As I type this post I am sitting in a hospital room trying to absorb our sudden change in circumstances! On Monday December 5th I had my monthly appointment and my OB noticed my blood pressure was high at 154/91. She told me to take the rest of the week off work, relax, and return on Thursday to re-check it. Well, on Tuesday I stayed home, sent out my Christmas cards, and made chicken pot pie for dinner. To be honest I was excited about the forced staycation for a few days!
That night (well really Wednesday morning at 1:30 a.m.) I woke up because I thought I wet the bed. I heard this could happen because of the baby being on your bladder, but in my mind I knew that wasn't true. I could tell it was a rush of warm liquid, and the worst came to mind. I woke Sean up saying, "Sean, something's wrong!" and he sat up in bed quicker than I've even seen him. You have to understand my husband is a heavy sleeper, and it usually takes him a long time to wake up! I had him look to see if it was blood, and when he said it wasn't I was so relieved. Then he went into hospital mode while I stood there trying to figure out what to do. Sean said I started shivering and said I was cold, but he knew it was my adrenaline making me freak a bit. He called 911 and they transferred him to our hospital so they would be expecting us in labor and delivery. We got dressed, packed a bag, and drove to the hospital while it was snowing! The entire drive Sean was such a rock and said everything was going to be fine while I repeated, "It's too early..."
We checked into the hospital, and they asked us a billion questions. When I had to fill out the form and I didn't have the name of a pediatrician yet, I suddenly realized we were not prepared for Belle to arrive! Even though my water broke they were able to give me medication to stop labor since I wasn't dialated. I was also given steroids to mature Belle's lungs while in the womb, and they monitored me for the rest of the night. I was also put on an IV and had antibiotics administered to prevent infection. Sean and I can honestly say that was the worst night's sleep we have ever had. He was sleeping on the uncomfortable couch, and I was hooked up to so many machines I could barely move. In the morning, they moved us to the high-risk pregnancy unit where the beds are much more comfortable. My doctor ordered an ultrasound and we confirmed she's a girl (just to make sure :-), her head was down in position, and she weighs approximately 4 pounds 11 ounces. They want to keep her safe in my womb until she is 34 weeks on December 14th, and will likely induce labor on Thursday or Friday.
I immediately began contacting family and friends and asked them to pray for us. Sean and I were overwhelmed by the love and support we received! Just an example, on the second day at the hospital I had 11 visitors! Thank you to everyone for keeping me from being lonely while Sean works and takes care of things for us outside the hospital!
Due to my emergency circumstances, Sean and I do feel a little lost because we aren't getting to make the birth plan decisions that we had discussed. I will receive Pictocin to induce labor rather than going into labor naturally, and we have decided to go ahead with an epidural injection if I need it. I think me being in the hospital on bedrest is harder on my husband than me because he has to take care of our lives without me. He is still going to work, feeding the dog, paying the bills, and preparing our house for Belle's arrival. Thank goodness we did alot of the "baby stuff" early like the baby showers, completed most of the nursery, and we even had time to take maternity photos!
Last night we took a tour of the NICU to see where Belle would go when she is born. The babies are so tiny, and when Sean walked in the ward he said something to the effect of, "Oh man!" I was more matter-of-fact about it and asked lots of questions. Even though they seem so fragile, I learned that babies are resilient and can survive much more difficult circumstances than what Belle will be born into.
After our tour, Sean and I finally had time to sit in my room and talk about how much our life will change next week. It is a little sad that we didn't have the extra time to prepare for her birth, but we are beyond excited to be a family. Before he left to go home to sleep, he rubbed my belly and talked to Belle while I laid there listening. I asked him why he did that, and he said he wanted her to know his voice. Those tender moments make life worthwhile. We know all we can do is pray for her to be born healthy, and all I want for Christmas this year is for my sweet baby to be at home with us.
We appreciate the thoughts and prayers and we will keep everyone updated.
Here's a little something fun, we took some maternity photos with the amazing Candice Mitchell Web & Design, and here are a few shots:
Love,
