More of the same

Dr. Wilson came to see me this morning. Not much new with me, but she just got back from a vacation to Disney World with her family.

I had a one day reprieve. No shots of terbutaline yesterday, but that didn't last too long. I got another shot this morning. The nurse tried to avoid it, but after 2½ hours on the monitor, and I was having contractions like every four minutes, she finally called the doctor who said to go ahead and give me the shot. When she came in with the shot I jokingly told her she couldn't come in. That's when she told me what would happen if the terb stopped working. The next step would be magnesium sulfate, which would be an IV, and I wouldn't be able to get out of bed for anything any more. So I said go ahead with the shot. I'm cool with that. The contractions stopped pretty much immediately.

Rachel is doing much better. Let's hear it for modern medicine. (Both for Rachel and for me.) She came to see me last night. (I really needed to see her.) You could see the droopiness in her eyes, but she was mostly okay. She had a couple of moody moments, but overall was pretty good. At one point she wanted a drink, and got a hold of my freshly filled water pitcher. As it poured all over the floor she got kind of upset. But after a little bit she felt better.

Poor Rachel's Almanac

Rachel is having a tough time. She still had a fever this morning, so Jeff called the pediatrician's office and got Rachel an appointment at 9:30. Jeff's mom took her to the doctor, and Rachel was diagnosed with an ear infection in both ears. The doctor gave her a prescription for an antibiotic. I hate being out of commission with Rachel sick. Hopefully we can get Rachel back to her healthy, happy self really soon.

Dr. Hill came to see me this morning. Nothing new with me. I haven't had any terbutaline today. (The day is not over yet, though.)

Too Much Excitement

This morning Dr. Alumbaugh came in to see me. She was concerned that I have been having so many contractions lately. She decided to test me to see if I had a UTI, which could be the cause. So I was tested, but it came back negative. Turns out my uterus is still to blame.

And today was no different. During my morning monitoring session I was contracting again. It wasn't too bad, but it was bad enough that they decided to hit me with another shot of terbutaline. Can you get addicted to that stuff? I can't seem to make it through a day without it anymore. I have had at least one shot every day since (and including) Friday. As long as it works to stop my labor it's okay, and so far it seems to be working fine.

Yesterday on her way home from Grandma's, Rachel threw up. (Sorry about your car Grandma!) Jeff decided to stay home with her in the morning to see how her tummy would last, and then send her to her little friend's house in the afternoon, but then she threw up again right before she went to bed. We decided that Rachel should spend the whole day at home. I didn't really want Jeff to have to miss an entire day of work, so I found a friend who didn't have small children who could watch Rachel in the afternoon. Hopefully she will be all better, and be back to her traveling ways tomorrow.

32 Weeks

Today I achieved the milestone of reaching 32 weeks. If I would not have gone home before, I would be going home today. But I'm not. To commemorate the 32 week milestone I had an ultrasound this morning. Okay, it wasn't really to commemorate anything, but the doctor ordered it, so I went.

Things I learned because of the ultrasound:
1. Baby Gaby will not be a bald baby. She has a lot of hair. Any guesses as to the color?
2. Baby Gaby weighs 3 lbs. 15 oz. That measures at 31 weeks 6 days, so basically right on track.

Today makes 1 week since my return to the hospital. Two (who am I kidding? more likely four) weeks to go until I get to go home again - if I last that long.

Dr. Schweichler came to see me this morning. She didn't really have anything new to tell me. She did say that it is great that I've made it to 32 weeks. Do you realize this whole thing started 10 weeks ago tomorrow?

I get my progesterone shot today. I used to get it Wednesday nights, but things got switched up with my brief hiatus at home. Now I get it Monday mornings. So at 10:00 (or so) you can think kind thoughts. Speaking of shots, I have gotten 5 shots of terbutaline since Friday. Two on Friday, two on Saturday, and one yesterday (Sunday). Can you say "pincushion?"

These pictures are from a couple of days ago - Saturday. Rachel and Jeff came to visit me, and were here when my lunch arrived. Rachel saw that giant rice krispie treat, and made herself right at home. Jeff ate some of it too. Thankfully they left some for me.

