Ahh a day of mixed emotions, venting felt good

So those of you who have had a baby before know that you have to pee a lot. This urge does not stop at night. I make about 4 trips to the bathroom each night. Each one of these requires assistance because I have to wear these massaging leg wraps that are impossible to get off for me. So I have to call the nurse.

This morning, I was questioned by the day nurse about needing to go a lot. I was pretty upset due to my already hormonally emotional state. Basically, from my discussions with people today I know this was inappropriate conduct. So, now I get to cherry pick my nurses for the rest of my stay. Which is a blessing in disguise. One of my two fave nurses is here this weekend and then next week I will get the other one, so it will hopefully make time go a little faster. What a difference a good nurse makes.

I got some boost nutrition drinks that have 250 calories in them, so I will be drinking one of those before bed along with some nuts to raise my calorie intake. Still
working on gaining...

I got to talk to the Social Worker today, she is going to arrange a tour of the NICU for Brian and I so we can see what to expect. They say each baby has a private room with 3 walls and a curtian so the nurses can hear and get in quickly if needed. There is a low nurse to baby ratio, which is good. Parents are welcome to stay there 24 hours a day if they want to. She also said our baby will be one of the biggest there. They have a lot of babies right now that were born at 24 - 27 weeks.

Baby is doing well. Moving up a storm, from side to side making my belly look like alien...I think that is a good sign of growth. Pumkin has had the hiccups about 4 times today, which is the norm.

Here is a blurb on the hiccups situation: "There has not been an overwhelming amount of research on fetal hiccupping in the womb, although there is some speculation as to why it happens. First of all, only more mature fetuses hiccup in the womb because their central nervous system is adequately developed in order to allow this to happen. It is believed that the fetus breathes in amniotic fluid or drinks it. When this happens and the amniotic fluid enters and exists the fetus lungs then the diaphragm contracts and hiccups results. Fetal hiccups appear to be extremely normal and almost all moms will feel the babies hiccups at least once if not on a regular basis. "

This I take as something good, it is saying a) nervous system is mature and b) there is enough AF to breathe in or drink.

Counting down, in the single digits now

Bedrest is coming to an end...ahhhh. But not too soon, I have a week left to bake Pumkin. We have a c-section scheduled at 34 weeks and then depending on what the baby needs, to the NICU baby will go. Hopefully, for not too long.

On a bad note, we got the bill from Spectrum of course that sucks...not fun. And of course, there will be one from Bronson and then the baby's bill from Bronson...yikes. This will be a tight year. But that is the last thing on my mind right now. I just need to keep baby in as long as possible and hope and pray for the best.

It's getting better....10 more days at the most

So today I met with "my" doctor, the doctor that gets test results right when talking to me, will be delivering the baby (because I am going to make it to 34 weeks and he is going to perform the c-section), and is the one that I was referred to due to his excellent reputation and patient skills.

It truly put my mind at ease. He has made appointments for me today to meet with a neonatologist from downstairs to further ease my mind about what baby will be like at 32.5, 33, and 34 weeks. So hopefully, he/she will come while Brian is visiting.

I will also be meeting with a dietician. I am having a heck of a time gaining weight. They are not concerned, because the "baby will get what it needs first" but I am and them are hoping that I will be gaining more so that the baby does as well.

Rollercoaster Sunday...

So I am a hormonal mess now. I was able to collect the AF like they wanted and they were able to test it. It scored 40 or 49 (I swore that I heard 49 last night, but that was at 3am) either way, it is rated as an intermediate maturity, not immature, but not mature either. So lungs are definitely maturing, but not fully done yet.

So, when the med student woke me up at 6:15, he confirmed the results of the test, and then said "So that means we won't be rushing into delivery anytime soon" I said ok and tried to go back to sleep.

At about 9:45, the doctor came in and says "so how do you feel about having a baby today?" Enter rollercoaster emotions...tears, unable to logically ask questions and get the info I needed. She left me to call Brian and then talk to her about it later.

Brian rushes like a mad man to get Greyson taken care of and get here before 11. She came in at about 10:30 and said that she wasn't going to induce because of my previous c-section and she wasn't the dr on call. So, this has been, even before noon, an ups and downs day.

So, I guess the current plan is, if nothing goes wrong, to wait until I naturally go into labor or hit 34 weeks, when they would be happier doing a c-section if that is what we want.

