I am failing them already," Maya said, biting her lip, "They aren't even born and I couldn't even keep them safe as long as I was supposed to. You were pregnant with twins and you stayed pregnant for almost 40 weeks."
"Bambina, you did not fail this baby," Carina said, shaking her head, "You kept them safe and laid in this bed getting medicines that make you feel horrible so they could stay safe. You have done so much to help Trottolino and have given so much of yourself. You dealt with HG for months and all the hospitalizations and other things that came with that and have done everything you could to keep them inside as long as possible, but the baby wants to come now, and they are not going to let you stop them. They are taking after their mommy already."
Maya chuckled through her tears, Carina smiling as she grabbed a tissue, wiping the tears off Maya's cheeks.
"Now," Carina said, "That water is nice and hot in the shower, and I am fully prepared to provide as much pain relief as you would like."
"Yes please," Maya nodded, Carina helping her sit up.
They walked into the bathroom, Carina stripping to her sports bra and boy shorts while Maya got completely naked before they climbed into the shower.
"Alright," Carina said, making sure Maya was stable on her feet, "You can hold onto that bar if you need to, or you can sit in that chair or hold onto me. I will follow your lead, ok?"
"My lead is to give me an orgasm right now please," Maya said, feeling a contraction starting to build in her belly, "Oh, this hurts."
Carina abandoned an orgasm for the minute, choosing to use a little nipple stimulation to help Maya through this contraction, the blonde moaning and leaning against her as she road through the contraction.
"Did that help?" Carina asked as the contraction calmed back down.
"Yeah," Maya nodded, "A lot actually. But I think I need more."
"Proper relief coming up," Carina said, moving her hands down her wife's body, taking a minute to admire the curves that she knew were about to start disappearing.
"Carina, please," Maya said, looking at her wife.
"Me dispace Bambina," Carina said, "I was just admiring how unbelievably sexy your body is right now, and I know that is all about to start changing as soon as Trottolino comes. I will get you some pain relief."
After an orgasm and another contraction, Maya could confirm that her wife's research was incredibly effective. They stayed in the shower for another twenty minutes, Carina giving Maya one more orgasm before the blonde decided she was done with the water.
"I want the birth ball I think," Maya said as Carina helped her out of the shower, Maya putting on the gown she had bought to labor in that was much more comfortable than the ones the hospital provided for her.
"Ok," Carina nodded, changing into her own clothes, "Come on. I'll ask a nurse for the ball and then we will get you hooked back up to the monitor so we can keep a good eye on Trottolino, ok?"
"Ok," Maya nodded as Carina stepped out of the room, returning a moment later, getting the monitors back on Maya's belly.
"Is the baby still ok?" the blonde asked anxiously.
"Si," Carina nodded, "See, there is the heartbeat, nice and strong."
Maya nodded, feeling a bit better about everything.
"Here comes another one," Maya moaned, feeling the contraction coming, putting her hands on Carina's shoulders as the Italian just stood there, whispering words of encouragement into Maya's ear.
Once the contraction eased, Maya just stayed in the same position, holding onto her wife.
"You ok Bambina?" Carina asked as the blonde looked at her.
"Yeah," Maya said, lifting her head and looking at Carina, "Just… I don't know… scared… worried… anxious. What if the baby isn't ok?"
"The baby is going to be fine," Carina said, walking Maya over to the monitor where the heart rate was being monitored, "See, that is their heartbeat. Nice and strong and exactly what we want. They are going to be ok. Their lungs were looking really strong when you were admitted and now they have had more time and medicine to help them get even strong. They are probably going to be little, but they will be ok. They are going to get amazing medical care and we already know they are stubborn and headstrong like their mommy. Trottolino is going to be ok, and so are you."
Maya nodded, wiping at the tears on her cheeks.
"Will I get to hold them after they are born?" Maya asked, realizing for the first time that that might not be possible if the baby had to go to the NICU.
