...could have been my babies' birth day. I've had in my head all day long how this could have been the day they turned 1 year old, but I am so thankful that it is not.
Last year on December 20th, I went to the hospital with preterm contractions. I was sent home after the contractions were "controlled" that afternoon. However, apparently they were not because bring-me-to-my knees contractions showed up that evening despite the terbutaline, forcing me to call my husband (who was grocery shopping at the time) in hysterics and beg him to come home and bring me back to the hospital. That day was the scariest day of my life- even more scary than the day my house was on fire (with me and my doggies inside). I was only 26 weeks along- past 50% viability day, but not past danger by any means. I remember very vividly rocking back and forth on my knees, griping the couch armrest, pleading through my sobs that it was too early and praying fervently to God to keep them in longer as I waited for my husband to get home. My dog stayed close by my side until he got there. My husband later told me that he ditched the almost-full cart in an aisle before he raced home.
I spent the night in the hospital while the contractions were finally held at bay with an increased dose of magnesium sulfate. (Ugh- I remember so well how wicked that stuff was.) It was a scary, scary 24 hours, but Sam and Anna hung tight. There were threats of strict bedrest until I delivered, threats that I would have to stay at the hospital longer than 1 night, and my husband was given a tour of the NICU by a NICU nurse (I think to scare him into making sure I stayed on bedrest). Ultimately, winter break from school gave me a change to lay low and recuperate. With no more contractions after that initial 24 hours, I went back to teaching two weeks later (with my OB's okay) until I chose to stop teaching at 35 weeks.
My cervix of steel earned its keep that day- helping me hold out to a C-section I elected for at 37 weeks- 11 weeks later. After December 20th, 2009, I never thought I would make it that far, and I am forever thankful that my babies were able to remain inside as long as they should have. I will never forget the vivid memories of my preterm-labor scare at 26 weeks and I will always be thankful that December 20th is not their birthday! Cause for a celebration tonight, since we aren't celebrating a birthday, right?
Showing posts with label hospital. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hospital. Show all posts
Monday, December 20, 2010
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Hospital Trip Update
I was released last night at about 9 pm. I would have been able to leave earlier, but they wanted me to get the Rhogram shot (because I have O neg blood type) before I left and there was some miscommunication with the pharmacy about whether I would need blood taken before they would send up the shot- which in the end, they didn't need (because they could use the vials that were taken earlier in the day). Along with my Rhogram IM shot, I also got the second dose of the Betamethasone steroid IM shot for lung development (which needed to be given 24 hours after the first dose). Thank goodness the PIO shots I had up to 12 weeks made me a pro at getting shots in the bum- I hardly blinked at the injections.
I feel great physically, and haven't had any contractions since I was weaned off of the magnesium sulfate. There still hasn't been official word as to why they think I had the contractions- especially since there there no other indicators for pre-term labor- the doctors/nurses all said on paper I look fabulous- all my numbers look great. I know I am no doctor, but I do know my body and my job/lifestyle better than everyone else- and I think this past week really took a toll on me- I stayed up late the two nights prior, didn't drink as much water as I usually do, had long days at work all week, among other stressors (including a classroom full of hyped-up-on-Christmas 5 and 6 year olds, buying a new vehicle, a late night baby class besides getting ready for the holidays myself). I feel deep down that this was an isolated incident and a hard hitting reminder that I need to get back to making a better effort to limit everything I do, despite having that in-the-2nd-trimester-golden-period where I have the energy level of pre-pg me.
That being said, I am unsure of what the future holds for me. I am still waiting for follow-up information from my OB (he's in surgery today). I was told differing opinions from just about every nurse/resident/midwife/doctor that came into my room yesterday. My official discharge papers has the section marked that includes: continue normal activities during the day while the minimal activity/bedrest/work restrictions section is not marked. I was told to follow up with my OB at our already scheduled appointment December 30th- but I need to figure out what's happening with me and work before then.
I mentioned already that one nurse said we shouldn't travel for the holidays- which I am ok with, and we're not planning to do now (also because of the foot of snow that is expected during the time we should be driving the 4 hours). A NICU nurse had stopped by and gave my husband a tour of the NICU- she called today and is of the opinion that I should be on complete bedrest from here on out. She's planning on calling every few days to check on me. But she's not my doctor. I am really frustrated about this for a few reasons: it seems like she is taking it upon herself to tell us what to do- to my knowledge she did not get any of our information and does not know about any of my past pregnancy information, all she is aware of is that this is an IVF twin PG and that I stayed overnight with contractions at 26 weeks. I know she sees the worst of the worst situations, but I trust my OB's advice over everything else. We chose him because he is laidback- I'm not a very laidback person and I needed that from my OB to balance me out.
