A Little Weekend Getaway to ETMC

We are so glad to be back home! Praise the Lord!

Prepare for length as I'm trying to document what happened before I forget. Who knows, Moriah may actually care to know one day what all shenanigans she was involved in before she ever even entered the world. Then again she may not but I'm doing it anyway!

Friday morning, while in a meeting at school, I finally got the call about my test results (yes I had my cell phone sitting right by a window sill so I'd hear it if it rang). It turns out that the "FFN test" I took Tuesday was positive (dang), so they wanted me to go to the hospital to have the test taken again to make sure it wasn't a false positive. Billy and I left school and headed for ETMC, thinking I would take the test and then possibly be released if it was negative, and maybe stay a few hours to be monitored if it was positive.

Side Note: I will say it was less unnerving this time going to the hospital since it was our 2nd time around and I knew a little bit more about what to expect. I'm thinking by the time Moriah actually comes we'll be pros with the ETMC system!--where it's best to get dropped off, the cheapest places to park, where to get checked in, where the Labor & Delivery rooms are, we know several of the nurses, what to expect with the monitors, what not to order from the cafeteria, etc. (All this was so foreign the first time I had to go to the hospital, so these added familiarities the 2nd time around were helpful with the overall "anxiety potential" of the situation)!

Ok, so we got to the hospital, checked in, got in my room, and I put on my lovely gown with the two big drooping holes in the front--I'm guessing for "easier access" for breastfeeding (who has boobs that long and low I have no idea?!...it seems as though the gowns are made for 90 year olds who are planning on breastfeeding...note to self: bring my own gown next time). The nurse came in shortly thereafter and took another sample for the Ffn test. I gave her a "friendly reminder" to please not check my cervix (as that was what started the Bleeding Incident of 2010 last time) and she said "Oh don't worry, I've been quadruply reminded not to do that." Oops- hope I didn't offend her. Guess my Dr. had given her the message loud and clear)

FYI, I'm really not sure how to spell "quadruply/quadrupaly/quadrupoly?"


The Doctor (not my doctor, but the one on-call from the clinic where my Doctor works-who I loved by the way) came in a couple hours later and gave me the news that the FFN test was positive (again). Dang. She then said she wanted to check my cervix (carefully) and see how that was "holding up." Well, those results turned out not to be too promising either, in terms of getting out of the hospital. My cervix (which is basically the "cork" between one's uterus and vagina) had shortened from a measurement of 4 last week to a 1.9 Friday. She said it could hold up for another 5 weeks or "go out tomorrow." So no, I wouldn't be going home, I would need to stay the night. With the positive FFN test plus the cervix at a 1.9, I was in the 70-80% chance of going into "preterm labor" (labor prior to 37 weeks). Just in case that were to happen, she wanted to give me a steroid shot Friday afternoon and one more in 24 hours and I'd be released on Saturday after the 2nd shot . If the baby were to come early, the one thing that is usually not developed all the way is the lungs, and the steroid shots would give those a boost. She wanted to do the shots just in case. The good thing was, she was very pleased I had no more bleeding and no contractions so far!!! YAY!

The contractions came early Saturday morning. (seriously can this be happening?!) Apparently I was having them every 3-4 mins from about 4am to 8am. I remember feeling pressure "down low" and achy throughout the night and not sleeping too well, but didn't realize I was having regular contractions! The doctor came in about 9:30am Saturday to see me and re-assess the situation. She wasn't too happy about the contractions and decided I should stay another night. The first of several steps they can take when trying to stop contractions is to give you an IV and see if getting you hydrated will help. After pumping that IV through me in lightning-speed, (my arm was literally cold from the fluid coming in so fast), the contractions miraculously stopped. Woohoo! I had a few here and there Saturday but they were scattered and far between.

Other highlights for Saturday included: getting moved up to a much bigger room, getting taken on a "date" (a roll around the hospital in my snazzy wheelchair to the vending machine & skywalk, which was my first time out of the room in 24 hours), some great company (Mom, Dad, Ryan, Shanna, Kyleigh, Brayden, Karsyn, Brent & Sarai all came that night), and last but not least, a lovely little Ambien pill that helped me sleep much better Saturday night.

Apparently I slept so good with the lovely Ambien pill, that I slept right through the contractions that came in the wee hours Sunday morning (sigh). More regular contractions for several hours.  I wasn't sure if the doctor was gonna let me go home after this 2nd round of contractions, but after another IV they stopped. The doctor came in about 10:00am this morning and told me she thinks I must just get dehydrated in the night which stirs up the contractions and I should be ok if I just make sure and hydrate good in the mornings...and then she said the magic words..."YOU GET TO GO HOME!"

If anything, being on bedrest at the hospital made being on bedrest at home seem awesome! (well maybe not awesome but alot better than I originally thought). So here's the deal...I'm on modified bedrest....meaning I can sit on the couch or lay down but no walking around, being up or out and about, no going shopping-not even if I ride a Little Rascal-I already asked, no going to work, no sex (dang), etc.

The good news is that if I make it until 35 weeks (which will be Friday December 31st) I can be off bedrest from that point on. Because at that stage they don't care if she comes or not! So, my plans to run the New Years Day Marathon are still on! (Oh I kid!!!). No marathons for me, but I will be able to resume normal activity and go back to work after the Christmas holidays! And as if we didn't know how smart God was already, can you believe that although I have to be on bedrest for 3 straight weeks, 2 of those weeks we already have off from work?! So thank goodness I'll only have to "take off" 5 workdays out of the 15 I'll have off. He is so good and His timing is impeccable.

Ok, if you've made it this far I would like to congratulate you. I would also like to say that my husband, Billy Allen, has been so wonderful through all of this. He stayed with me the whole time and was there to offer support, help, and of course some laughs throughout the entire stay. His new name is "Nursey Billy Nightingale" thanks to Aunt Barbara. Lastly, thank you for all the prayers, love, good thoughts, and encouragement sent our way! Have a great week. I'll try to get some more pics up here soon. Much love to each of you!