Their Pea...My Pod: October 2012

We are now on weekly appointments because of everything. One ultrasound at maternal fetal medicine (high risk dr) followed by an appt at the OB. The weekly ultrasound is basically just to check my cervix, make sure it isn't opening. Then the OB is to check blood pressure, weight (ugh) - nothing like a weekly reminder of that, and heartbeat check. Up until Wednesday which was our 8 month check, everything has been going smooth. I've been allowed to drive to my appointments as well as drive to drop off or pick up kids from school. It made me feel a bit normal. But since out little stint in the hospital the babies have managed to stay cool and calm in my baker for another month. We are all happy about that!!

Wednesday we went in for our 8 month check followed by and NST (non stress test). The babies are growing beautifully..baby A (boy) is weighing in at a whopping 4.5lbs and baby girl is 4.6. Idah finally got some pretty good 3D pics. She works third shift and missed the ultrasound appt so i was happy to give her some nice photos.

She made it in time for the NST. As soon as we hooked up the machine, it was showing that I was having contractions every 3-5 minutes. Oye! I wasn't feeling even one of them. I then saw a flash of what the rest of the day would be like for us. After being hooked up for 20 minutes, the contractions didn't stop. We were sent over to my OB who checked my cervix, it was still closed. She then got called to a delivery and had to go. We got sent to triage for more contraction monitoring.
Contractions were still happening and i then actually started to feel some. Maybe like 2 every half hour. They admitted us for overnight obs. Around 830 that night i stopped feeling them even though they were still happening. Poor Idah had come right from working a 10 hour shift, so once we got our room she laid on the couch and i didnt hear from her til the next morning. Tim and the kids came in to visit for a bit that evening, but for the most part i just watched tv and relaxed. The next morning they checked my cervix again and it was still closed, so they discharged us. That night the almighty swelling started. My feet were huge, i now have kankles and my calves are just out of control. Now its not just bed rest - its feet elevated as well. What. A. Mess!!!
I'm weighing in a 193.5 - never weighed this much in life. My husband and I actually weigh the exact same thing right now. He finds it funny...me, not so much.
The kids have been gone all day today and tonight - i miss them terribly but I have enjoyed this day of no worries. I took a few naps, watched a few movies, Tim and i went for a junk food run (which was so weird without the kids) and now doing some computer catch up, while Tim snores on the couch beside me. Next appointment is Wednesday which is another NST. Another hospital stay?? We shall see.

8 months

WHOA!!!!

So one would think that since I am on bedrest this blog would be well up to date. Errrrr, wrong.
I have been so sleepy that any time I think about sitting down to replay events, i grab my blanket and go to the couch. Everyday that goes by though is another day I am missing out on noting so I gotta make this happen. And I am actually feeling quite energized tonight, so here we go. This is going to be a long one.

Last post I left off stating that I was heading to my 7 month ultrasound the next day. Little did we know, I would not be heading right to work after that appt as expected. The date was Wednesday, Sept 19th and mom met me there. Everything went well with the appt. The babies were doing great, measuring great. Heartbeats were both 142 and baby A (boy) weighed in at 2lbs 11oz and baby B (girl) weighed in at 2lbs 9oz. Then the DR came in to review everything and told us that he wanted to do an internal exam to check my cervix because it was measuring short. He did his thing and sure enough it was short, not opened which was a very good thing, just short. He had a concern that I may have been having contractions and not feeling them. The Dr says, "I'm going to call your OB and have them set you up to start getting steroid shots". At that point I assumed we would just leave and I would have an appt to go get the shots. He asked us to go wait in the waiting room until he called them. Ok, so we did. Next thing we know a nurse comes out with a wheelchair, has me get in and says that we are going to triage. Say what??? What for??? She said to get the steroid shot. Oh ok, no problem. We get to triage and wait about 20 minutes to be seen, which at this point I am not late for work. We finally get called back to a room and then wait yet another 45, yes 45 minutes to be seen by a nurse. The whole time assuming I was getting the steroid shot and we were outie. When the nurse finally came in, I asked her what was going on here. She said that the orders show that I am there for 24-48 hour monitoring of contractions. So we now have another "Say what??" moment. Why on earth wouldn't they have told us this from the beginning. The whole time we are sitting there and had no idea that we were getting admitted. Well, ok - it is what it is and whatever we need to do to make sure the babies don't come early - i'm in! We eventually got all hooked up to the contraction and heartbeat monitors, which showed great heartbeats but that I really was having contractions every 7-10 minutes. I didn't feel one of them. Pretty scary but also pretty freaking awesome, right??

They moved me into my room and started me on Magnesium to stop the contractions. I also had one steroid shot then to. I didn't call Tim until i knew he was awake. He works 3rd shift and with me being in the hospital now for at least the next day, it menas a heavier load for him. So i knew better than to wake him up...lol. Him and the kids came in to visit me that evening. He said the kids were super excited to visit mommy in the hospital. They may have been a little more excited for the Olive Garden take out that Tim got them though. IM (intended mom) was there all day, until she had to leave for work. Since the babies weren't coming, I told her to go so she had more time off for the real deal. My mom also came in the day to visit and then she went to sleep at my house to watch the kids while Tim worked that night. Quite a production going on there. Oh, how did i forget this - I didn't eat a real breakfast that morning because after every appt, mom and I go to the hospital cafe and have breakfast. I ate a few pb crackers and milk. Bad move on my part because once i got admitted, I was on a clear liquid diet, that last until late morning the next day. UGH!

That next day came. I had hopes to be going home that day but the contractions had not completely stopped. They upped the dose on my magnesium, gave me the 2nd steroid shot and told me I'll be staying another night. ( i was kindve enjoying the break, shhh)
That morning my friend Landy came to visit, the babies mom came in, and so did my mom. We had a good time just chatting and watching daytime tv, while I sat baking babies. Oh and while i enjoyed a super yummy brunch of french toast to!

Good Morning Friday!! Good Morning IM, My mom, and Landy also! All 3 back to see me again. I truly felt loved between the phone calls, the visitors, my neighbor and friend Tobie sent me flowers, and Landy even went to the baby store and bought me a cover for my body pillow. I'll try to post the video of Landy, my mom, and IM trying to put that on later :)

The DR came in and said that they would lower the mag and start me on a pill to relax my uterus and we will see how the day goes. Well, contractions stopped and the mag was eventually turned off. Still no contractions. Woot Woot! Home we go. But, with changes. I will be on a modified bed rest. No working, no lifting, no continous walking up and down steps. Just basically laying or sitting all day. What a change this is for me. I am so always on the go, but I knew what we had to do. We were only 28 weeks and didn't want the babies to come just yet.

I am so very very lucky to have an awesome husband and awesome children that understood and helped make it as easy as possible for me. It does make it a bit easier that Mon-Fri the kids are in school so i get to lay around all day. I save my movements for the evenings when I want to help Riley with her homework and help them get to bed. Thankfully summer is over and the whole neighborhood isn't outside playing while I'm inside laying down. And it's getting darker earlier. That helps to not be in a funk about the whole thing. I have enjoyed the relaxing time and i LOVE LOVE naps!! It will probably suck going back to work at some point.

Here are some pics of our hospital stay.