29 Weeks!!!!

Well, we made it to 29 weeks today! I am so excited. Yesterday, they moved me to a new room in the post-partum area. I am considered anti-partum (I think that's dr speak for "waiting for baby on bed rest") so they needed my labor & delivery room for someone who was actually going to have a baby. That was a huge vote of confidence. I already miss my nurses though. After 13 days with the same staff, it's hard to get to know new people. I'm sure I'll love the new ones as muhch as the old ones though. And I'll get to see them again when I deliver.

Dr. Greenburg came in this morning for his quick check-in for the day. He told me that since I'm not losing a lot of fluid each day, that is a good sign that the baby is going to stay in for a long time. That was the first time he's ever said anything that definite on his opinion which made me feel even better.

I had a surprise visit from my cousin Kim today. She lives in Austin and drove up to check on me. I was so excited to see her! Tim's dad also came to see me today and stayed for a little while. Of course Tim & Callie came for dinner and a little TV time, so I've had a pretty eventful day.

I'm scheduled to have my sonogram tomorrow. We'll see if the dr comes or re-schedules to Thurs. I hope it's tomorrow. He is going to measure Jack to see how much he's grown in the past two weeks. My belly says he's growing, but I'd like to put a number on it. I'll let you know what I find out. Until then . . .

Day 12 Update

Good afternoon! I just had a great visit with John & Ginger. I am very impressed with Ginger's willingness to get out to see me. They even brought me 3 types of candy! My mom had to leave today to go back to work this week. I really don't know what we would have done these past 11 days without her. She along with Tim's parents really helped us a TON with Callie!

Everything is still about the same. Yesterday morning I had some contractions, but I didn't even know I was having them. They gave me a shot of the medicine to stop the contractions and it worked right away. My nurse, Vivain, told em that she was very impressed with the way I handled the situation. She said she saw anxiety coming, but that I calmed myself down very quickly and she thinks that helped everything to stop. That was encouraging!

I haven't had much leakage over the past couple of days, so if that continues, the dr might do the test that could possibly send me home. We shall see if that's in the cards or not. I doubt I would be able to get the same quality of rest at home that I'm getting here, but it would be nice to sleep in my own bed. At this point I live for the delivery of fresh, clean clothes my mom has been bringing me b/c they smell like home. :-)

I will be 29 weeks in 2 more days (on Tuesday)!! At that point I can set a new goal. I will have another sonogram on Wednesday (I think) that will tell us how much amniotic fluid I have and how much the baby has grown in the past two weeks. I'm hoping he will turn and not be breech anymore, but we'll see about that. This kiddo already has a mind of his own!

I'm looking forward to my afternoon visit from Tim & Callie. We're going to have Mama's pizza and a wheelchair ride!! Hopefully it won't be as eventful as last week's. We're going to get back in the groove of life this coming week too. Callie is going back to Ms Carol's, and Tim's going to travel one night. We're going to try to find a new "normal" to keep Miss Callie on track and not too out of the ordinary.

Now if I can just keep from eating this entire bag of gummy savers in the next hour, I'll be great! Have a great Sunday.

We made it 10 days!

I am so thankful to be writing this entry! When we got here last Wednesday in the wee morning hours, I really didn't think I would still be lying here. The nurses here are so awesome and I don't know what we would do without them! I am hoping that I'm an ok patient. My family probably doesn't think I'm a good patient because I'm depending on them more than the nurses to do things for me. I guess I'm just more comfortable with that. It's really hard to go from being an independent grown-up to being unable to do anything for yourself! I am trying to learn how to cope with that better.

Callie came to see me twice today. That was a special treat. My mom cooked dinner and brought it to me. She made pork tenderloin with apples and onions, glazed carrots, twice-baked potatoes, and rolls. She even made an apple pie for dessert!! So she, Callie, and I ate a homecooked meal together while Tim went home to mow. We don't want any nasty letters from the HOA telling us our yard looks a jungle! Anyway, Callie has been dealing with everything great. She might tell me that she misses me, but she hasn't been too whiny (to me anyway). We've gotten some really good snuggle time in up here, so that rocks!