OF COURSE I want to do what is absolutely best for our babies- I think that should go without saying- but I don't necessarily think complete bedrest is what is absolutely best for them right now- especially since through it all, the two of them and their uterus environment were and continue to be in great shape. I really think this was an isolated incident. 12 weeks of bedrest means financially we won't be able to have enough to even buy diapers with the additional 6 weeks of unpaid leave I'd have no choice but to take. It also means I'd only get 6 weeks with them after they are born, as opposed to the 12 I'm hoping for. It also means their momma is going to be under a great deal of stress- and that's no good for all of us either!
So here I sit, waiting for my OB's nurse to call so I can get an idea whether I should be on bedrest, go to work tomorrow, plan on being done with work, or returning on January 4th. Not knowing is driving me insane.
*Please, no negative comments regarding my post- this is my place to vent and get it all out there, and I really don't need more stress to add to an already difficult situation.
I feel great physically, and haven't had any contractions since I was weaned off of the magnesium sulfate. There still hasn't been official word as to why they think I had the contractions- especially since there there no other indicators for pre-term labor- the doctors/nurses all said on paper I look fabulous- all my numbers look great. I know I am no doctor, but I do know my body and my job/lifestyle better than everyone else- and I think this past week really took a toll on me- I stayed up late the two nights prior, didn't drink as much water as I usually do, had long days at work all week, among other stressors (including a classroom full of hyped-up-on-Christmas 5 and 6 year olds, buying a new vehicle, a late night baby class besides getting ready for the holidays myself). I feel deep down that this was an isolated incident and a hard hitting reminder that I need to get back to making a better effort to limit everything I do, despite having that in-the-2nd-trimester-golden-period where I have the energy level of pre-pg me.
That being said, I am unsure of what the future holds for me. I am still waiting for follow-up information from my OB (he's in surgery today). I was told differing opinions from just about every nurse/resident/midwife/doctor that came into my room yesterday. My official discharge papers has the section marked that includes: continue normal activities during the day while the minimal activity/bedrest/work restrictions section is not marked. I was told to follow up with my OB at our already scheduled appointment December 30th- but I need to figure out what's happening with me and work before then.
I mentioned already that one nurse said we shouldn't travel for the holidays- which I am ok with, and we're not planning to do now (also because of the foot of snow that is expected during the time we should be driving the 4 hours). A NICU nurse had stopped by and gave my husband a tour of the NICU- she called today and is of the opinion that I should be on complete bedrest from here on out. She's planning on calling every few days to check on me. But she's not my doctor. I am really frustrated about this for a few reasons: it seems like she is taking it upon herself to tell us what to do- to my knowledge she did not get any of our information and does not know about any of my past pregnancy information, all she is aware of is that this is an IVF twin PG and that I stayed overnight with contractions at 26 weeks. I know she sees the worst of the worst situations, but I trust my OB's advice over everything else. We chose him because he is laidback- I'm not a very laidback person and I needed that from my OB to balance me out.
OF COURSE I want to do what is absolutely best for our babies- I think that should go without saying- but I don't necessarily think complete bedrest is what is absolutely best for them right now- especially since through it all, the two of them and their uterus environment were and continue to be in great shape. I really think this was an isolated incident. 12 weeks of bedrest means financially we won't be able to have enough to even buy diapers with the additional 6 weeks of unpaid leave I'd have no choice but to take. It also means I'd only get 6 weeks with them after they are born, as opposed to the 12 I'm hoping for. It also means their momma is going to be under a great deal of stress- and that's no good for all of us either!
So here I sit, waiting for my OB's nurse to call so I can get an idea whether I should be on bedrest, go to work tomorrow, plan on being done with work, or returning on January 4th. Not knowing is driving me insane.
*Please, no negative comments regarding my post- this is my place to vent and get it all out there, and I really don't need more stress to add to an already difficult situation.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Hospital Details
So Sunday morning I woke up feeling like crap. I thought I just needed to make a trip to the bathroom. Except that it didn't really stop after that. I was feeling intermittent, painful lower abdominal cramps accompanied by lower back pain. And while I am no stranger to back pain, usually mine is of the upper back variety. After about two hours, I called in to see what we should do (still not convinced that I just wasn't extremely constipated). Since they don't mess with twin pregnancy, I was instructed to head to the birthing center right away.
The birthing center at our hospital of choice is 45 minutes away. During that first drive, the cramping almost completely subsided. We were shown to a room and I still wasn't very worried, per se- I just had a feeling that they were going to be ok. I was given Zofran for the cramp-induced nausea, trebutaline for the cramps, and steroids to speed up their lung development in the chance that things would progress and not be able to be stopped. Then I started to get a little worried. I was hooked up to three monitors; one for each baby and one for the cramps to see if they were "contractions." According to the nurses at that time, they were not, and they did not seem sure what was causing my issues. A nurse did an u/s- but she wasn't really trained in how to do them, so it basically just gave her an idea where to put the monitors. The babies were doing fine while we were there- great h/b and still moving a lot as usual. My cervix still felt good according the the nurse. I was sent home about 4 hours later.
