Day Six update

Written August 31, 2013 6:43pm

Great news! Super uneventful afternoon. :)

I posted too soon! The doctor just took me off the monitors so I am truly wireless! This is the first step in going upstairs where I wouldn't have around the clock monitoring. It felt AMAZING to take off the belly band. I think it will take a few days before the indentations on my belly smooth back out. I do have to alert the nurses info feel anything. Thankfully we've noticed a pattern with the contractions. I tend to contract in clusters. I'll be quiet for several hours and then have a few small ones in a row. This is nothing to be concerned with though.

So I'm wireless!

See ya'll tomorrow - at 26 weeks!

Day Six

Written August 31, 2013 10:24am

After a nice long shower, I feel like a new woman! Woot! I graduated to the next size in belly band.

The belly band is used to hold the two monitors in place. It's basically a 9 inch wide piece of elastic. Kind of like a tube top.

I'm feeling saucy in a fresh new nightgown too. ;) I think I've used up my free range time but it was so worth it.

Time to stock up on fluids and enjoy my cleanliness. Wee!

Day Six: Saturday August 31

Written August 31, 2013 8:40am

Just got done updating with the doctor. I'm off the magnesium drip and fluids. My new job is to just keep pushing fluids (otherwise I'll get hooked back up to the IV).

Andrew is out hunting down second breakfast. Better get going so I can slurp down a juice box before he gets back.

25 weeks 6 days!

Written August 31, 2013 5:01am

6 days in and we're feeling great!

Last night was a night for freshening up. Garbages were emptied, toilet was cleaned AND I got a new IV line. Big night.

I managed to sleep through my magnesium turn down. I believe I'm now getting .5 (down from 2 when I was put back on it). Hopefully weaning off will have a lasting affect. I did get up a few times in the middle of the night, but for a normal pregnant lady activity (bathroom break).

I'm certainly feeling normal now. I woke up at 5:30 and Andrew is still sleeping. If it weren't for the monitors I would swear it was a normal Saturday!

Hope for an uneventful Saturday so we can maybe move up to residential tomorrow. I am looking forward to possibly showering this afternoon. It's the little things friends. :)

Enjoy your Saturday!

Day Five update

Written August 30, 2013 5:40pm

Munchkin was on the big screen a little while ago. The doctor just wanted to make sure Munchkin was still head down. He was active; moving his mouth and eye! The doctor was pleased to see our progress (lack of?). My goal is to meet all 35 nurses before little man makes his debut.

Breaking News: Andrew is the best husband/daddy to be ever. He brought back fried dough. Munchkin gave the fried dough two kicks for happiness. :)

Day Five: Friday August 30

Written August 30, 2013 10:58am

So we made it to Friday!

Nothing big to share. Spoke with the doctor this morning around 830. They're weaning me off the magnesium drip. I will be off it by tomorrow 1130 am.

The doctors have stressed that putting me back on the mag is "old school" since there isn't a lot of support showing that multiple doses of mag are beneficial. In aiding against contractions. Thankfully the doctors are willing to return to this old school style of thinking as it seems to be working right now!

I'm waiting on lunch. Andrew just left for fresh air and a shower. Munchkin and I are rocking out to some tunes. 

25 weeks 5 days!!!!!!

Written August 30, 2013 5:33am

Munchkin and I have successfully managed to hang on for 5 additional days. Wee! Every extra day he stays inside is wonderful.

We had a very uneventful evening. I'm currently looking forward to breakfast. Andrew woke up to me ordering ham. (I do love my ham!)

We'll see what the doctor says after he does rounds in the morning. Maybe today is the day we're stable enough to move upstairs. Even if we can't, the room that we're in right now is great. It's a little on the small size, but as Andrew said yesterday, my bed is going to be the same size no matter how big the room is!

Day Four: Thursday August 29

Written August 29, 2013 8:44pm

25 weeks 4 days

I was hoping to update earlier but I'm back on drugs so I'm not 100% myself.

I went off the magnesium yesterday around 2:30 pm. I successfully kept contractions at bay until about 4 am this morning. The medical team decided to put me back on magnesium. While it was a bummer to hear, Andrew and I were confident that my body would stop contractions once I was back on the mag drip.

I'm hooked back up to fluids, magnesium, pulse tracker, belly monitor and blood pressure cuff. I'm still having a reaction (flushed face) but my contractions have really slowed down!