I asked her tonight to please not argue with Grammy when she told her it was time to go. So when my mom got back to the room, Callie said, "Grammy, I don't want to aruge with you. So please don't tell me it's time to go." HA! That kid is too funny.

I'm ready to get home so we can get back into our routine. You all know how much I need a routine. This would be a lot easier on me if I didn't have Callie at home waiting on me. Anyway, enough about that. Back to smiling and being cheerful! Talk to all of you soon!

Sonogram

Greetings from Bed Rest!

The specialist came in today to do the sonogram and had good news. My amniotic fluid level is still normal and is about the same as last week. I have leaked a little fluid, but since the body continues to make it, it is recovering what has leaked. There is a new development, however. Last week he was head down and today he is breach. That means that his bottom is down and his head is up by my ribcage on the right. That could become a problem if I start contracting and dilating, but right now it's just a fact.

I am still stable with no contractions and the sonogram showed that I'm not dilated. We'll just keep thinking positive thoughts and stay healthy.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. They are working! Next week around this time we'll do another sono and they will measure him to see how he's growing. Until then, I'll let you all know of any changes as they arise. But we know that there aren't going to be any. :-)

Day 8

I wanted to let everyone know that we did not have the sonogram today. The specialist was not working in this area today, so he will be here tomorrow. We don't know what time because apparently these guys are very busy. I will be 28 weeks 2 days tomorrow, so I'm interested to see how much weight the baby gained in a week and a day. I know that sounds like a short time, but when you're growing in mommy's tummy, it's a long time! Everything with me and the baby are still stable with no changes. I'll do an update tomorrow with info from the sonogram.

Day 6

Well, here I still sit in this bed that is always in the shape of a "V". . . . a great position for total back comfort. :-) Today has been a great day! Everything still looks the same, and I've had less fluid leaking over the past 24 hours. My doc said today that we would continue to do what we're doing and see what happens. That's what he says every day, but what else is there? He did tell me that I will have a sonogram on Wednesday with the Maternal Fetal Specialist again to check things out. He will look at the baby to see how much he's grown in the past week as well as measure the amount of amniotic fluid that I have. That will tell us a lot.

I am the only patient on this wing of the hospital most of the time. Considering that most women come in, have a baby, and leave in a day or two, that's to be expected. My room is at the end of the hall, so it's really quiet and the nurses are leaving me alone except to give me my meds and check my vitals. I'm even getting to sleep all night! That's not heard of in the hospital. They have been super nice and very encouraging and calming. I was definitely not put on this earth to be a nurse. :-)

I haven't been on any wheelchair rides since Saturday. That was just too much excitement. I did sit in the recliner in my room for a little while today. That was nice. I'm just trying not to rock the boat too much if you know what I mean. The just brought my dinner of fried chicken and baked mac 'n cheese, so I'm going to eat it before it gets cold. Have a great night!

Day 5

I am so thankful to have made it this far with no baby Jack born yet! Every day that we keep him in is a step closer to him being healthier when he does get here. I got to go for a wheelchair ride yesterday. I had a 10 minute limit. BUT we went outside and got locked out of the building. So by the time we made it back to the room, we had been gone 20 mintues. OOPS! They didn't take away my privilidges but I thought they might. :-)

Everything is still stable for now. I am still leaking amniotic fluid, but the body continues to make it, so as long as I stay hydrated, that shouldn't be an issue. I am taking antibiotics to ward off infection which will help me stay out of labor as well. My doctor is pleased that everything is pretty much staying the same. I am going to have another sonogram on Wednesday to check everything out.

As far as my spirits go, I'm pretty good most of the time. I have one emotional breakdown every day. I think that's pretty good! Callie is adjusting ok. She told me today that she misses me, I miss her too, but we're hanging in there. Please keep sending up your prayers that Jack will continue to hang out as long as possible.

Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers. I'll update again in a day or two.

Quick Update

Well, today is my 3rd full day in the hosptial, and Jack is still in my belly! I am still stable and the doctors and nurses are giving me no indications that there is an immediate threat that I will go into labor. The doc I saw this a.m. told me that I will probably be here for a long time. That eased my mind so much. I am still on an emotinal roller coaster. One minute I'm encouraged and the next I'm terrified. But I know that I am not in charge and that God will take care of both me and Jack.