Now, I just need to relax...

Holiday weekend fun...

So today, just getting used to the new routines in the new hospital...

1. The heparin shots at spectrum have been replaced with these cool leg cuffs that massage your legs to keep the blood flowing. Stopped the bruise count from the shots at 14 and thank goodness I won't be spurting for blood sugar tests soon. It was disgusting this morning.
2. The 2 new betamethazone shots are definitely playing games with the blood sugar again. I got my last one yesterday, they take about 5 days to get out of your system, so I am getting insulin again. But at least I know what to expect.
3. The room here is nice...bright and airy. It has a courtyard and you can see other rooms across it....needless to say I spent the last two days worrying about mooning the chick across from me on my numerous bathroom trips.
4. The IV has been ordered for 7 days....7 days of hell. The 24 hours was "bad information" that I got. Oh well, I am adding it to the overdramatic birth story that Pumkin will hear.

On the good side, baby is stable, moving well, great heartrates. I also got new flowers from my boys and my grama...beautiful star gazer lillies and yellow roses.

Hope you all are having a beautiful weekend. It looks like it is nice outside.

31 weeks.....whooo hooo

Whoohoo, I made it to 31 weeks! This is huge in baby/fetal development! I will be celebrating with a delicious omelet. Bronson has some good food here.

This may sound trivial, but me eating is essential to baby (and me) gaining weight. Spectrum's food was pretty good, and I managed to help baby gain a whole pound in less than 2 weeks, which is awesome! So if I want baby to put on another pound and a half in the next 3 weeks..momma needs to eat.

Everything is good, everything is stable, I get to kiss the IV pole gone in 6 hours, which may help me stop mooning the chick across the courtyard. I swear she has seen my butt a good 7 times. Her little chair faces my room. I was more than happy when she pulled her shades last night!

I get to meet Dr Austin today, who is the high-risk specialtist who will be my primary doctor. I will update more once I talk to him...

Nice visit...

My boys just left, which of course is kind of bittersweet. I say that because I love to see them, but I feel for Brian who is going crazy trying to keep an almost 3 year old calm and quiet in a 10x10 room...not that easy to do.

It does of course reaffirm my decision to hang here....it wasn't easy for me to not do anything. To sit and defer everything to Brian. We just always split the duties and this I couldn't do...

So although I am happy they came of course I feel a little guilty for not being able to help. I know Brian wouldn't want me to feel this, but I almost think it would be better if when he came he could always have someone to help out with Greyson, as he can be a handful.

Thursday Morning Updates

Well, little pumkin is a mover and shaker. I have been feeling him/her move ALL morning long, starting at 6am. While this is greatly reassuring, try to get a fetal monitor on a hyper baby...it doesn't happen so easily.

Remember the fetal monitor strip I posted a few days ago, where it shows fetal movement? Well, this is how it looked today: ____________ a thick black line that indicates he just didn't stop moving the whole time.

The baby woke up at 6am with me and kept going and going...and going. But once we held it in place we finally got great readings of a strong heartrate and no contractions.

I now have wheelchair ride privleges...so I made it out of the room for the first time yesterday! I get to go today too! Whoo hoo.

While out, we stumbled upon the "wall of babies". This is a celebratory section of the floor where parents have documented their baby's success stories. They have babies anywhere from 23-24 weeks (which is before "age of viability") to 34-36+ weeks. It was quite inspirational to see all the beautiful healthy babies that made it through a big struggle at such a young age.

I also have been corresponding with another mom from Michigan who was in my same situation about a year ago. She ruptured at 24 weeks, went home at 29 because they thought she had sealed up, started leaking a few days later and lost every bit of amniotic fluid, and then was back in the hospital for another 5 weeks. At 34 weeks, she delivered a healthy baby girl who only was in the NICU for a week and didn't need any respiratory assistance. Her little girl was born at 5 lb 10 oz and 19 inches! It is quite inspirational to me...and really reaffirmed my decision to hang here for at least another week.

Special Thank Yous

In general, of course, I want to thank everyone of their kindness that has been shown to me in the form of emails, cards, warm wishes and prayers; but those of you have had physically made the trek to come see me, I really want to thank you. I am in the best spirits I can be and it really is due to you and the fact that you keep me from going stir crazy.

