Sunday, February 28, 2010
Water retention is almost gone!
Woo hoo! Check this out...my feet are almost back to normal. Hallelujah!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
On the road to recovery
So there I was, healing in the hospital. Bobby just ended up stayed with me for all of the days and nights after the babies were born (poor guy stayed in the hospital almost as long as I did). It was sort of an endless stream of feeding the babies, sleeping, trying to walk around as best I could. We had all of our nurses stop by for a visit at one time of another. Turns out, I was the longest patient there at the time, and I think they developed a special fondness for my girls. It was a little sad saying good-bye to all those wonderful people.
Anyway, so we are thinking "whew" - We had made it through. Everything was looking great. Until my blood pressure was checked when I got off the magnesium sulfate. It was through the roof! I mean really high. Higher than it has ever been. Plus, I was retaining so much water it felt like my feet would bust open. I couldn't even bend my ankles at one point - ouch! Here is a little visual for you all:
They decided to monitor my bp at more regular intervals and informed me that if it didn't go down, I wouldn't be released as planned. What!?! I swear I thought there was a conspiracy to keep me at that darn hospital. They wanted me to make minimum movements - so basically back to bed rest and to keep the lights low and basically try to remain stress free. Uh, I just gave birth to 2, count them, 2 babies. Yep, stress free was gonna be easy.
Needless to say, my bp just kept rising and rising. They did keep us an extra day and finally agreed to let me go home, with a prescription of bp medicine and a promise that I would have my bp checked by my local dr 2 days later. I agreed, and I did have it checked...still high. This is something that I will have to talk to my doc about up my follow up appt this week.
Anywho, the girls did great on their Apgar, hearing tests, and jaundice tests. Emma was given a fully clean bill of health. Briar on the other hand had a little heart murmur. In fact there were 3 issues with her heart. The first two were heart murmurs. One that should clear up within 72 hours and the other was something that normally cleared up on it's own within a couple of weeks. Last checked it looked like both of these had cleared up.
The third thing was a little different. It's called Ventricular septal defect (vsd) and basically Briar has 3 teeny tiny holes between 2 of her heart chambers. They saw these on an ekg. Sometimes this clears up on it's own (here's hoping!). Otherwise they will monitor it and may possibly have to go in through a vein in her leg, up to her heart and patch it. If it gets worse (unlikely) then she may have to have actual surgery. The dr. used the term "open heart surgery" which frankly I think should never be used around new parents, even if the possibility of it is not likely. That's just a scary thing to hear. So, right now we just watch it. She has an appointment with a cardiologist in about 5 weeks and hopefully the little holes will have healed.
That's about it for the birth story. They finally let us leave the hospital, and we made the 2 hour trek home. I had been gone for 25 days and was thrilled to get back to my house. My mom has been here helping us out (thank goodness), and my dad was given a reprieve from taking care of Connor for the past 3 weeks.
The nights have been long, and the girls seem to like to tag team their crying, but we are figuring each other out slowly but surely. Breastfeeding started off pretty great, but the girls had lost weight so we had to supplement with formula and now we are having all kinds of issues. Half the time I am tempted to throw in the towel and go to formula, and half the time I feel inspired to see it through. It takes a lot more of a commitment than I realized and I'm not sure what I will end up doing.
Things with me are slowly going back to normal. I am losing weight at a pretty good pace - almost back to my pre-prego weight. Now I just need to get down to my pre-IVF weight and then my pre-infertility weight. (looks like I have a ways to go). I still look 5 months pregnant regardless of the weight loss, and I am not loving what I've been told is called "twin skin". You see, when I was pregnant my skin was stretched so tight that now it just kind of hangs around my middle. Oh and to make things a little more cruel, spots where I never saw stretch marks are showing stretch marks - how the heck did that happen?
Bobby keeps reminding me that it was only a week and a half ago that we had these babies and to give it time. But when you have put your body through all I have these past 7 years, you kind of forget what you used to look like, and then you get a little anxious to get back to that place.
Alright, I suppose that just about sums it all up.
Till next time.....
Friday, February 26, 2010
C-Section
Ok, where was I? Oh yes, my c-section...
So, there I was, being bombarded with people talking to me. They were explaining the epidural and how it would work. I explained that I was really freaked out because it kept wearing off and I was worried that would happen during the section. They kept reassuring me, but it didn't help. One of my favorite nurses (the one with the ice packs) came in, I started crying and she asked if I was ok. I told her I was freaking out, and she asked what I was freaking out about. I listed all my worries and like an angel, we talked about each one until I had finally calmed down. Seriously, she has to be one of the best nurses ever.
I also had about 5 people all around me, moving the ice packs, unhooking me to monitors, re-hooking me up to things, etc. They threw some scrubs at Bobby and he quickly changed. It all happened so fast, it's kind of a blur.
They sent Bobby to a waiting room and wheeled me into the Baby delivery OR. I was now shaking uncontrollably at this point, partially due to the fever, partially due to labor, and mostly due to fear I suspect. The OR was rather chaotic. People were hustling around, I was moved to a table, they strapped my feet down, and showed me where I could rest my arms. They put oxygen in my nose and started testing whether or not my epidural was sufficient. I told them my right side was completely numb, but that I could feel their little scratch test on my left. They said they were adjusting. I just kept asking where Bobby was...things seemed to be moving so fast and it was becoming very apparent that what I thought was just a run of the mill c-section was more of an emergency c-section. Where the hell was Bobby!?!