My mom was here today. Andrew was able to go home to shower and check on Nugget(hamster). The dogs are hanging out with Dad - living the high life. While mom made a dirty girl skirt I concentrated on keeping Munchkin in place.

We've had some great feedback from the medical team. Everyday Munchkin stays inside is a victory.

Thanks for all the messages of support!

An Email from the Future

Written August 29, 2013 1:33am

So I have something embarrassing to admit - Andrew and I really like playing this one game on the iPad. Said game will remain nameless out if respect for well...us? :)

Anyway, in this game you only get 5 lives before you have to wait 20 minutes for them to replenish. Sometimes, we will blow through these lives if we're on a particularly hard level. What's a husband wife team to do then!? I'll tell you what: Mess with the date and time on the iPad to trick the game into thinking enough time has passed that we have full lives.

Full disclosure, Andrew and I move the time ahead on the iPad almost sneakily from each other. It's as if we don't want to get caught in this extreme moment of weakness.

So if you received an email from us on Monday August 26 that was dated September 4, you know our dirty secret. We cheat and fudge the clock to get more lives. Hey, you gottaa live a little! :)

I know we all have skeletons in our closets, I suppose this just has to get added to ours!

Day Three: Wednesday August 28

Written August 28, 2013 8:09pm

25 weeks 3 days

We've almost made it through an uneventful day!

Had a pretty boring night which is fantastic! Around 2:30 today they unhooked me from all my drips and machines. Woot! I can successfully shuffle around the room - granted I'm a little unsteady so it drives Andrew bonkers.

I also feel like a full human after an AMAZING shower. I have my own night gown on which makes me feel like I won the lottery.

We will stay in the labor and delivery floor tonight. They have the space and if something were to happen, they could act within 8 seconds. Tomorrow morning they'll reevaluate and hopefully send us upstairs.

Munchkin is still head down which is good if he did need to be delivered. We're taking each day at a time so we're not really thinking about him in go position right now.

I'm playing music with him to help keep him entertained in his bubble. We've listened to The Beatles "Don't Let Me Down". Andrew suggested "Love the One You're With". Do you have any stay in the womb anthem songs? :)

I'm feeling more like myself now that I'm off the magnesium. I do have a raspy voice so I'm not talking too much yet. (Side affect of the magnesium still I think.)

Day Two: Tuesday August 27

Written August 27, 2013 1:40am

Hot diggity!

My contractions slowed considerably. I'm still feeling the side affects of the mag drip but I'm so relieved to know that it's doing its job. Worth it!

Andrew scooted home to take care of Nugget the hamster, shower (lucky!) and grab a few things. I realized I probably slept yucky the night before due to a lack of having my snoodle (amazing body pillow that takes up a TON of room). Now that I have it I am confident I'll be able to sleep better.

I'm still on a clear diet which kind of stinks. Thankfully I have unlimited access to popsicles though! I tortured myself by watching Food Network. I only lasted through one recipe. You know you're hungry when you want a big ole pile of peas.
*Food Update! I had solid food for dinner. dinner of choice? Pizza from around the corner. I think it may be the best thing I've ever eaten.

The doctor checked in with us around 6:30. As long as my body continues to respect the magnesium he sees no reason why I can't go off it around 2 pm Wednesday. Hot dog! I would probably get move up to the residential floor. Hopefully I'll live here for a while until Munchkin is bigger. 

Andrew is more confident with unhooking and rehooking me to the machines. This gives me a little bit of independence so I don't have to rely on the nurse every half hour. Nothing screams NEEDY like on the hour requests for a potty break.

Thank you for all the outpouring of support. Andrew has been an amazing secretary. As soon as I'm off the mag drip I'll be in better spirits to talk on the phone or respond to emails.

Day One: Monday August 26

Written August 26, 2013 1:14am

I experienced contractions on Sunday night but they weren't bothersome enough to call a doctor. I slept fine through the night and headed off to work on Monday. The contractions were further apart (about 15-20 minutes) so I called the doctor just as a precaution. They decided with my history of preterm labor that it would be a good idea to send me to Women and Children's Hospital. Andrew and I got to the hospital around 10 am.

After checking in the nurses and doctors decided to admit Munchkin and I. Despite awesome prenatal care of my regular doctors (biweekly checks and weekly progesterone shots courtesy of Nurse Andrew) my body still has a different agenda. I am about 4 cm dilated (still). Coupled with the history and contractions, this called for immediate admission. For the duration of the pregnancy. I'm hoping to be bored out of my skull, still living here at 35 weeks though!