Contractions

Jeff just blogged about contractions. He meant something different. He's talking about combining two words using an apostrophe. I'm blogging about contractions too, but I mean the kind that make a person have a baby.

I am monitored three times a day for about 45 minutes to an hour each time. During that time they listen to the baby's heartbeat, and they watch my contractions, or preferably lack thereof. Well yesterday during the morning and the night monitoring I was contracting enough that they came in with a shot of terbutaline. If you have never had the pleasure, let me assure you it is a slightly painful shot. It's not nearly as bad as the progesterone, but still, it burns. I checked the internet to see if there was a full moon, but there wasn't. In fact there was a new moon last night. That's like the opposite.

But I wasn't alone. Turns out many of my fellow inmates suffered the same fate. The nurses were scurrying around trying to keep babies on the inside where they belong.

Dr. Horlander came in to see me again, and she reported that she had quite a busy night last night too. Babies everywhere.

Funny story. After Dr. Horlander left I got up to use the bathroom. (A perfectly acceptable thing to do.) As I was going back to bed she stuck her head in, and thought she had caught me red-handed violating my rules. I told her that I promised I had just gone to the bathroom. But I swear, I never felt so guilty for answering nature's call! Okay, it wasn't that funny of a story, but I tried to find something different to talk about for a change.

FAIL

I wish people would stop saying that I "failed at-home bed rest therapy." So what if it's true? At first nobody said "fail," but now everybody is throwing that phrase around about me.

Dr. Horlander came to see me this morning. She told me that I'm in good company, because she failed at-home bed rest therapy too. We decided to change the phrase to "postponed success." Very PC, don't you think?

Next Saturday is the Kentucky Derby. I think I'm going to have a party. Bring chips and drinks, and we'll watch the Derby from my hospital room.

This weekend is the Rolex Three Day Event in Lexington. If you want to see it, it will be covered on Sunday May 3 on NBC from 5:00 to 6:00 Eastern Time.

With all these plans for next weekend, I sure hope Gaby doesn't come before then!

As long as I'm planning for the future, the Kentucky Scottish Weekend is coming up May 8 and 9. I have been wanting to take Jeff there ever since we got married, but every single year something comes up making it impossible. This year is no exception.

Exciting Morning

I had kind of an exciting morning this morning. Dr. Bell came in to see me. It was before 8:00. She didn't really have anything new to tell me, but she implied the 36 week target for me. Shortly afterward my nurse came in to monitor me and the baby. I didn't really notice it that much, but the nurse said I was having contractions. Six per hour is kind of the limit of what is acceptable, and she counted 4 in a half an hour. So she called my doctor and got an order to give me another shot of terbutaline. That's my first time for this particular hospital stay.

I asked the nurse about what the story is with Braxton-Hicks contractions. I thought they were no big deal. She said the only way to tell the difference between Braxton-Hicks and true labor is what it does to my cervix, which (thankfully) they will leave alone for now. So basically the idea is to stop all contractions, just in case.

Why the hospital is a nice place to live.

Now that I am an experienced hospital dweller, I am learning some of the tricks to make this place better. One thing I have learned is if I want it, ask for it. I don't have to wait for somebody to offer it.

1. I get chocolate milk whenever I want (which is rather frequently).
2. I get rice krispie treats. The ones I've gotten lately aren't as big as last time, but today for lunch they gave me two.
3. I get ice cream. I'm limited to vanilla, chocolate and strawberry unless I can convince somebody to buy me a specialty flavor, but I can live with the simple flavors.
4. That's about it.

Today I got a visitor from the "Family and Pregnancy Educator" who supposedly taught me how to nurse. For some reason I don't think I'll really get it until there is actually a real baby involved.

Dr. Hill came to see me today. Nothing new. I guess it is rather up in the air if I am sent home at 34 weeks or 36 weeks or whenever. They will reevaluate me when I get to 34 weeks. I guess I'll learn my fate then.

Today Rachel is 19 months old

I don't have any pictures from today, but here are some pics from this past Sunday. She was in quite a fun mood.

Rachel is starting to get pretty handy with a spoon.


I don't know what she's doing here, but I'm sure it was fun.