They finally let Bobby in. I was so happy to see him. He sat by my head, and the Doc started the section. Remember when I said I had a little feeling left on my left side and they said they were adjusting it. Well, they never rechecked and oops...my left side wasn't completely numb. It felt like this stinging, burning sensation that hurt like a mo-fo. My right side? Nothing, just a little pressure and tugging. My left side, son-of-a-%&*@#!
I told them what I was feeling and they said they were trying to fix it, but it would take time and I could either grin and bear it or they could knock me out. If they knocked me out, Bobby would have had to leave the room, so I chose the grin and bear it option - only I didn't really grin so much as I complained about the pain pretty much the entire time.
Emma was born at 8:24pm. It was the weirdest feeling. It was a lot of tugging, then relief. Like I had this bowling ball lifted off my abdomen...like I hadn't taken a real breath in 9 months, and suddenly my lungs were full of air - it's hard to describe, but it was certainly a welcome feeling. They showed the baby to us and took over to clean her up. Briar was born 2 minutes later at 8:26pm. Same feelings, only this time when they were done, I felt a little empty. Relieved still, but empty - my pregnancy was officially over.
Bobby went over to the babies and brought them over to show me. By now, because the babies were out of me, they were able to give me some pretty heavy narcotics, so I was officially out of it. I vaguely remember seeing my girls - I wish that moment had been different. Bobby and the girls left and the Doc started stitching me up. Whatever they gave me to knock me out made me violently ill and the rest of my time in the OR was spent vomiting anything I had eaten for the last 10 years. I was told they'd never seen someone throw up so much in the OR - do I get a special award for that? I also lost quite a bit of blood and had to be given a medication to slow the bleeding. To put it mildly, I was a shit show. Things did not go smoothly -but in the end, all that matters is that my girls were born healthy.
From this point on, it was all a blur. Little bits and pieces of time are all I can recollect during the 3 or 4 hours I was in recovery. Bobby coming in and being so excited about our girls. Nurses attending to me. Pain, then no pain. Blur.
I was finally wheeled to my room. They put us back in the Ante-partum unit, because I was being started on magnesium sulfate (to stop any seizure that my pre-e might cause) and the nurses in this unit were better at attending to "high risk" patients. I was also on a saline drip, pitocin, and some pretty nice happy drugs - I think I had a total of 5 IV's plugged into my port.
I visited with my mom and Bobby's mom. I got to see my babies - Finally! And I attempted to nurse. It was a very busy night. The magnesium sulfate wasn't as bad as everyone says. I never felt sick, just really dry mouthed. Like desert dry. Like cotton mouth, sand paper, someone give me a freakin drink of water dry. Yuck! The mag was to be administered for 24 hours. I was given ice chips to eat in moderation and a wet wash cloth to suck on. This was a very long night. I had a little pain, was thirsty and was trying to absorb all that had happened in the past couple of days.
The next day, I was feeling better - still super thirsty. Since I was doing so well, they allowed me some orange slices (I misunderstood and ate the whole orange - oops), a Popsicle and things like that. I probably would have paid a million dollars for a Popsicle at that point, and actually cried when I ate it because it was such a relief. I nursed as best I could all day. The lactation consultant came in and gave me some tips. I tried tandem feeding for the first time. It was ok, but not something I felt I could do on a regular basis by myself. I could tell I was on the mend, and kept pestering my doc to tell me how long I would be the hospital - I had been there 20 days and was ready to be home. They said they would keep me for about 4 days and then release me.
Oh, and the girls. My beautiful girls! They were born so healthy, they didn't even have to go to the NICU to be evaluated. I had done it. I made it to 37 weeks. I helped to ensure my girls would be born healthy. I avoided the scary NICU. I felt so proud of myself...I didn't give birth how I planned, but all that didn't seem to matter. My little family of 3 was now I family of 5. A healthy family of 5. Awesome!
Better get going. Next on my blog...I thought I was on the road to being healthier, but of course this is me we are talking about so there was inevitably another bump in the road that threatened our release from the hospital. Also, we found out that Briar might have a health issue....
So, there I was, being bombarded with people talking to me. They were explaining the epidural and how it would work. I explained that I was really freaked out because it kept wearing off and I was worried that would happen during the section. They kept reassuring me, but it didn't help. One of my favorite nurses (the one with the ice packs) came in, I started crying and she asked if I was ok. I told her I was freaking out, and she asked what I was freaking out about. I listed all my worries and like an angel, we talked about each one until I had finally calmed down. Seriously, she has to be one of the best nurses ever.
I also had about 5 people all around me, moving the ice packs, unhooking me to monitors, re-hooking me up to things, etc. They threw some scrubs at Bobby and he quickly changed. It all happened so fast, it's kind of a blur.
They sent Bobby to a waiting room and wheeled me into the Baby delivery OR. I was now shaking uncontrollably at this point, partially due to the fever, partially due to labor, and mostly due to fear I suspect. The OR was rather chaotic. People were hustling around, I was moved to a table, they strapped my feet down, and showed me where I could rest my arms. They put oxygen in my nose and started testing whether or not my epidural was sufficient. I told them my right side was completely numb, but that I could feel their little scratch test on my left. They said they were adjusting. I just kept asking where Bobby was...things seemed to be moving so fast and it was becoming very apparent that what I thought was just a run of the mill c-section was more of an emergency c-section. Where the hell was Bobby!?!
