30 weeks

In my last post I mentioned that this new baby would probably come early. I didn't realize he would try to come at 28 weeks! Luckily we were able to stop his arrival.

On March 8th I was minding my own business having lunch with friends when I started to feel a few contractions.  They felt like Braxton Hicks and so I wasn't alarmed at first. However, they began to come every five minutes and I knew that wasn't right. I went back to my office and decided to call it a day so I could go home and lie down.  When I arrived home I hopped into bed with my phone and my insurance card, just in case.  Half and hour later I'd called my mom, Jamie, and the Labor and Delivery center and waited for my mom to pick me up and take me in to the hospital as the contractions were not subsiding.

Jamie met us there with Finn and after a little while my Mom took him home for a weekend getaway to Gonah's house.  He was a little unnerved at the whole hospital scene but didn't get upset which is good.  The doctor did an exam and some tests and they decided to admit me and put me on a magnesium IV to stop the contractions. That stuff makes you feel pretty weird, let me tell you! It worked okay for the first 12 hours and then I passed out when they were trying to take yet another blood sample. Awesome!  They thought that the magnesium might have something to do with it so switched me to a different med in pill form.  They also gave me two steroid shots to help mature the baby's lungs in case all their efforts failed and he was born anyway. The steroids raised my blood sugar levels and so I had to have insulin shots after eating and was put on a diabetic diet. 

Luckily through all of this the baby was still moving around and his heartbeat was strong and steady.  I'd forgotten how difficult it is to sleep in the hospital and, even though they came to visit every day, really missed my family.  I was delighted when they did an ultrasound (he's a cutie already!) and things looked like they were stable.  The doctor decided to release me on Saturday night, with meds every four hours for the next couple of months and bedrest for the remainder of my pregnancy. 

Which brings me to today, at home on bedrest!  The baby is still doing fine and the medication to stop the contractions seems to be working pretty well though it does give me a lot of headaches.  I am now on a quasi-diabetic diet; my blood sugar is still a little higher than they would like it to be (have taken two different blood glucose tests, the 1 hour and the 3 hour. I don't recommend the 3 hour) so I have to watch was I eat.  I will have to be tested again in 4 weeks to make sure I don't develop gestational diabetes.  No orange juice or big bowls of ice cream for me!  (Though maybe a small bowl, once a week!)

All in all things are okay, just a BIG change from my life two weeks ago.  I am so blessed to have my mom living in the same town as she comes over to help with things almost every day.  It's only been a week and a half, still hopefully have about 7 weeks to go. Bedrest is strange, not going to work, not being able to get up and grab something or take a box down from the closet or get the mail.  I am trying to stay busy with little organizing projects, the internet, reading and TV.  Of course I'd lay here and stare at the wall all day if that's what it takes to keep the little one safe and sound another week or two. 

Wish us luck!