26 Weeks: Hospital Stay and House Arrest

How's this for a 26-week bump pic?

 

This was my "uniform" for the last week...stylish, no? It's the uniform of a resident of the high-risk wing of the maternity unit at Community North Hospital. Obviously, it's been an interesting week, to say the least. 

I stopped by my OB's office after work last Wednesday, the 6th, for a quick cervical length ultrasound. The idea was to make sure everything still looked good after the threatened pre-preterm labor scare two weeks ago (see here). Long story short, it didn't...and I was told that I wasn't going anywhere, but was being admitted to the hospital immediately. My cervix was shortened significantly and beginning to funnel, and I was (without realizing it this time) having regular, though painless, contractions about 4 minutes apart. Talk about immediate panic.

I could give the long play-by-play of the ensuing week, but it would be...well...long. And full of long, hard-to-pronounce drug names (magnesium sulfate, nifedipine, indomethacin, nubain, phenargan...). And descriptions of the side effects of those drugs (ugh). And lots of scary moments. And seemingly endless hours of clock and monitor watching.

The condensed version is, I was in the hospital for almost a full week, on multiple drugs, each of which worked to slow my contractions for a while, only to stop working eventually. I was also flat on my back and hooked up to an IV and monitors the entire time. It was...I don't even know how to describe it. Grueling? Overwhelming? Terrifying? Exhausting? All of the above, and then some.

 

Here was my "I'm officially here and not going anywhere" bracelet (and IV port...lovely):

 

 

What I stared at all week...contractions on monitor:

 

 



Counting the hours...

 

My (awesome) nurses put their names on the dry-erase board each shift...helpful, since I went through probably about a gazillion different nurses over the week:

 

 

The "man cave," where Alex lived/slept all week:

 

 

Strict hospital bedrest is no joke. I wasn't even allowed to sit up - I was flat on my back, even for meals, only allowed to get up to go to the bathroom...and that was an event in itself, since I was hooked up to multiple monitors and and an IV pole, and was crazy dizzy from the drugs at certain points. I spent the hours watching the monitors, Googling the various drugs I was receiving, and clicking through the TV channels, trying to distract myself. Oh, and answering text messages from the multiple people who were telling me they were praying for me and baby (sososo thankful for each of you!).

 

I'm incredibly grateful that, after finally finding a drug that stabilized my contractions and monitoring me for about 24 hours after that, the doctor sent me home yesterday evening (Tuesday the 12th). Praise God! I've never been so happy to see the inside of my apartment before.

 

I'm now home, on house arrest...that is, very slightly modified full bedrest - meaning I have to stay lying down or reclined (in my glider chair!) all day but can get up here and there to go to the bathroom, shower, or get a glass of water. No work. No travel (even for the holidays) except to and from the doctor's office every week. Just me and the couch becoming one...for the next three months (if the Lord allows me to carry this baby that long...and I pray He does). And I'm still on drugs around the clock, though thankfully in pill form, and with no major side effects so far.

 

I'm still nervous, always scared when I feel contractions (which I do from time to time, especially when it's getting close to time for my next pill). I have no certainty that I won't wind up back in the hospital. Baby girl is doing well so far (she's weathered everything beautifully), but she definitely is at risk, and what my body will do in the days to come is uncertain. At 26 weeks, she's far too small to be leaving the womb just yet - far too small. But I'm doing everything I can (or can't, I should say, since what I'm doing is really trying NOT to do anything) to keep her safe and sound for as long as possible. Mostly praying.

 

Bedrest, I know, is going to be challenging. Very challenging. It overwhelms me to think of doing this for weeks and even months to come. But I'm doing my best to take it one day at a time. And I know many of you are praying, and will be pitching in with meals, cleaning, and visits...and I'm so grateful!

 

More updates to come! Love to you all.