They finally let Bobby in. I was so happy to see him. He sat by my head, and the Doc started the section. Remember when I said I had a little feeling left on my left side and they said they were adjusting it. Well, they never rechecked and oops...my left side wasn't completely numb. It felt like this stinging, burning sensation that hurt like a mo-fo. My right side? Nothing, just a little pressure and tugging. My left side, son-of-a-%&*@#!
I told them what I was feeling and they said they were trying to fix it, but it would take time and I could either grin and bear it or they could knock me out. If they knocked me out, Bobby would have had to leave the room, so I chose the grin and bear it option - only I didn't really grin so much as I complained about the pain pretty much the entire time.
Emma was born at 8:24pm. It was the weirdest feeling. It was a lot of tugging, then relief. Like I had this bowling ball lifted off my abdomen...like I hadn't taken a real breath in 9 months, and suddenly my lungs were full of air - it's hard to describe, but it was certainly a welcome feeling. They showed the baby to us and took over to clean her up. Briar was born 2 minutes later at 8:26pm. Same feelings, only this time when they were done, I felt a little empty. Relieved still, but empty - my pregnancy was officially over.
Bobby went over to the babies and brought them over to show me. By now, because the babies were out of me, they were able to give me some pretty heavy narcotics, so I was officially out of it. I vaguely remember seeing my girls - I wish that moment had been different. Bobby and the girls left and the Doc started stitching me up. Whatever they gave me to knock me out made me violently ill and the rest of my time in the OR was spent vomiting anything I had eaten for the last 10 years. I was told they'd never seen someone throw up so much in the OR - do I get a special award for that? I also lost quite a bit of blood and had to be given a medication to slow the bleeding. To put it mildly, I was a shit show. Things did not go smoothly -but in the end, all that matters is that my girls were born healthy.
From this point on, it was all a blur. Little bits and pieces of time are all I can recollect during the 3 or 4 hours I was in recovery. Bobby coming in and being so excited about our girls. Nurses attending to me. Pain, then no pain. Blur.
I was finally wheeled to my room. They put us back in the Ante-partum unit, because I was being started on magnesium sulfate (to stop any seizure that my pre-e might cause) and the nurses in this unit were better at attending to "high risk" patients. I was also on a saline drip, pitocin, and some pretty nice happy drugs - I think I had a total of 5 IV's plugged into my port.
I visited with my mom and Bobby's mom. I got to see my babies - Finally! And I attempted to nurse. It was a very busy night. The magnesium sulfate wasn't as bad as everyone says. I never felt sick, just really dry mouthed. Like desert dry. Like cotton mouth, sand paper, someone give me a freakin drink of water dry. Yuck! The mag was to be administered for 24 hours. I was given ice chips to eat in moderation and a wet wash cloth to suck on. This was a very long night. I had a little pain, was thirsty and was trying to absorb all that had happened in the past couple of days.
The next day, I was feeling better - still super thirsty. Since I was doing so well, they allowed me some orange slices (I misunderstood and ate the whole orange - oops), a Popsicle and things like that. I probably would have paid a million dollars for a Popsicle at that point, and actually cried when I ate it because it was such a relief. I nursed as best I could all day. The lactation consultant came in and gave me some tips. I tried tandem feeding for the first time. It was ok, but not something I felt I could do on a regular basis by myself. I could tell I was on the mend, and kept pestering my doc to tell me how long I would be the hospital - I had been there 20 days and was ready to be home. They said they would keep me for about 4 days and then release me.
Oh, and the girls. My beautiful girls! They were born so healthy, they didn't even have to go to the NICU to be evaluated. I had done it. I made it to 37 weeks. I helped to ensure my girls would be born healthy. I avoided the scary NICU. I felt so proud of myself...I didn't give birth how I planned, but all that didn't seem to matter. My little family of 3 was now I family of 5. A healthy family of 5. Awesome!
Better get going. Next on my blog...I thought I was on the road to being healthier, but of course this is me we are talking about so there was inevitably another bump in the road that threatened our release from the hospital. Also, we found out that Briar might have a health issue....
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Did you miss me?
Hello all! I am finally catching a spare minute to update my blog - which, frankly...are few and far between these days.
This post may be broken up into a few posts, depending on length and when I am summoned away by one of my beautiful babes. Oh, yes...the girls have arrived and we are settling into what is our new family/life.
I know my mom updated you all while I was in labor and it appears she did a pretty good job. Labor ended up lasting a total of 27 hours before it was decided to do a c-section. Obviously I wasn't thrilled that my plan of giving birth vaginally had been hijacked but as you will soon read, at the time, I wasn't in a position to really say anything.
It all started wonderfully, we were excited to be induced and the first hours, while it was annoying to constantly have a pill inserted behind my cervix and be stuck to the monitors, we were in pretty good spirits. I was told I could have the epidural at any point, but that I would be stuck in bed and I decided that I would put it off until labor was well on it's way. I was feeling some contractions, but not all of them and felt like I was doing a pretty good job at the laboring thing.