Rachel found where all the barrettes and ponytail holders were. It's a good thing, because we couldn't find them anywhere. Anyway, she wanted them all in her hair, so I complied.

Hang IN there Gaby!

In. Got it? IN.

Dr. Case came in to see me this morning. My nurse put a bug in her ear that I was hoping for wheelchair privileges again. Sorry. No such luck. But it's not for me. Rachel likes going for rides. Yeah . . . no. Maybe in a week or two. She also said she wants my company until I hit 36 weeks. But Dr. Alumbaugh said I only needed to stay to 34 weeks. Yeah, but Dr. Case wants 36. So my stay could last a little longer than I planned. But even so, Dr. Case doesn't necessarily believe I'll make it to 36 weeks anyway. But she does think that if I go home the baby will come pretty quick.

So I'm really hoping for time to FLY. So far these past couple of days have dragged a little.

More Information

This morning my doctor came it to see me. It was the same doctor who I saw yesterday in the office. I had two follow-up questions for her:

1. I asked a little bit more about the condition of my cervix.
2. How confident did she feel that if I stayed in the hospital, that I would make it for three more weeks.

She told me that I was 3-4 cm dilated, which I already knew because she told me that yesterday. The new information that I didn't know was that I was (am) 70% effaced.

She said that she was quite confident that if I had gone home I would for sure have the baby within the next three weeks, which she didn't want, but that if I stayed in the hospital they would be able to intervene quickly to stop labor, and I would likely last for three weeks.

34 weeks is still early, but she feels much better about a 34 week baby than she does a 31 week baby. I can't really argue with that.

Jeff reported to me that Rachel was pretty ticked off that I wasn't home this morning. She was headed down to see me, and when she saw that I wasn't there she flipped. I also heard from Jeff that Rachel wasn't quite as happy today as normally is. She came to see me this evening, so hopefully she knows I'm still around, and she will be a little more cheerful over the next 3 weeks (or so).

I have some pictures of Rachel from this past Sunday. As soon as I get the card reader from home I'll try to get them posted. She was really funny on Sunday. We had a great day.

I'm back.

This morning I had a doctor's appointment. I was actually feeling pretty good, better than either of the two prior weeks. I was armed with questions about maybe relaxing some of my restrictions, you know, like the wheelchair.

Well, she examined me, and without going into the gory details, I will just say that she did not like what she saw, and sent me back to the hospital for three more weeks.

She doesn't want a 31 week baby, but she can live with a 34 week baby, I guess.

My appointment was at 9:40, although I wasn't actually seen until much later than that. Nevertheless, I was in the hospital by 12:00 noon. Since I wasn't planning for this, I didn't have any of my hospital survival kit, namely the computer. I sent a list of needs and wants with my mother-in-law, then waited until Jeff arrived with all my stuff.

Well, that's my news. Not exactly good news, but not terrible either. The nurses and hospital staff all welcomed me back with opened arms.

No Soup for You! Or whatever

Jeff mentioned this morning that we should look into renting a wheelchair so that I can go for a walk and enjoy the nice weather. Being the obedient, compliant, submissive person that I am I called my doctor's office to ask A) if it is OK if I took a walk with a wheelchair, and B) where we could rent one.

My doctor called me back and said no. But it's not all bad. She said to ask again at my appointment on Monday, but to take it extremely easy this weekend, meaning STRICT bed rest. It is so crazy because I feel fine right now. Of course I didn't feel so fine this past Monday after my Easter field trip, so I am not inclined to argue with her. But I admit I was a little disappointed that she said no. It is a beautiful sunny day outside today, at least that's what it says on the internet.

Rachel is growing up so fast. She was playing outside with Jeff yesterday, and he took some pictures.


Scout stayed inside with me. I took some pictures of him. Either he is extremely lazy, or he has been watching me and is practicing bed rest too.


Here is another picture of Rachel from several days ago. She's wearing my shoes.