"We will have to ask Dr. Johnson," Carina said, "But as long as the baby isn't in distress, you will probably be able to, at least for a minute or two. It won't be like when Nora and Rowan were born and we got to keep them with us whenever we want. The baby will have to be down in the NICU, but once you recover from giving birth, you will be able to go to the NICU and see the baby."
Just then, Dr. Johnson walked in with the birthing ball.
"The nurse was going to bring this in, but I just wanted to see how things were going," the doctor said, setting down the birthing ball, Carina grabbing out a chux pad, placing it on the ball before helping Maya sit down.
Just then, another contraction hit the blonde, Carina kneeling in front of her wife to give her some stability as the contraction hit hard and strong. Dr. Johnson was quiet, allowing Carina to coach Maya through the contraction.
As the pain eased up, Maya looking at Dr. Johnson.
"Is everything ok?" she asked, just wanting reassurance her baby was ok.
"Everything is looking great," Dr. Johnson said, "These contractions are closer together than when they started, but not close enough that I need to check your cervix again. How are you feeling?"
"Will I get to hold the baby after they are born?" Maya blurted out, just needing confirmation from her doctor.
"I want to let you," Dr. Johnson said, "And I will as long as the baby is doing well, ok? I'm not going to make any promises, but the goal is for that baby to go right up on your chest as soon as they are born, ok?"
"Ok," Maya nodded, feeling Carina wiping tears off her cheeks she didn't even know were falling, "That's what Carina said. I just wanted to make sure."
"Of course," Dr. Johnson said, "Do you have any other questions?"
"Not right now," Maya said, shaking her head, "Thank you."
"Alright," Dr. Johnson said, "I will leave you to it. I'll be back in about an hour to check back in but feel free to have me paged if you need me."
"I think I want to walk," Maya said, looking at Carina, "Can we?"
"Of course," Carina said, disconnecting the monitors again, "Do you want to just walk about the room or around the halls?"
"The hall I think," Maya said, getting up from the birthing ball with Carina's help, "I am just so uncomfortable and I think maybe moving around more will help?"
"It might," Carina nodded, guiding Maya into the hall, "Let me know if there is anything else I can do to help you ok?"
Maya nodded as they started walking down the hall.
As they did, all Carina could think about was how many times she had watched patients do this same thing with their partners and how different it felt to be on this side of it. Sure, she had been the one in labor when they had the twins, but something about being the support person for her wife that felt different. She held Maya's hand as they slowly walked, providing counterpressure to her back during contractions which were quickly getting closer and closer together.
The walking didn't last long, and within twenty minutes, they were back in the room.
"This hurts," Maya said as they walked back into her room, "So much."
"How can I help?" Carina asked as Maya put her hands on the edge of the bed, "Do you want me to massage your back?"
"Maybe," Maya said, "Yeah, that sounds nice. I'm tired but I don't want to sit back in the bed. Oh, contraction."
"You are doing great Bambina," Carina said, digging her hands into Maya's lower back, "Just keep breathing."
"It feels like I need to push," Maya said, "Carina, it hurts."
"Ok, don't push just yet Bambina," Carina said, "Keep breathing through it ok? It's almost done."
As soon as the contraction ended, Carina sprang into action, darting into the hall, telling the nurses to call Dr. Johnson before running back in to help her wife.
"Do you think you can lay down?" Carina asked, looking at her wife, knowing that would probably be the best way to deliver their baby.
Carina was all for following the mamma's body and doing what they wanted, but she was hoping Maya would be able to hold their child before the NICU had to take them.
"Yeah," Maya nodded, "Can you help me?"
"Of course," Carina nodded, helping her wife back into bed.
"What's going on?" Dr. Johnson asked as she walked in.
Just then, another contraction hit, Maya squeezing Carina's hand harder than ever, her eyes shut, body shaking.
"You've got this, Bambina," Carina said, before looking at her colleague, "She is feeling the urge to push."
"Can I push?" Maya asked, "Please?"
"Not yet," Danielle said, pulling on her gloves, needing to see what was going on before she let Maya push, "Just breathe."
"Her contractions are less than two minutes apart," Carina said as she connected her forehead with her wife's, desperate to provide a little comfort.
