34 week surprise

As most of you know by now, I am in the hospital being monitored for contractions and other signs of pre-term labor.  The past two days have been a little crazy and we certainly did not expect to be here right now!  Forgive me if things don't make sense....I am tired but wanted to post about what has gone on since yesterday.

Yesterday morning, I had my routine 34 week appointment.  The day did not start out as planned (well, as I had planned) right from the get-go!  Actually, it started the night before (night of July 4th) when Caleb vomited everything he'd eaten for dinner all over his bed (sorry if TMI).  Yep, diarrhea last week....vomiting this week!  And, he also ended up having a little diarrhea again (although not too bad).  We actually think this might have been a result of him drinking pool water (we took him swimming Monday evening) and then eating dinner...and then playing and swinging at the park after dinner (mama's bad idea).  Pool water + big dinner + playing/swinging outside in the heat = upset digestive system (or so we think).

So, when I went to get him up yesterday morning I found that he'd vomited again sometime during the night.  Great!  The original plan was for him to go to Mother's Day Out so that I could go to my appointment and then get my hair cut before picking him up.  Since he'd vomited twice and we weren't sure if he had something contagious or if it really was just b/c of the day before's activities, I had to take him with me to my appointment.  Rhett had a conference call with someone in a different country that he could not reschedule....so I packed up a bag for him and relunctantly took him with me.  It just usually makes for a much more stressfull appointment when he's there.  He is not easily entertained at the doctor's office and he just wants down and to get into everything!

SO, we got to the med center....yada, yada, yada....Dr. Tran comes in and starts asking her usual questions.  (I will say that Caleb had been very good the whole time we were waiting...right around an hour or so).  I had recently noticed that Aubrey wasn't moving as much and also I still have a LOT of pressure, so Dr. Tran said she wanted to go ahead and check my cervix (usually not done this early) and hook me up to the fetal monitor/ultrasound to check out Aubrey.  This was the first sign that things were not going "as usual" for this appointment.  That, and I was noticing that my belly was tightening a little here and there but at that point I did not think anything of it b/c I've been having (what I thought to be) Braxton Hicks contractions off and on for a while (nothing consistent).

We then have to wait for the monitoring machine.  By this time, Caleb was getting pretty close to meltdown mode....but he was actually kinda subdued and I think it was b/c his tummy was still bothering him.  He had only eaten like 3 bites of waffle for breafast and a couple of Mum Mums (rice crackers) so I knew he wasn't feeling 100%.  While we were waiting, he actually laid down on the bench in the room and I thought he was going to go to sleep but he never did.  I think he would have eventually.  By the time the machine arrived, we'd been there a while....probably 2 hours...can't remember exactly.  I was really frazzled and it did not help that Caleb also had a runny poo during all of this (thankfully not too bad).  It was not a great morning. 

Anyway, the machine arrived and they hooked me up.  She also checked my cervix and to everyone's surprise, I was already dilated to 3cm and 80% effaced.  She looked at me and immediately said "you're on bedrest from here on out."  I was shocked!  The monitor was picking up contractions every 2-3 minutes (which by this time, I am feeling).  She checked Aubrey's fluid level (on ultrasound), heartbeat, respiration, and fetal tones (signs of movement like fist clenching or limb movement) and everything looked great.  Each thing she checked was worth 2 points so 8 points was the highest/best score (which is what Aubrey got), meaning chances of still birth in the next 2 weeks are very low.  This was all good news....except for the contractions and dilation.

Her first thought was to just sent me home on complete bed rest and have me come back in one week.  But while I was packing Caleb up, she came back in and said she just didn't feel right about sending me home and to go straight to the hospital.  (oh, and by this time Rhett was on his way over).  The plan was to give me steroids to help develop Aubrey's lungs.  Also they wanted to monitor the contractions and see if they'd need to give me Magnesium Sulfate to try to slow/stop them.  Rhett arrived and we went straight to the hospital.  By this time it was at least noon (can't remember exactly) or a little later (appt was at 9:45am).  God was helping me out big-time that morning b/c Caleb had been so good all morning (just a few moments here and there).  I was freaking out a little at this point.

We got checked in and they started an IV on me (fluids first) and I got the 1st steroid injection at around 1:30pm (2nd to be given 24 hrs later).  That baby burned...IM shots are no fun.  I was still contracting every 2-3 minutes so they decided to go ahead and start the mag sulfate.  Now, it has been quite a while since I did anything related to hospital pharmacy (like on rotations....2005), but I did remember a few things about mag sulfate (unpleasant things) and asked the nurse to confirm.  The main thing is that it causes flushing/hot flashes.....and boy did it ever!!!!!!  They start out with a bolus dose that is infused over 30 minutes so you are getting a lot of drug in a short time....need to get the mag levels up in the blood.  So the first 30 minutes were torture....like someone had lit a match or turned on a heater inside of me and I was burning from the inside out....oh.my.word.  Not to mention the headache, burning eyes, and grogginess.  The bolus is the worst!  After the first 30 minutes, the intense heat/burning/flushing dies down a lot so it is not nearly as bad.  I am still on it and I'd say the most noticeable effects are muscle weakness (just feel generally weak all over) and grogginess.  I still feel a little flushed but not too bad.