Unfortunately, things were just not going forward. They thought about putting in this other thinning medicine, but instead decided to go straight to the pitocin which would cause stronger contractions and hopefully get my body to do the rest of the work. The pitocin was started and I was ready for my epidural.
The first time they put the epidural in, it veered off track a little and didn't work, so they had to pull it out and do it again. OUCH! I wanted to cry but decided the pain I would feel during labor, would be worse than this epidural pain, so I endured. Finally, it was placed correctly and I was a really happy camper. They gave me the little clicker so I could administer more pain medicine whenever I deemed it was needed. I loved that little button...sadly, the pain returned after only an hour and a half and the anesthesiologist was called down to redose me. I was told that sometimes (especially with multiples) it can take one or two times to get the dosage right. For me, it was 4 times and it seemed like that damn epidural wore off about every 2 hours. I was told, that just happens sometimes. Mmmm-k, thanks, I love knowing that now!
At this point, I was off food, and limited to ice chips. I pestered my nurse into letting me have a drink and she relented, only to take it away from me after just 2 sips saying that she changed her mind and didn't want me to get sick. I didn't care for the nurse at that moment and basically asked my dr. when he came in, if I could have something to drink because my nurse wouldn't let me. She looked pissed and I instantly felt like a bitch, but I was really thirsty. The doc gave the ok and left. The nurse handed me my drink. I drank it. Ten minutes later I was throwing it up and telling the nurse she could say 'I told you so". She graciously declined and we were friends again.
The throwing up should have been my first clue that things weren't going as planned. I was still progressing 1 cm every 2 hours, so at this point we were still going full speed ahead. Then I developed a fever. The dr. was called in and because it was a low grade fever, told us that sometimes that happens in labor. I was still feeling nauseous and more and more flu like, but again, still progressing every 2 hours. Then around 7:00 pm things suddenly changed.
I told Bobby and my nurse that I really didn't feel good...that I felt like I had the flu. That the contractions weren't bothering me so much as feeling sick was. My nurse was very sympathetic and appeared a bit worried about my rising temperature, but it was time to do her report for shift change and I suspected that my new nurse would be the one dealing with my discomfort.
As Bobby and I are sitting there, waiting for my new nurse, I just keep telling him how awful I felt. I must have looked pretty bad because he looked really worried. I was throwing up, had a fever, and kind of felt like I was in and out of it a little. I must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing I remember is one of my favorite nurses barging into the room. I told her hi and was glad she stopped by to see me, she smiled and said hi and that's when I realized that while we were making small talk she was shoving huge bags of ice under my arms and in between my legs. At some point my fever had hit about 103 and was rapidly climbing. The babies heart rates had gone up and wouldn't come back down. I asked her what was happening and she told me that they really needed to get my fever down and my blood pressure and heart rate were starting to rise as well.
After this, everything happened really fast...My doctor came in and checked my cervix. I had progressed, but the progression appeared to be slowing/possibly stalling - I was just barely 6 centimeters. He said they have used all their bags of tricks to try to give me a vaginal delivery, but that we were at an impasse and needed to move forward with a c-section due to the stalled labor and what might have been an infection from my membranes being stripped, rapidly moving throughout my body. I agreed to the c-section (surprisingly I agreed to this rather quickly and felt a bit relieved to see a light at the end of the tunnel). I asked how long until we would do the c-section and he said they were getting me ready right then and the babies would arrive within a half hour. Wow...that seemed kind of fast. He left. I cried.
Little ones need to eat. I'll continue the story at my next post :-)
This post may be broken up into a few posts, depending on length and when I am summoned away by one of my beautiful babes. Oh, yes...the girls have arrived and we are settling into what is our new family/life.
I know my mom updated you all while I was in labor and it appears she did a pretty good job. Labor ended up lasting a total of 27 hours before it was decided to do a c-section. Obviously I wasn't thrilled that my plan of giving birth vaginally had been hijacked but as you will soon read, at the time, I wasn't in a position to really say anything.
It all started wonderfully, we were excited to be induced and the first hours, while it was annoying to constantly have a pill inserted behind my cervix and be stuck to the monitors, we were in pretty good spirits. I was told I could have the epidural at any point, but that I would be stuck in bed and I decided that I would put it off until labor was well on it's way. I was feeling some contractions, but not all of them and felt like I was doing a pretty good job at the laboring thing.
Unfortunately, things were just not going forward. They thought about putting in this other thinning medicine, but instead decided to go straight to the pitocin which would cause stronger contractions and hopefully get my body to do the rest of the work. The pitocin was started and I was ready for my epidural.
The first time they put the epidural in, it veered off track a little and didn't work, so they had to pull it out and do it again. OUCH! I wanted to cry but decided the pain I would feel during labor, would be worse than this epidural pain, so I endured. Finally, it was placed correctly and I was a really happy camper. They gave me the little clicker so I could administer more pain medicine whenever I deemed it was needed. I loved that little button...sadly, the pain returned after only an hour and a half and the anesthesiologist was called down to redose me. I was told that sometimes (especially with multiples) it can take one or two times to get the dosage right. For me, it was 4 times and it seemed like that damn epidural wore off about every 2 hours. I was told, that just happens sometimes. Mmmm-k, thanks, I love knowing that now!