Easter

Great-Grandma Hatton bought Rachel her Easter outfit. She was looking for something more frilly, but couldn't find just the right thing. She figured with me out of the way she could dress Rachel any way she wanted. She settled on a pretty dress with pink flowers. She also got her some new shoes. Rachel's last pair of Sunday shoes I bought back in early January, but she has outgrown them. Her new shoes are size 6. They have a real sole. She seems so grown up in them. She really loves shoes. Jeff was pretty dressed up for Easter too.


After church we all (even me) went to Jeff's parents' house for Easter dinner. The little kids had an Easter egg hunt. Rachel caught on right away.


She got so skilled she even figured out "finding" eggs in the other kids' baskets. I think she only managed to get one of two from other kids.


After dinner Jeff and the other guys played cornhole. Jeff's cousin Becky helped Rachel play on the playground. Rachel really hit it off with Becky the first time she met her several months ago when Becky first came home from her mission. I don't know how she manages it, but Becky seems to get Rachel to eat her veggies better than anybody.


Yesterday I had a doctors appointment. I got a phone call early that morning from the office telling me that the doctor with whom I was scheduled was ill, and did I mind seeing someone else instead. No problem. I ended up seeing a different doctor. I've seen all of the doctors in that office because of my time in the hospital, and the doctor I ended up seeing was someone I've actually seen quite a lot. After being allowed a field trip on Easter I asked about being able to go to church every Sunday. I didn't even get out my question all the way before she said "absolutely NO!" She said to ask again when I get to 34 weeks, so four more weeks. I ended up getting my progesterone shot yesterday, which is kind of good because now I only have to go the office once a week. I can get my check-up and shot at the same time. It was kind of bad because it still hurt like crazy.

I had kind of a bad day yesterday. A lot of things were bothering me. My injection site hurt (a lot). My abdominal muscles were feeling pretty beat up (I guess from being up and around going to the doctor). I must have eaten something that upset my stomach because I felt all afternoon an urge to throw up, which I never did. And to top it off my side pain was going like gangbusters. I didn't have a restful morning at all, so I really tried to take it extremely easy in the afternoon. But I felt bad all day. Today I feel better, but I'm not going to push it. I just hope that some day I will be able to be myself again. I guess I must have overdone it on Sunday. No wonder my doctor says no church for me.

I have been on bed rest for eight weeks today. Happy anniversary to me!

Shot fail

I updated my facebook status Tuesday that I was getting my progesterone shot. You know, the one I always complain about because it hurts. Well, the whole thing was a gigantic fiasco. I had gone to my doctor on Monday, and I was expecting to get the shot that day, but I didn't because I hadn't filled the prescription for the progesterone. I thought they would have it at the office. But they didn't. I was supposed to have filled it and brought it with me. I didn't adequately understand my discharge instructions. So I went to the pharmacy to fill the prescription as I left the doctor's office. I was supposed to go to a specific pharmacy because most pharmacies don't have the ability to prepare it the way it needs. So I went to the pharmacy and they told me that they could have it ready the next day after 1:00, but they don't participate with any insurance companies. I decided to try another pharmacy instead. (Again, not clearly understanding my instructions.) I went to Walgreens and they said, sure we have it. Well, not in stock but we'll have it in the morning. Great, I thought, so I left the prescription with them, and I went home.

A couple of hours later I got a call from my doctor saying that Walgreens couldn't fill it, and I needed to go to the other pharmacy. (It's called Art Jacob's Prescription Shoppe.) It would be ready after 1:00 on Tuesday, and then I should go to the doctor's office for the shot.

On Tuesday Heather gave me a ride to the pharmacy, but when we got there there was a sign that said it was closed due to an emergency until 3:30. Well, Heather had to pick up her son at 3:30. I called my doctor and told them what was going on, and they said just come back tomorrow (Wednesday). Heather had another obligation on Wednesday, but she found me another ride with Sister Wilson.

On Wednesday I picked up the prescription, then went to the doctor's office and got my shot.


I was very very bad!

