What did you have for dinner tonight?

How kind of you to ask.  We returned to our room after feeding pumped colostrum to both Evelyn and Anna from bottles as well as giving Anna her first try at nursing, which was a better success than we could have hoped.  We were in high spirits.  Waiting in our room was our "Celebration Dinner" provided by CPMC.  I had ordered the filet mignon, and asked them to cook it rare or medium rare, but was told they could only provide it medium to well.

So much for "First do no harm."

What did Evelyn and Anna have for dinner tonight?

Colostrum.  Mmm, mmm good.  This is seriously good news, though, because it means that Ginger's milk started coming in less than 24 hours after birth, even though preterm.

Ginger and Evelyn.

Anna in the isolette.

How was Ginger's recovery?

What recovery?  Seriously, there was a young UCSF med student who accompanied the perinatologist on all of his bedside visits and was in the OR to observe.  Before I arrived the following morning, he came to Ginger's bedside, and said, "Wow, you look amazing!"  Ginger pointed to herself and said (rather smugly, at least in my imagination), "That's what an unmedicated birth looks like."

All of Ginger's various medical complaints that have been piling up with this pregnancy went away.  She stayed on oxygen and a Pitocin push until mid-morning on Friday, then that went away, too.  The only side effect is some swelling in the ankles that looks, quite frankly, very unladylike, but which can be forgiven in light of the whole circumstance.  Oh, and some Motrin.

Ginger once again became a walking poster child for this particular kind of birth.  A lot of the nurses are impressed.  "How's your incision feeling this morning?"  "What incision?"  "Oh, okay, have you recovered from the epidural?"  "No epidural."  [Checks chart.]  "You're the twin birth, right?"  [Smiling sweetly:]  "Right."

The only nurse who was not impressed was the one who gave birth to four.  In four separate births.  Unmedicated.  At home.  Where each was over nine pounds.  I doubt that one is impressed by much, though.

Evelyn in the NICU.