At this point, I was off food, and limited to ice chips. I pestered my nurse into letting me have a drink and she relented, only to take it away from me after just 2 sips saying that she changed her mind and didn't want me to get sick. I didn't care for the nurse at that moment and basically asked my dr. when he came in, if I could have something to drink because my nurse wouldn't let me. She looked pissed and I instantly felt like a bitch, but I was really thirsty. The doc gave the ok and left. The nurse handed me my drink. I drank it. Ten minutes later I was throwing it up and telling the nurse she could say 'I told you so". She graciously declined and we were friends again.
The throwing up should have been my first clue that things weren't going as planned. I was still progressing 1 cm every 2 hours, so at this point we were still going full speed ahead. Then I developed a fever. The dr. was called in and because it was a low grade fever, told us that sometimes that happens in labor. I was still feeling nauseous and more and more flu like, but again, still progressing every 2 hours. Then around 7:00 pm things suddenly changed.
I told Bobby and my nurse that I really didn't feel good...that I felt like I had the flu. That the contractions weren't bothering me so much as feeling sick was. My nurse was very sympathetic and appeared a bit worried about my rising temperature, but it was time to do her report for shift change and I suspected that my new nurse would be the one dealing with my discomfort.
As Bobby and I are sitting there, waiting for my new nurse, I just keep telling him how awful I felt. I must have looked pretty bad because he looked really worried. I was throwing up, had a fever, and kind of felt like I was in and out of it a little. I must have drifted off to sleep, because the next thing I remember is one of my favorite nurses barging into the room. I told her hi and was glad she stopped by to see me, she smiled and said hi and that's when I realized that while we were making small talk she was shoving huge bags of ice under my arms and in between my legs. At some point my fever had hit about 103 and was rapidly climbing. The babies heart rates had gone up and wouldn't come back down. I asked her what was happening and she told me that they really needed to get my fever down and my blood pressure and heart rate were starting to rise as well.
After this, everything happened really fast...My doctor came in and checked my cervix. I had progressed, but the progression appeared to be slowing/possibly stalling - I was just barely 6 centimeters. He said they have used all their bags of tricks to try to give me a vaginal delivery, but that we were at an impasse and needed to move forward with a c-section due to the stalled labor and what might have been an infection from my membranes being stripped, rapidly moving throughout my body. I agreed to the c-section (surprisingly I agreed to this rather quickly and felt a bit relieved to see a light at the end of the tunnel). I asked how long until we would do the c-section and he said they were getting me ready right then and the babies would arrive within a half hour. Wow...that seemed kind of fast. He left. I cried.
Little ones need to eat. I'll continue the story at my next post :-)
Friday, February 19, 2010
FINALLY......But not as was planned!
Again you get to hear from guest blogger. I know, not near as humorous as Jennifer. That is why I am to give you just the bare details and Jennifer will be updating all of you with HER story in a few days.
The girls were delivered by c-section on February 17th. Emma Belle Sue Wilson was born at 8:24 pm, weighing 6lbs. 9 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches. Briar Anne Wilson was born at 8:26 pm, weighing 7 lbs. 10 oz. and is 19 inches long. Both have dark hair and if I say so myself are the most beautiful babies!
Jennifer got through it all just fine but I am sure her version will make you wonder how she was able to survive it all. She is pretty exhausted trying to recover while attending to nursing 2 babies. Not sure when she will be released but we all hope soon!!
Stay tuned for the rest of the story...................
The girls were delivered by c-section on February 17th. Emma Belle Sue Wilson was born at 8:24 pm, weighing 6lbs. 9 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches. Briar Anne Wilson was born at 8:26 pm, weighing 7 lbs. 10 oz. and is 19 inches long. Both have dark hair and if I say so myself are the most beautiful babies!
Jennifer got through it all just fine but I am sure her version will make you wonder how she was able to survive it all. She is pretty exhausted trying to recover while attending to nursing 2 babies. Not sure when she will be released but we all hope soon!!
Stay tuned for the rest of the story...................
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
22 Hours and Counting....
First of all this is a guest blogger for Jennifer, her mom. Jennifer is not in any position to be blogging right now. In fact, her postion is pretty horizontal right now. Needless to say things are not going as planned, and as you all have figured out by now is that Jennifer is a planner.
Yesterday was to start at 6:00 am and Jennifer and Bobby were anxiously waiting for the "show to begin". Several hours later they were still waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Shift changes resulted in varied opinions on how to proceed. Throughout the day she was monitored and checked several times. Progression was not happening and needless to say Jennifer was not a happy camper. Here is personal info so if you want you can skip to the next paragraph. Her cervix was 50% effaced and dilated to a little over 1.
They inserted stuff to help thin the cervix but did not happen. To do all of this they would monitor for 30 minutes, insert "thinner" and then Jennifer would have to lay on her back for 2 hours while the girls were being monitored. In Jennifer's words, "laying on my back hurts like hell, and baby B pushes up in my ribs".
In the afternoon, we moms arrived to 2 wornout parents to be, who were disillusioned that nothing was going as they had planned. Go figure that having babies would be out of one's control. As the afternoon turned to evening there was a definite holding pattern going on. The moms took Bobby to dinner and left Jennifer to rest. Of course, during that time, Jennifer experienced a huge contraction and it was all Bobby's fault for not being here. Just imagine her not being able to see the screen to judge how long it was, trying to reach for the nurse's button that Bobby had so carefully placed just out her reach. and having a pain that she places at an 8 on the scale of 1-10. Little does she know that they do get alot worse.