Side note- while driving home, I called my mom to let her know about the day's events. I thought I would wait until I knew what was going on before causing her unneeded worry. After I explained that we were headed home and things appeared to be fine, she told me that she had actually had a dream that morning that woke her up that the babies were born today, and couldn't get back to sleep. That really made me thankful that I waited to call her until it was over. Or what I thought was over.
After the 45 minute drive home and about a half hour, my husband left to go grocery shopping since I was doing fine. Then the cramps came back with a vengeance. This time, I did not feel that the babies were going to be just fine- I was given meds before and the pain was worse then ever. I started sobbing that it was too early and they couldn't come now. I called my husband and told him I needed him home right then. We called the birthing center and then headed right back. That 45 minute+ drive in slightly bad road conditions was the most excruciating thing, and cliche as it sounds, seemed to take forever.
This time when I was hooked up to the monitors, it was showing that I was in fact having contractions, and the nurses were concerned that the trebutaline didn't last very long to stop the cramping. I was started on magnesium sulfate- a muscle relaxant, that thanks to The Southern Belle Baby, I had just read all about and what to expect. It is some wicked stuff. I also got a u/s from a u/s tech this time and things still looked good on the babies side of things. I had some more intense cramping so my dosage of the mag sulfate was upped and I was told I would be at least staying the night. A catheter was put in (fun, fun) and I made it through the night with only one more cramping occasion. Since it was contractions without a shortening/soft cervix my OB is not calling it preterm labor. Today I only had one minor cramping incident, and so I've been slowly weaned off of the mag sulfate throughout the day. I should be able to go home tonight if things continue to go well.
I am unsure of what this means from now on- one nurse said we wouldn't be able to travel to our families' for Christmas- another said I should stop working, the NICU lady that took my husband for a tour while I was resting believes I should be on bedrest... I am concerned about the future, but ever so thankful that throughout it all, our babies were doing well and despite the contractions, nothing else was worsening/looking badly. They have 12 weeks to keep bakin'....
The birthing center at our hospital of choice is 45 minutes away. During that first drive, the cramping almost completely subsided. We were shown to a room and I still wasn't very worried, per se- I just had a feeling that they were going to be ok. I was given Zofran for the cramp-induced nausea, trebutaline for the cramps, and steroids to speed up their lung development in the chance that things would progress and not be able to be stopped. Then I started to get a little worried. I was hooked up to three monitors; one for each baby and one for the cramps to see if they were "contractions." According to the nurses at that time, they were not, and they did not seem sure what was causing my issues. A nurse did an u/s- but she wasn't really trained in how to do them, so it basically just gave her an idea where to put the monitors. The babies were doing fine while we were there- great h/b and still moving a lot as usual. My cervix still felt good according the the nurse. I was sent home about 4 hours later.
Side note- while driving home, I called my mom to let her know about the day's events. I thought I would wait until I knew what was going on before causing her unneeded worry. After I explained that we were headed home and things appeared to be fine, she told me that she had actually had a dream that morning that woke her up that the babies were born today, and couldn't get back to sleep. That really made me thankful that I waited to call her until it was over. Or what I thought was over.
After the 45 minute drive home and about a half hour, my husband left to go grocery shopping since I was doing fine. Then the cramps came back with a vengeance. This time, I did not feel that the babies were going to be just fine- I was given meds before and the pain was worse then ever. I started sobbing that it was too early and they couldn't come now. I called my husband and told him I needed him home right then. We called the birthing center and then headed right back. That 45 minute+ drive in slightly bad road conditions was the most excruciating thing, and cliche as it sounds, seemed to take forever.
This time when I was hooked up to the monitors, it was showing that I was in fact having contractions, and the nurses were concerned that the trebutaline didn't last very long to stop the cramping. I was started on magnesium sulfate- a muscle relaxant, that thanks to The Southern Belle Baby, I had just read all about and what to expect. It is some wicked stuff. I also got a u/s from a u/s tech this time and things still looked good on the babies side of things. I had some more intense cramping so my dosage of the mag sulfate was upped and I was told I would be at least staying the night. A catheter was put in (fun, fun) and I made it through the night with only one more cramping occasion. Since it was contractions without a shortening/soft cervix my OB is not calling it preterm labor. Today I only had one minor cramping incident, and so I've been slowly weaned off of the mag sulfate throughout the day. I should be able to go home tonight if things continue to go well.
I am unsure of what this means from now on- one nurse said we wouldn't be able to travel to our families' for Christmas- another said I should stop working, the NICU lady that took my husband for a tour while I was resting believes I should be on bedrest... I am concerned about the future, but ever so thankful that throughout it all, our babies were doing well and despite the contractions, nothing else was worsening/looking badly. They have 12 weeks to keep bakin'....
Sunday, December 20, 2009
In the Hospital
I am in the hospital for pre-term contractions. Everything is ok with the babies right now but they are keeping me overnight. Please send prayers our way that I can go home asap and everything continues to be ok with the babies. Thanks.
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