Once the contraction eased, Maya was clearly exhausted as Danielle started her exam.
"Ok," the OB said, "I can see baby's head. Let's get the NICU team in here. We are about to have a baby. Maya, I don't want you to push hard yet, but you can do some small pushes on contractions if you want, ok?"
"Carina," Maya said, feeling her anxiety surge as her body prepared to push their baby out.
"What can I do?" the Italian asked, feeling useless, "Do you want me to sit behind you?"
"Yes please," Maya said as her wife immediately moved to get into position, "This hurts."
"I've got you," Carina said, leaning her wife back into her, "You can do this."
"Here comes another one," Maya said, squeezing Carina's hand.
"You've got this," Carina said, taking a wet cloth that she had been using earlier in labor, blotting Maya's forehead which was covered in sweat.
As the contraction ended, Maya was still a little tense.
"Just relax back into me while you can Bambina," Carina said, rubbing her shoulder.
"Here comes the NICU team," Dr. Johnson said, seeing the doctor and nurse from the NICU come in, "That means that you can push as hard as you want with the next contraction, ok? Here it comes."
"Push Bambina," Carina said, helping keep Maya propped up.
"That's really good pushing Maya," Dr. Johnson said, "I can see baby's head. Keep going."
The contraction ebbed, Maya collapsing back into her wife.
"I get to hold the baby if they are doing ok right?" Maya said, looking at her doctor and her wife as she asked the question again.
"That's the plan," Dr. Johnson said, "I will put this baby right up on your chest as long as I don't see any signs of distress when they come out."
"Ok," Maya said, feeling another contraction take over her body.
"Push," Dr. Johnson said, grabbing her bulb syringe to clean out the baby's mouth and nose as it came out, "Ok, slow down. Baby's head is out. Let me clean out the mouth and nose."
"I need to push," Maya said, starting to panic, "It hurts."
"You can't," Carina said, knowing how important it was for the baby to come out well, "Just keep breathing."
"Ok Maya," Dr. Johnson said, "Give me your hands. And then push."
Danielle took the blonde's hands, putting them on the baby as the blonde pushed, the baby sliding out and into Maya's hands, letting out a scream as it happened.
"12:43," Dr. Johnson said as she helped Maya bring the screaming baby up to her chest, nice cry, color a little less than ideal, but not bad enough for the little baby to be whisked away immediately.
"You did it Bambina," Carina said, tears falling down her face as Maya brought the small baby up to her chest, "The baby is here."
"And they are crying," Maya said, tears streaming down her face, "Hi baby. I'm your Mommy. Oh my god. Hi."
"Hi baby," Carina said, looking at the baby, "I'm your Mamma. I am so happy you are here."
The baby settled a little, the screaming stopping as their eyes opened, revealing a bluish hazel color.
"Hi baby," Maya said.
"Carina, did you want to cut the cord?" Dr. Johnson asked, "They are looking good for gestational age."
"Si," Carina nodded, getting drawn out of her new mamma haze, happy to hear their baby was healthy so far.
Carina had cut thousands of umbilical cords in her life, but this was by far the most important one in her eyes. She clipped the cord, getting a look at the baby's gender for the first time, feeling tears well up in her eyes.
"Bambina, did you see?" Carina asked, getting her wife's attention which had just been on the baby's face.
"What?" Maya said, looking at her wife. Carina moved the baby's legs a little, revealing the baby's gender to her wife.
"Another girl?" Maya said, tears starting again, "We have another little girl?"
"Si," Carina nodded, wiping at her own tears, "Three daughters."
"We are in so much trouble in about ten years," Maya said, laughing through her tears, "I can't believe we have three daughters."
Carina stared at her wife and new daughter for a second before looking up and seeing the NICU doctor standing there.
"Is it time?" Carina asked, looking back at her newborn daughter and noticing her breathing pattern wasn't quite as strong as it had been and that her little hands and feet were looking a bit more blue than before.
"It's time," the doctor confirmed, "I need to take her and check her out and make sure she is ok and then take her down to the NICU."