I cannot stress enough how normal and fine I have felt through this pregnancy. Andrew has been an awesome nursemaid; giving me shots, picking up ice cream sandwiches and generally not teasing me too much when I settle in for a Gossip Girl marathon (this is a judge free zone! We all have guilty TV!!!!! :)) I know that this pregnancy is different from Evelyn's. Munchkin is his own little man and for now seems content to play hide and go seek from the monitors while practicing backflips. We're focusing on staying in the moment and not getting too far ahead.(Yes, this is difficult for me! Haha)

Munchkin stats:
I'm currently 25 weeks 1 day. His latest sonogram shows that he's about 1 lb 13 oz. He's about the size of a 26 weeker! Way to be an overachiever on growth little man! Andrew and I think he's going to take after his dad (annnd mom) and will procrastinate being born. He seems super happy just chilling in his cocoon.

I'm currently hooked up to several awesome machines:
- fetal monitor to try to track Munchkin on his laps around my uterus. He has a super strong heartbeat which is great. 
- momma monitor to continue monitoring contractions. Thankfully I think I'm only having one or so an hour and they're barely registering on the screen. 
- saline drip. You all know I have a (lack of) drinking problem. Thankfully my hydration needs are being fulfilled by a hanging bag! Sweet, more time to read magazines and play candy crush!
- penicillin drip. Just in case I go into labor. Apparently the birth canal can be a tad hostile. This is just prophylactic. (What!? That's the word the nurse used. If I'm going to be living in a hospital at least I can talk like I belong her!) Fun side effects of this drip include making my arm chilly, numb and throb from time to time.
- magnesium drip. The wunderdrug. This drip has two extremely important functions: keep the uterus slack so it doesn't try to push Munchkin out and to protect the neonatal brain. This drip makes you feel like you're melting from the inside. Since they don't allow dogs in the hospital, I'm glad to have my own personal toaster system even if it's on the fritz. 
- betamethasone shot (x two). This is a steroid shot given 12-24 hours apart. It will help develop Munchkin's lungs faster. He will have no need to use these lungs yet though. We've had several talks and he's staying right where he is. 
- spa machine for my legs. To prevent blood clots I have been outfitted with my very own cloud leg warmers. I kinda feel like I'm ahead of the fashion trends. This machine stimulates my legs as if I'm walking. It kinda feels like a fancy massage, performed by a robot. 
- blood pressure cuff. Standard. My blood pressure is a rock star (hey I gotta brag with what I can!)
- finger pulse trap. A hospital grade Chinese finger trap for confirming my pulse. 
You can imagine it's quite the ordeal when I need to use the bathroom. All this stuff has to be unhooked! (Pregnancy reminder: pregnant women pee a lot.)

Goals:
Stop/delay labor! One of the nurses said she would consider me in threatened labor. With the decrease in contractions hopefully the mag drip is doing it's job. At this point any extra hours, days and weeks are critical. The longer Munchkin and I can hang out, the better. 

Once we're out of the woods they'll move me to a different floor. I'll still be watched like a hawk but maybe not hooked up to as many machines. This could happen Thursday if my body cooperates. 

Again, I cannot stress enough how different this experience is. I feel extremely positive. I know WCH has a fantastic care team to take care of us. They're know for their neonatal intensive care unit. 

Mom, Dad and Owen were here Monday afternoon. Mom and Dad scooped the dogs and whisked them off for spoiling. I know the dogs are looking forward to exploiting Dad and his nilly willy treat giving. Oh and his taking them outside every 20 minutes. Mom made sure to grab a bunch of things from the house. Thankfully we think alike so I knew I could count on her to grab Andrew and outfit that matched. Owen took a hit to his ego and stocked me up on some chick magazines. (Thanks for taking one for the team Owey!)

I would not be so strong if it weren't for Andrew. He's currently jammed on the elegant sleeper recliner. Just having him here gives me peace of mind. We're keeping each other sane. He's learning all the machines and how to read them.

I know that Andrew and I are going to be proud parents again. Evelyn is watching over us and her little brother. Hopefully she can be a bossy big sister and help convince Munchkin there's no rush to come out. Right now we are taking one day at a time. Today's was a good day. I'm still pregnant! And I'm still loving it! (maybe not the IVs though).

We appreciate all of your happy thoughts and prayers. We know you're thinking of us.