The good news is that they took out my IV today! I am only on the fetal monitor for 2 hours each shift still. They put pressure cuffs on my legs to help ward off blood clots, but other than that I'm tube free. I can even go on a wheelchair ride outside if I want!! It's 100 degrees but the prospect of leaving this room makes me smile.

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. We still need them. I need them for peace of mind more than anything else. Love to you all!

27 Weeks is Too Early!

Well . . . this is not a fun post to write. I woke up yesterday morning (Wednesday) at 2 a.m. and my water had broken. I was scared to death. Tim was in Colorado with his dad and brother for a couple of days, so I called him immediately. He called his mom to see if she could meet me at the hospital and Katie to have her come over to sit with Callie. Dianne ended up coming to pick me up so I wouldn't drive myself.

When they got to the hospital, they started testing me to make sure that it was amniotic fluid and it was. After I got hooked up to the monitors, they noticed I was having several contractions but I had absolutely no pain. I didn't have a lot of pain when I was in labor with Callie, so I guess I could have been in labor for weeks and not even known it. Anyway, they gave me two injections of a medication to stop my labor and it worked.

I have gotten two injections of the steroid that helps the baby's lungs mature. This is a very good thing. I have not had consitent contractions since around 6:30 yesterday morning. I've had a few irritablity contractions but nothing they are worried about. I have seen my doctor and also a speicalist. The specialist did a sonogram to check everything out. Jack is doing great and has had no problems at all. The level of amniotic fluid is normal which is a very good thing.

Basically, they told me that I will be in the hospital unitl he is born. That could be tomorrow or 7 weeks from now. The biggest potential problem is infection, which I am on broad-spectrum IV anitibiotics to help ward that off. If I get an infection, they will not want Jack to stay in. The hosptial I'm in, Centennial Medical Center in McKinney, has a level 3 NICU. So, if I can hang on until next Tuesday (when I'm 28 weeks), I can deliver here and the baby can stay here until he is ready to come home.

As of now I am off the IV unless they are hanging my anitibiotics. I am only on the fetal monitor and contraction monitors for 2 hours a shift. So I have stabilized to the point that they just want me on bed rest and will monitor me off and on for contractions. I am still leaking fluid a little bit, but they think the rupture has mostly sealed off. That's really good news! I did get to get up and take a shower today and I can get out of bed to go to the bathroom. Otherwise, I need to stay in bed.

Callie has been up here a couple of times to see me. We are trying to make her comfortable with me being here for a while. My mom is here and is on vacation next week already, so she'll be with us through next week. Please pray for us that Jack will hang on and we will go one day at a time to make sure we make it as far as we can. We want him to be as healthy as possible when he makes his arrival! He will be in the NICU until he can breathe, take all feedings, keep his temperature up, and a couple of other things all on his own. The neonatologist told us that their goal is to send us home with a healthy baby.

I will keep you updated as well as I can.

New Pictures of Jack

Here are the latest pictures of little Jack. These pictures were taken at 26 weeks. He is weighing in at 2.11 pounds already! That's in the 70th percentile. Also, he's measuring a week early. That would make my estimated due date 9/8 instead of 9/15, but they aren't going to change my due date. He is laying with his feet right above his face. I hope you can see it from these pictures. I think the last one is the best one. I can't wait until he gets here!

Good bye tonsils!

Well, Callie made it through her tonsilectomy with flying colors. This picture is of her on her way into the OR. When she had her tubes put in her ears, she was wheeled into the OR, but this time she wanted to walk. And yes, she is wearing the doctor's operating glasses.

This is the end (hopefully) of a very long and stressful month of health issues for her. Today is day 3 of her recovery and has been the roughest of the post-op, but she is doing really well. She's eating and drinking like she should and has even asked for popcorn. She was very sad to learn that she can't have popcorn for a couple of weeks. She has been such a trouper and we are so thankful that everything is going well now. Let's just pray it stays that way! Thanks to everyone for their thoughts and prayers.