Monday, June 29, 2009

24 week milestone

It has been an eventful weekend!! We made it to 24 weeks on saturday which is HUGE!! My parents came down on Friday and we all celebrated on Saturday. Briny and my dad brought me dinner (oh so yummy and a nice break from hospital food) and then ice cream!! I am spoiled!! Sunday Briny and my dad came over for a little bit and then went home to grill and have a guys night! I figured Briny needed a break from driving home at night and going straight to bed. Plus, I figured the puppies needed some attention and somewhat normal day!!
We did get some news on Saturday. I had my one hour glucose tolerance test and it was high so I was scheduled for a three hour test. They make you drink this orange drink which is DISGUSTING!! The three hour test was started at 4 a.m. so I wouldn't have to miss breakfast and lunch. (you have to fast for at least 8 hours before the test) Well, my fasting blood sugar was normal but I TANKED the other 3 blood draws! BOO!! Now, I have to have finger pricks every morning and 2 hours after every meal!! So far today my morning was normal and after breakfast was normal but after lunch and dinner, I have received insulin. I was freaking out but the nurses assure me this is normal and I have a mild case so far!! Let's just hope that stays the same for a while!! Otherwise my fingers will fall off!!
Some good news, my blood pressure has been normal without meds!! My kidneys are still producing too much protein and my liver functions are on the high side of normal so they have to watch this but so far so true diagnosis of preeclampsia that they have told be about.
What an eventful pregnancy this is turning out to be!! The babies have decided to start kicking and playing ALL of the time!! They are doing well! I had an ultrasound today and they were bouncing around and all three were "practice breathing." The nurses and doctors say this is a good thing and shows they are developing at a good and healthy pace!! I also have to be hooked up to monitors for at least an hour a day. It measures the babies' heartbeats and any contractions. So far, no contractions, so that this great!! Addi and Jack (affectionately A & C) are relatively good about not running from the monitors but Kate (little B) is a runner!! She kicks the monitor if the nurse presses on her and she rolls wherever she can to get away! The nurse has to sit on the edge of the bed and hold the monitor on her so she can move it around to try to catch her!! I have to lay still the entire time which is a challenge but worth it!! It is amazingly calming to hear the heartbeats for all that time. It reassures me of my purpose right now!!
I have to thank Briny for all he has done in the last few months!! While I was at home on bedrest, he was amazing keeping up with things and taking care of me. Now, he is my support and what gets me through the hard times during the day!! I love his visits and how he takes such good care of me! It is the cutest thing when he talks to the belly button a.k.a. "the microphone" to talk to the three babies!! He rarely misses a night of talking to them! Lately, he has been taking me on wheelchair rides around the hospital after dinner most nights to give me a change of scenery! We sit outside together and just talk. It has been some of the best times of me being here! Also, our parents have been here supporting us and truly deserve more thanks than we will ever be able to give!! They make the weeks pass quickly by coming to visit in intervals!!
Overall, I now know I am in the right place. The alone time can seem like it is stretching out forever but it really is a lot of time to get to know myself again!! I also think this has strengthened our marriage and family!! I can't wait to see the little ones but I am thankful to God that they are still cooking and getting healthier every day!!

Thanks to all of you who have supported us through this! It has made this so much better than I could ever have imagined and we genuinely appreciate all the thoughts and prayers!!

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Doctor = Hospital

Okay, so it is officially time to catch this blog up!! A lot has happened over the last month! We finally settled into home bedrest and had a routine going! Then came June 10. We went to our appointment with the high risk doctors (MFM) for the anatomy ultrasounds of the babies. We found out that Addi and Kate were right at 1 pound each and Jack is 1.1 pounds. They all have healthy organs and parts so far, everything is normal!! Whoo!! However, we also found out that my first cerclage slipped and my cervix was down to .7cm!! I fell apart!! The doctor told us there was no other thing to do other than take the high high risk of putting another cerclage in so I was scheduled for surgery the next morning and went straight to the hospital. They put me basically upside down all night!!! Briny had to feed me and everything! I could not get out of bed!! All of the parents came down and by the grace of God, we successfully got through the surgery!! the risk was of rupturing the membranes and inducing labor, which at that point, 21+ weeks, the babies had no chance of survival. HUGE sigh of releif getting through that!!

So a couple of days later, the head MFM told me I was here for the duration of our pregnancy!! I was shocked and a little depressed. It was at that moment that I realized that this was not a normal pregnancy that all girls dream of and I started searching for the reason that this happened to me!! I have now been here exactly 2 weeks and am proud of our progress! My cervix is now close to 3 cm and I was taken off the blood pressure meds and my blood pressure seems to be regulating itself!! I do have some signs of developing preeclampsia but they are even getting better just by me being here and resting!

This time has been trying. Brian comes over every night for dinner and a couple of hours. We go on wheelchair rides most nights and outside when it is not 100 degrees!! I know he is tired so I try to get him home in time to get a good nights sleep! Our puppies, Hogan and Ping, are in shock but I think are adjusting!! This time has given me a lot of thinking time which has been a good thing!! I have come to beleive that we are truly blessed with these three little miracles and our faith is stronger now than ever!! Maybe that is the reason for this hospital stay!!