Oh, Jennifer told me to mention the torture bed. It is basically a flat piece of foam on hard wood that they use when women deliver in the room. One of the many nurses that they have gotten to know the past 20 days told them to request a better bed like she had in ante-partum. They did and like magic they got her one which was funny because everyone realized that she did not need the dreaded torture bed as she will be delivering in the operating room anyways. One of those "lightbulb" moments.
Nighttime resulted in a wait and see attitude, trying different things. The moms left to their motel hoping morning would bring exciting news. Nope, nothing except for the warning from Bobby that Jennifer had a bad night and to be careful. All I could envision was the girl in the Ex.or.cist .
After a brief visit the moms were "banished" (Jennifer's words) to the waiting area while she was examined, decisions were made, and procedures were administered. So here she is on Wednesday, February 17th. She has had her water broken and the pitocin started. They are increasing it every 15 minutes. Oh, and she did get her epidural. Thank goodness, she is in a much better mood.
We know that everyone is anxiously waiting to hear news and some of you are even caring so much that you are texting and asking for updates. Being a protective mom I am asking you to just think about that. Would you want to have your phone flash while you are in the midst of a contraction? I will update her blog as best I can so keep positive thoughts that the girls arrive sooner rather than later. Till then.......
First of all this is a guest blogger for Jennifer, her mom. Jennifer is not in any position to be blogging right now. In fact, her postion is pretty horizontal right now. Needless to say things are not going as planned, and as you all have figured out by now is that Jennifer is a planner.
Yesterday was to start at 6:00 am and Jennifer and Bobby were anxiously waiting for the "show to begin". Several hours later they were still waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Shift changes resulted in varied opinions on how to proceed. Throughout the day she was monitored and checked several times. Progression was not happening and needless to say Jennifer was not a happy camper. Here is personal info so if you want you can skip to the next paragraph. Her cervix was 50% effaced and dilated to a little over 1.
They inserted stuff to help thin the cervix but did not happen. To do all of this they would monitor for 30 minutes, insert "thinner" and then Jennifer would have to lay on her back for 2 hours while the girls were being monitored. In Jennifer's words, "laying on my back hurts like hell, and baby B pushes up in my ribs".
In the afternoon, we moms arrived to 2 wornout parents to be, who were disillusioned that nothing was going as they had planned. Go figure that having babies would be out of one's control. As the afternoon turned to evening there was a definite holding pattern going on. The moms took Bobby to dinner and left Jennifer to rest. Of course, during that time, Jennifer experienced a huge contraction and it was all Bobby's fault for not being here. Just imagine her not being able to see the screen to judge how long it was, trying to reach for the nurse's button that Bobby had so carefully placed just out her reach. and having a pain that she places at an 8 on the scale of 1-10. Little does she know that they do get alot worse.
Oh, Jennifer told me to mention the torture bed. It is basically a flat piece of foam on hard wood that they use when women deliver in the room. One of the many nurses that they have gotten to know the past 20 days told them to request a better bed like she had in ante-partum. They did and like magic they got her one which was funny because everyone realized that she did not need the dreaded torture bed as she will be delivering in the operating room anyways. One of those "lightbulb" moments.
Nighttime resulted in a wait and see attitude, trying different things. The moms left to their motel hoping morning would bring exciting news. Nope, nothing except for the warning from Bobby that Jennifer had a bad night and to be careful. All I could envision was the girl in the Ex.or.cist .
After a brief visit the moms were "banished" (Jennifer's words) to the waiting area while she was examined, decisions were made, and procedures were administered. So here she is on Wednesday, February 17th. She has had her water broken and the pitocin started. They are increasing it every 15 minutes. Oh, and she did get her epidural. Thank goodness, she is in a much better mood.
We know that everyone is anxiously waiting to hear news and some of you are even caring so much that you are texting and asking for updates. Being a protective mom I am asking you to just think about that. Would you want to have your phone flash while you are in the midst of a contraction? I will update her blog as best I can so keep positive thoughts that the girls arrive sooner rather than later. Till then.......
Monday, February 15, 2010
18 days down, 1 to go
I have been in the hospital for 18 loooonnnngg days. But we are at the end, because tomorrow I will be 37 weeks and at 6am, they are starting my induction - woo hoo!
Today the dr. checked me out and I am dilated to a 1, 50% effaced and at a 3 station. So I still have quite a ways to go, but we are all pleased that at least my body has started to move in that direction, which will make the induction go a lot more smoothly (hopefully).
And it is a good thing that I am being induced because, while not moving overly quickly, my pre-e is advancing. I'm swollen, seeing wiggly lines and spots, and have some blood pressure readings that are a little out of control. For the sake of my health and the babies' health, it is time to get this show on the road.
I can't believe I am going to meet my little ladies tomorrow (or possibly Wed.). And I can't believe I will finally be allowed to go home - hallelujah!.
I am going to take one final pic of my belly during this pregnancy, and maybe toss in one or two of my hospital stay just for fun. So I'll probably post those tonight. Also, I will probably update at least once tomorrow, because I am told that I could be waiting a long time for labor to kick in and I will most likely be bored.
