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.
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