Last night at about 11:00 Jeff was getting ready to come down to bed, but as he went into the hallway he was assaulted by an awful smell. He went in to check on Rachel who was lying asleep in a giant pool of vomit. I violated the terms of my parole and went upstairs to help clean her up and take care of her. While I was holding her (bad me!) she threw up some more. I sent Jeff to Wal Mart to buy some Pedialyte and I gave Rachel a bath (bad, bad me). Then we laid down together until Jeff got home. He remade her bed/crib while I held her, and we put her back down to bed. She slept well through the rest of the night, and this morning she seemed okay. I'm still going to keep her on Pedialyte and the B.R.A.T. diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) today. I'm hoping last night was a one-time thing. At least that it doesn't reoccur until I am back, because while I felt extremely guilty for getting out of bed, I would have felt even more guilty leaving Jeff to take care of such a giant mess, and not being there for Rachel. Please don't tell on me to my doctor.


Today is my Mom's birthday

If she were alive she would be 80 today. Happy birthday Mom.

Half Way There

I have now been on bed rest for 7 weeks (tomorrow), and there are no more than 7 weeks of bed rest ahead of me. I've made it half way there.

I had a doctors appointment today. She said that I'm looking pretty good. After checking myself out in the mirror, I had to agree! (Just kidding.) Anyway, I asked her if I could join the rest of the family next Sunday for Easter Sunday dinner. She said I could. She said I could either go to church or go to dinner. Am I a bad person because I chose dinner? I have another appointment next Monday. I'll ask if I can go to church then. As long as I am doing well they will slowly remove my restrictions.

Rachel is getting to be too bold on the stairs. It used to be that she would always approach the stairs with care, and descend backwards. She now likes to go down facing forward, stepping down. I don't like it. She fell down the stairs on Saturday because she is trying to go down the grown-up way. I want to turn back some time (Rachel), but turn forward other time (bed rest). That's pretty hard to do.

Today Rachel became obsessed with the camera. She figured out how to take pictures. Here are some examples of her photography skills.


Here's a picture I took. Surprise, surprise, Rachel is hanging out in bed with me.

The Latest

A few days ago a friend came over with a craft project for me. You know how I am with crafts (terrible). But I actually managed to pull this one off. First I made a hat for baby Gaby, then I made a hat for Rachel. Can you guess which is which?


Rachel likes hanging out in bed with me (sometimes). How many pictures of Rachel and me in bed do you think I'll post in the next couple of months?


Rachel wearing Daddy's shoes.


We caught Rachel in a not-so-great mood for this picture. She is sitting in Scout's bed drinking milk. Why the sad face? No idea.



I found this awesome Water and Sand Activity Center that I really wanted for Rachel. She loves being outside, but we don't have that many outside toys. She really likes water, so I thought she would enjoy this. It arrived yesterday, and Jeff assembled it (placing 16 screws) between Conference sessions. So far it only has water, but we'll get some sand for it soon. In the meantime, I think she likes it.

Home Sweet Home

I'm home now. I got here Monday evening. Nothing really new has happened. That's why I haven't blogged lately, but I've been getting complaints about my absence. Okay, one complaint. But now you see that each and every one of my readers is important to me.

Mornings are definitely my most difficult time. I am a morning person. Jeff is not. It is really hard for me to watch him try to get everything and everybody ready for the day in a limited amount of time, and I'm not allowed to help. During the rest of the day it's not bad. I stay in bed. I admit that I have succumbed to temptation a couple of times and gotten out of bed for reasons other than the approved bathroom break and shower, but only when I felt that I had no choice. I can really tell the difference when I have done too much. "Too much" doesn't take a lot. So far somebody has brought me lunch every day. That is a great blessing because fixing lunch is not a doctor-approved activity.

Yesterday evening when Rachel came home she kind of ignored me. She knew I was around, and apparently that was enough because she wasn't interested in seeing me. Not so this morning. Jeff's Mom came this morning (makes mornings easier on Jeff), and this morning Rachel seemingly couldn't get enough of me. She was being so sweet too.

Here's a cute Rachel story: Last night shortly before Rachel's bedtime she was in bed with me. I asked her "Where's the baby?" Rachel lifted up my shirt and pointed to my (now extremely large) belly. I said "Can you give the baby a kiss?" She leaned over and gave my belly a kiss.

I don't remember if it was last night or the night before when I asked her to give me a kiss. She came at my face with her tongue sticking way out. It was quite the kiss.