"No," Maya said as the doctor went to pick up the newborn, "No, please don't take her."
"I'm just going to take her over there," the doctor said, pointing to the warmer, "I won't leave this room without telling you, ok?"
"Ok," Maya said, tears filling her eyes again, though this time out of sadness, "But you have to take her. I can't hand her to you."
"Ok," the doctor nodded, picking up the baby, "Come here peanut. Let's go get you checked out."
"Carina, go with her," Maya said, looking at her wife.
"Bambina, she's right there," Carina said, gesturing to the place where the baby was.
"Go over there with her," Maya insisted, "Please?"
"Ok," Carina nodded, knowing Maya still had a placenta to deliver, "I'm going."
Carina walked over to where the neonatologist was working, smiling she saw her youngest daughter on the table.
"How is she?" Carina asked.
"Considering she is 9 weeks early and has been measuring behind the entire pregnancy, she is doing excellent," the doctor said, "Her 5-minute APGAR is a 6. If she wasn't so tiny, I almost wouldn't know she's as early as she is. She is 2 lbs. 10 oz. and 15 inches long so small, but she seems strong."
"Maya had hyperemesis until 24 weeks," Carina said, putting her finger in the baby's hand, little fingers closing around it, "And even once it eased, she struggled with eating."
"I saw that in her chart," the NICU doctor said, nodding, "And even though she's a little peanut, she is doing well. Her body temp was a little low when we brought her over here, but I'm sure we will get it up with a little bit of help. I am going to put a little oxygen on her because that O2 is dropping a little more than I want, but I'm gonna start her on the lowest setting and see how she does. It is likely just her body adjusting to being outside. I want to get her down to the NICU to stabilize her, but you are more than welcome to come with us."
"Ok," Carina said, nodding, "Let me go talk to Maya."
"Of course," the doctor said, "I need to finish stabilizing her and move her to the incubator . I'll bring her over to Maya before we go, ok?"
"Si," Carina nodded, going back over to her wife who had just finished delivering her placenta.
"Why aren't you with the baby?" the blonde asked, "Is everything ok?"
"Si," Carina nodded, brushing sweaty hair off Maya's forehead, "Everything is fine. She is 2 lbs. 10 oz., fifteen inches long and doing very well, but they need to take her down to the NICU to get her stabilized a little more. She is a little chilly and is on some oxygen, but it is only a little bit right now."
"I want to come," Maya said, "I want to be with her." "You have to stay up here and recover a little," Carina said, feeling like her heart was in about a million pieces at the look on her wife's face, "I can stay with you."
"No," Maya said immediately, "No, you need to be with her. Please don't leave her."
"I won't," Carina said, caressing Maya's cheek, "But I don't want you to be alone."
"I'll be fine," Maya shrugged, looking at the incubator as it was wheeled over to the side of her bed, "God, she looks so much smaller in there."
"She's doing well," the neonatologist said, smiling at her, "We are going to get labs on her to check all her levels, but she is strong. I wish all the 31 weekers I got did this well right after birth. Does she have a name?"
"Do you still like the one we talked about for a girl?" Carina asked as Maya put her hand in the incubator, the baby wrapping her tiny fingers around it.
"Cecelia," Maya said, nodding, "This is Cecelia Katherine Bishop-Deluca. Our little Lia."
"That's beautiful," the doctor said, "I promise we will take the best care of Cecelia, ok?"
"Carina, go with her," Maya said, looking at her wife with tears in her eyes, "Keep her safe."
"Ok," Carina said, leaning down and giving Maya a kiss, "I love you."
"I love you too," Maya said, "And I love you too Lia. So much."
And with that, Maya watched as her wife and brand-new baby left the room, tears streaming down her cheeks as she watched them go.
What did you think? They now have three daughters! Cecelia Katherine or Lia as she will pretty much always be referred to is here! Sorry it took me so long to get us here. I promise the next update will be much faster as I already have a lot of it written. Thank you all so much for your patience. And also, thank you for reading, commenting, and following and favoriting. I hope you have had a great start to 2023 so far and that this year is better than last year. You all are amazing.
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