For now, I have a lunch date with my husband in the cafeteria and I do believe I am going to ride the AntePartum unit's Rascal to get there. (FYI, a rascal is a motorized chair thingy that mostly old people use to get around...you see them often in grocery stores and Walm.ar.ts).
Today the dr. checked me out and I am dilated to a 1, 50% effaced and at a 3 station. So I still have quite a ways to go, but we are all pleased that at least my body has started to move in that direction, which will make the induction go a lot more smoothly (hopefully).
And it is a good thing that I am being induced because, while not moving overly quickly, my pre-e is advancing. I'm swollen, seeing wiggly lines and spots, and have some blood pressure readings that are a little out of control. For the sake of my health and the babies' health, it is time to get this show on the road.
I can't believe I am going to meet my little ladies tomorrow (or possibly Wed.). And I can't believe I will finally be allowed to go home - hallelujah!.
I am going to take one final pic of my belly during this pregnancy, and maybe toss in one or two of my hospital stay just for fun. So I'll probably post those tonight. Also, I will probably update at least once tomorrow, because I am told that I could be waiting a long time for labor to kick in and I will most likely be bored.
For now, I have a lunch date with my husband in the cafeteria and I do believe I am going to ride the AntePartum unit's Rascal to get there. (FYI, a rascal is a motorized chair thingy that mostly old people use to get around...you see them often in grocery stores and Walm.ar.ts).
Friday, February 12, 2010
A little glimpse into my life at the hospital
First of all, I would like to apologize for some of my past posts. I went back and read some and the spelling and grammer is horrible! I really have no excuse other than laziness....Blogger has a spellcheck - but I guess sometimes I skip that step. So, sorry if you're happily reading along and notice that I make a blunder.
I've been asked by many people what it is like being on bedrest at the hospital. You know, things like what is your room like, what is your schedule like, etc.
So I thought I would address those questions today :-)
My room is pretty nice - it's located in the Antepartum area of the hospital, so all my neighbors are pretty much in the same boat I am, except most of them have come and gone already...and I still sit here and wait. If you've ever seen a labor and delivery room at a hospital, it is similar to that. Pretty roomy, I have a desk, a daybed, a large bathroom with a jetted tub, a tv with a vhs/dvd player and wireless Internet. My view is of downtown Spokane and ironically you can see you my IVF dr.'s office from here. Everything is brought to me (because most women can't leave their beds at all), so my admission forms, the nutritionist, the finance person, labs, etc. all come to my room.
My schedule pretty much looks like this:
6am: Dr. comes in for morning rounds to check in and make sure nothing has changed with me
overnight.
6:30am: I get weighed
7am: If it is a Tuesday or a Friday, I get blood drawn
7:30am: My daytime nurse checks in with me and give me a pro.tonix for any reflux I may be
experiencing.
8am: Breakfast is served
8:30am: The babies and myself are put on the monitors for one hour - I used to like this time,
but now it just kills my back and feels a little bit like torture.
9:30am: Done with monitoring - woo hoo! I take a shower and pretty much take my sweet ass
time getting ready, because I don't really have much else to do.
10:30 - noon: I sometimes go for a walk, do laundry, refill my ice water, play on the
internet...any number of mindless activities....
Noon: Lunch time
1:30 or so: I tend to take a nap. You wouldn't think that sitting around would be tiring, but
regardless of what I am doing, these babies are still growing and that's hard work!
3:30: Sometimes I have visitors, sometimes I go for a walk, I talk to the nurses, read, etc.
5:00 - Dinner
6:00 - 8:30 - sheer boredom! Sometimes I catch up on phone calls during this time which helps
with the boredom. Sometime around 8:30, my dr. comes in to check on me.
8:30 - 9:30: Monitored and normally I am assessed by my night nurse.
10:30: I take my Am.bien and drift off to sleep...
Riveting stuff huh?
So there ya go. I'm on day 14 here (15 days total if you count the night I spent at Gri.tman). Only 5 days till induction...the countdown is on. And I think I can finally, finally say that I am ready to have these babies. If I were home and enjoying the end of this pregnancy, it would be another story. But this sitting and waiting is awful (not to mention uncomfortable), and at this point I am just ready to be done. Betcha never thought you'd hear me say that :-)
I've been asked by many people what it is like being on bedrest at the hospital. You know, things like what is your room like, what is your schedule like, etc.
So I thought I would address those questions today :-)
My room is pretty nice - it's located in the Antepartum area of the hospital, so all my neighbors are pretty much in the same boat I am, except most of them have come and gone already...and I still sit here and wait. If you've ever seen a labor and delivery room at a hospital, it is similar to that. Pretty roomy, I have a desk, a daybed, a large bathroom with a jetted tub, a tv with a vhs/dvd player and wireless Internet. My view is of downtown Spokane and ironically you can see you my IVF dr.'s office from here. Everything is brought to me (because most women can't leave their beds at all), so my admission forms, the nutritionist, the finance person, labs, etc. all come to my room.
My schedule pretty much looks like this:
6am: Dr. comes in for morning rounds to check in and make sure nothing has changed with me
overnight.
