Bathroom Privileges

So, sorry to leave anyone hanging...but its taken until today for me to have internet access from my hospital room. Yup, that's right...hospital room. It's funny because I still can't believe this is something we are going through. I never in a million years expected to have anything but the most run of the mill, normal pregnancy. And in about 5 minutes on Wednesday, my normal healthy pregnancy turned into a high-risk pregnancy...with the possibility I could deliver at any time.

We made it to triage at Mary Birch on Wednesday about 4:30pm and by the time they had me on the monitors, they found I was having several contractions each hour in addition to the advanced state of my cervix (I'm supposed to measure 3 cm and I'm measuring 6 mm). The doctors prepared my body for labor (antibiotics for strep B) and Lloyd for birth (steroids to help his lungs mature) in case they couldn't get things under control. This meant that I spent the first couple of days being intermittently hooked up to an IV and had round the clock fetal and contraction monitors.

Fortunately, the perinatologist is very happy with Lloyd's condition. He is estimated at 2 and 1/2 lbs, head down, and his heart rate and activity levels are excellent. The specialist said that if I were to go to into labor now, he had a really good survival rate...although this would require a lengthy stay in the NICU. He now only needs to be on the monitor for a hour each morning...during which time he spends most of the time kicking the monitors and the bands that hold them on.

I've also been doing well, I'm off the IV and my contractions are monitored twice a day. Unfortunately, while they haven't been bad enough to necessitate the more extreme magnesium treatment to stop them, they aren't always within the threshold the doctors like to see. Basically if you have less than 6 per hour, you can be usually be maintained with an oral drug niphetapene. But if I hit 6 or more (and I seem to hit exactly 6 when I do have too many), they give you a shot of tributalene. This is not something I like. Not only does the drug make my heart race, but it means that they are less likely to feel I will be stable at home.

So, that brings me to where I am today. The perinatologist wants me to be here until I reach 32 weeks (I'm 29 1/2 now). Each OB that rounds each morning has had a difference philosophy about how to manage patients in my situation. Some say it doesn't matter if I'm here or home, others are more cautious and would only want me in a hospital. And since they are all so different, they are all differing to my doctor...who hasn't come back from Thanksgiving vacation yet. Right now, it sounds like she may be here on Thursday, but I'm not holding my breath.

What makes this okay with me is that I know I am getting good care and I feel that we've made the best medical decisions we could for both me and Lloyd to ensure his survival. I also know that the irregularity of my contractions scares me and I'm sure my doctor would want me here until they stabilize regardless. I just hope to stabilize soon so that I can avoid the tributalene shot as much as possible, since I can't imagine my heart is the only thing being affected by the drug. (And no, I'm not going to Google search it and please don't tell me what you find if you do.)

There are also pros and cons for being both here and at home. I miss being home terribly, but I also know why I'm here and that provides a lot of comfort. Being here is also easier for Brad because he would be completely overloaded caring for me as well as the entire house and his own obligations...because if I'm home, I can't do anything. I can't get my food, I can't let the dog out...in fact, all I can do is go to the bathroom when I need to. Even my showers are carefully monitored so I'm not vertical for too long. Plus, I'm not tempted to do anything while I'm here. I can't see the fabric for the bibs that are almost done or the sling I never made. I can't see the pile of knitting stuff I had planned to organized last weekend. So again, for so many reasons, being here is a very good thing.

I also got a chance to meet a few of the other women staying in the unit with me today as part of a support group. I wasn't planning to go, but in the end it was a really great excuse to get out of my room and hear that other women are going through the same thing...and some have already been here for 3 weeks or more, so clearly it is possible. They also gave us newbees the hook up...I also found out there is a special menu you have access to after you've been here a week and you may also be granted wheelchair privileges, so trips outside might be possible at some point in the future as well.

So, that's where things are at the moment. We are fine and we are just thankful for that follow up ultrasound last week. (I can only imagine what all the cleaning and organizing I had planned for the long weekend would have done!) My goal is to have a full term baby, so I'm going to do whatever I need to do to make that happen.