The phone calls are amazing. They keep me happy and hopeful and mean so much. I love the emails and comments that show me you care about all of the updates that I do on the blog. The hospital has brought me in several that they print out on pretty paper and I am saving them all.

My room has to be the best decorated with flowers on the floor. Thanks for the beauty that takes my mind off being in a hospital room. In fact, I got a new gorgeous arrangement, that of course matches all of the others perfectly today from my department at work...thanks so much Academic Studies!

All of the little comforts that make the room bearable like magazines, books and handheld games are a lifesaver too. And a special thank you to Mom Y for bringing me some new clothes, yes, little things are such a nice thing. I am comfy in real clothes instead of a hospital gown!

You all mean so much to me and baby Pumkin, what a blessed world that he/she will enter!

Mother's Day...what a gift

I was greeted this morning early with a cheerful little voice wishing me a happy mother's day on the phone, which nearly induced a full hormonal reaction..yes, my boys called me first thing to wish me a happy Mommy's day. Then I had the pleasure of actually seeing them and getting a great card and some nice keep you busy items to make the time here pass faster.

I also got to see my neices and nephew too, so all in all a great day for visiting, relaxing and just incubating.

An issue we have been struggling with is my blood sugar levels. I was diagnosed as having gestational diabetes the day this all happened and hadn't gotten to the education part to see what would be the course of action to control it. So between the steriods used to mature baby's lungs and the higher than what I thought I should be getting levels of carbs, my blood sugar has been off the charts. I have had to have insulin injections since checking in. Today....none. In fact, if anything my sugar is low, not high. Sounds like it is getting kinda figured out. They are really on top of it.

Luckily, when Brian was here, he actually got to talk to the dr and nurses that I see everyday. He was able to ask questions and I hope get answers he was looking for. One answer, that we are holding cautiously optimistic about is that, next week, probably Wednesday, they are going to be doing another ultrasound to monitor the levels of amniotic fluid. The dr mentioned that he was surprised to see the levels he did from the last ultrasound and that I may be in the rare few that actually have the amnion (baby sac) patch back up and thru process of nature, fill back up with fluid..good mommy drinking over 120 oz of water a day! AND....he said depending on the results of the test to determine how much fluid is in there, I may actually be discharged.

Dischaged...scares the hell out of me. I am in the safety of a nationally ranked hospital where if anything should happen, they can fix it. At home, I would still be on complete bedrest, which is also scary, but seemingly unrealistic at home....a 3 year old, 2 dogs and a family that needs me..yes, it would be harder in my opinion.

So we are taking all of this with a grain of salt. Certainly celebrating the possibility of this being the best news that we could ever receive!

Purple must be in...

My room is looking pretty cheery lately. I have been blessed to receive some eye candy of the non-opposite sex kind...yep flowers.

I am sure that the lone female on the card spear-headed the flowers from work, thank you to Lisa and of course all my fantastic colleauges, commonly known as "the hall" it is great to have a little peice of you here as I am supposed to be there enjoying our summer banter...

And of course the dynamic duo that never forgets a birthday, anniversary, or any kind of celebration, Sandy and Dick, all the way from Clemson, SC (that kinda sounded like Bob Barker) sent an unknowingly complementary arrangement (yep, they match, even though they are from multiple flower shops)

So thank you for brightening my view and spirits... it is kinda gloomy outside, drizzling...yucko. Glad I'm not someone foolish enough to be in GR for the "River Bank Run" doing anywhere from a 5-25K race. Is that what you get for being healthy? Rained on? If I could only see them trod by in the rain from my room...that, would be a way to boost my spirits for sure.

Reassuring Hospital Information..small world/top ten

Chalk it up to making good relations with students, but in this case, I am sure glad I did. (this is a very small world) I had a student that I absolutely loved having in class. Not only was she mature and an excellent student, she also mentioned she worked here. Here at Spectrum, on the floor I am on....small world. I also know she is excelling in the nursing program at SMC, which I knew she would. So I am excited to see her friendly face next weekend. She gaurantees her Docs will still have me here by then. Also, she reassured that this hospital is ranked in the top 10 in the nation for maternal-fetal and neonatal medicine.

Another member on my maternal-fetal team is, I think the neice of one of instructors at SMC, Dr. Grabemeyer, neice of Harold, who I work with.

Little things like this make the 1hour+ drive away from home feel not so far away.