So after the mag was going a while, the contractions were still 2-3 minutes apart...sometimes up to maybe 5 minutes (not often).  They decided to give me more mag so they had to do another bolus (yay!) - luckily the second bolus wasn't quite as bad as the first and increase the dose of the continuous infusion a little.  A lot of things were going on during this time and I can't remember everything but I do know that I was having to pee (like severely, if I don't pee right now I'm going to explode and cry kindof pee) every 20 minutes or so and kept having to get up to go.  It was rediculous.  The contractions, though not painful, made it worse b/c when my belly tightened, everything was squeezed to death, including my poor bladder.  At some point, they determined that I was really peeing a LOT....like a LOT LOT (250 mL/hour and "normal" is around 30 mL/hour) and that I was peeing out all my magnesium so that's why (they think) it was not slowing the contractions....I think that's when they upped the dose.  They also checked my cervix again and luckily (despite the contractions still going on so close together), I was not dilated any more. 

Oh, and this is really embarassing but I have to write about it so I'll remember (and laugh, maybe?) later on.....at one point, I had to go SO BAD I was almost in tears....I stood up and at the same time had a contraction.......and let's just say that I thought my water had broken!  They even had to do a test to see if it was my water (a litmus-type test that reacts to amniotic fluid) and it came back negative - thankfully!  Ok, can't believe I'm sharing that with "the world" but it is what it is.  I am a very modest person, but when it comes to pregnancy & childbirth, there is no room for modesty and nothing is TMI.  (umm, it's still kinda embarassing though - you can make fun of me if you want....but I know this is not all that uncommon - mistaking "something else" for you water breaking....I've read about it)  Anyway, moving on......  LOL

Eventually, the contractions slowed some (like maybe every 10-12 minutes...by evening, I believe) and I was also not having to pee every 20 minutes (more like 45min to 1hr...still a lot of getting up in my opinion - not to mention, I have to unhook my IV pole from the electrical outlet and drag it with me to the bathroom...then write down how much I peed.  It is an involved process...and also not easy getting in and out of bed).  Yesterday was just crazy.  Through all of this, Caleb managed to take an hour long nap on the floor of my hospital room (on a blanket) while stuff was going on.  Rhett then took Caleb home after the nap and fed him dinner there...then they came back up for a couple of hours to keep me company....and I spent the night by myself.  I couldn't sleep worth a darn - bed was uncomfortable and plus the nurse comes in too often for my liking....and there's the whole getting up to pee thing (with the IV pole and writing down the volume).

So anyway, sometime during the night my contractions slowed even more.....like every 15+ minutes (sometimes up to 30 minutes apart) so that is a good thing.  They took off the continuous monitor and now only monitor one time during each shift (for 30 minutes at a time).  Otherwise, it is up to me to let them know if I feel anymore than 4 contractions an hour (which I haven't).  The only thing that worries me is that I have a history of not feeling contractions (at least these earlier ones....I feel the painful ones!) so I just hope that I'm feeling what I should be feeling!  So far, each time they've hooked me up to monitor today I have not had many (sometimes none), so that's a good thing.  Also, Aubrey's heartbeat has been great and everything seems fine with her as far as they can tell - praise the Lord!

Today has been pretty boring (this is a good thing, though!).  I have been off the monitors since just before lunch and I really haven't felt that many contractions.  The mag (combined with not much sleep) has had me groggy all day but it is so hard to sleep in a hospital!  I've just kinda been spacey all day.  I did get moved from L&D (terrible bed!) to another room (ante-partum, I believe) and this bed is much more comfortable.  Hopefully I can get a little shut-eye tonight (only I know they are coming back in at midnight for vitals and 4am for something else).  Rhett and Caleb came again today (twice) and Caleb is having the time of his life with Daddy.  No Joke - the boy is giddy (mostly - he's still almost 2 so you know, there are still "moments").  He hasn't vomited anymore since Monday night and his poos are not runny, so hopefully whatever that was is over.  We've had so many people offer to keep him but we didn't know if he was/is contagious so Rhett's been making due, going and coming with him.  Luckily, it has worked out just fine since nothing too crazy has happened with me or Aubrey so far.

So, the latest is that tomorrow morning (Thursday, 7/7), Dr. Tran is going to have them stop the magnesium and then they will observe me for the rest of the day (don't know exactly how long).  If my contractions stay at a decent interval (like now - not very often) then I should be able to go home on complete bed rest (bathroom breaks and minimal getting up).  If the contractions come back, then I will have to stay in the hospital....who knows how long.  The ultimate goal is to keep Aubrey in for at least another 2 weeks to get to 36 weeks.  Thankfully, 34 weeks is a "milestone" of pregnancy and most babies born at this time don't have too many lasting complications. 

However, we could still use your prayers!!

* prayers for peace for me and Rhett (and our families) as it is still scary for this to be happening....but we know that God is in control!  (and for Rhett as he is having to take care of Caleb and the house, etc while I am on bedrest...for the time being - we will see about other arrangements when we know when/if I am going home tomorrow)
* prayers for Aubrey's health - that her little lungs would be developed (the steroids should help) and all her other organs and body systems/functions, etc.
* prayers for my health - that my body would keep responding to the doctors' interventions and that I would not dilate anymore....and ultimately that I can carry her to at least 36 weeks. (and just for my health in general, please)
* prayers for all doctors, nurses, etc involved in our care - making decisions about what to do, etc.  My doctor's name is Dr. Tran.

Ok, that's all I can think of at the moment!  I'm going to try to get a little shut-eye if I can!  Thank you all so much for your prayers!!  God does answer prayers (and he has so far as my contractions have spaced out so much - praise the Lord!)

Goodnight all.......