6:30am: I get weighed
7am: If it is a Tuesday or a Friday, I get blood drawn
7:30am: My daytime nurse checks in with me and give me a pro.tonix for any reflux I may be
experiencing.
8am: Breakfast is served
8:30am: The babies and myself are put on the monitors for one hour - I used to like this time,
but now it just kills my back and feels a little bit like torture.
9:30am: Done with monitoring - woo hoo! I take a shower and pretty much take my sweet ass
time getting ready, because I don't really have much else to do.
10:30 - noon: I sometimes go for a walk, do laundry, refill my ice water, play on the
internet...any number of mindless activities....
Noon: Lunch time
1:30 or so: I tend to take a nap. You wouldn't think that sitting around would be tiring, but
regardless of what I am doing, these babies are still growing and that's hard work!
3:30: Sometimes I have visitors, sometimes I go for a walk, I talk to the nurses, read, etc.
5:00 - Dinner
6:00 - 8:30 - sheer boredom! Sometimes I catch up on phone calls during this time which helps
with the boredom. Sometime around 8:30, my dr. comes in to check on me.
8:30 - 9:30: Monitored and normally I am assessed by my night nurse.
10:30: I take my Am.bien and drift off to sleep...
Riveting stuff huh?
So there ya go. I'm on day 14 here (15 days total if you count the night I spent at Gri.tman). Only 5 days till induction...the countdown is on. And I think I can finally, finally say that I am ready to have these babies. If I were home and enjoying the end of this pregnancy, it would be another story. But this sitting and waiting is awful (not to mention uncomfortable), and at this point I am just ready to be done. Betcha never thought you'd hear me say that :-)
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Still waiting around at the hospital
That's right folks, I am still here, on bed rest at the hospital. Only now, it's not really bedrest since most of my restrictions have been lifted and is suspiciously similar to the house arrest, er I mean "home rest" I was on before I came to the hospital.
It seems I am stable. Like really, really stable. So, now I have permission to sit in chairs, on the couch, go for walks up to 30 minutes. Heck, I am even allowed to walk outside of the hospital (but still on hospital grounds) if I want. Yep, that's right...I've been given the gift of fresh air. I was so excited about these new parameters that yesterday Bobby and I walked around for my half hour. We went down to the cafeteria, went to the gift shop, went outside on this little patio, and did a loop on my floor before going back to my room. Oh, yes it was freeing...but it was also a big mistake! Turns out when you've been sitting around on your ass for 3 weeks and doing nothing in the form of exercise...you get a little sore carrying around the giagantic belly. So sore that today my groin and inner thigh muscles feel like I have just ran a marathon. Ouch. So, no walking for me today. Maybe tomorrow I will try to ease into it a little.
Being in the hospital is pretty much how you would picture it. Bobby comes and keeps me company for about 4 days and then has to go home. It's not too bad when he is here - he takes great care of me and helps me to stay entertained. There are some really great nurses here, but then there are nurses who completely suck - like the one I have today. The food is ok if I remember to order off the menu, otherwise I am stuck with some kind of dry meat covered in gravy. You would think remembering to order would be easy, but I have a serious case of the stupids and can't seem to remember to do anything. The are are amenities here, such as a "nourishment" room with juices, milks, snacks, etc. There is a craft room, with no crafts in it, but there are a bunch of old school vhs movies, magazines and a washer and dryer (which has been nice).
I can't remember what I have posted in the past so if this update is a little repetitive, bear with me...I have officially been scheduled for an induction. We will be induced on Feb.16th (next Tuesday). There was talk about doing an amnio to check their lungs and then induce me this week (week 36) but I couldn't help but wonder why they would do that when it could result in me giving birth to sick babies, when, if they just waited till week 37 the likelyhood of the babies being healthy jumps way up - I mean we are talking probably no NICU time what-so-ever. Luckily for me, one of the doctors mentioned this same thing in their meeting and it was decided that we would wait for week 37 and induce at that time. Woo Hoo! The did say if I go into labor, they won't stop me and there have been been a few signs that my body is working in that direction...I've been having contractions, although I'm still not feeling them. And (-k this is gross and TMI, so look away now while you have the chance) I have lost part of my mucous plug. Yep, both indicators that labor is looming.
I'm so excited to meet my little ladies and yes, getting a little anxious about the part where I actually have to push these babes out of my body. The thing that scares me most is delivering one only to end up with a c-section for the other. But I am trusting my gut and sticking to my guns with the vaginal birth. Hopefully it will be ok. I still have to be on the magnesium sulfate, which I am not super excited about. I've heard nasty stuff about that drug but again, since it's not optional I am trying to accept it and tell myself that it won't be that bad.
I haven't been able to measure my belly since I have been here, but I can say that I am still growing and growing. My skin is so tight on my belly that it feels like it is going to rip open - it is actually shiny in areas that are stretched to the max. No amount of lotion helps with the sensitivity. The babies have really been growing lately. I've gained 39 pounds with this pregnancy (yikes!)...the only positive thing is that the girls are trying to pack on those extra ounces everyday, so no matter how much I eat and sit around when I am here, it doesn't seem to make me gain any more weight - I've been holding steady at 39 lbs for a couple months now. I keep telling myself that after next week I am really going to have to change my eating habits, or I am going to have a big issue (LOL).
That's about it from me. We had an ultrasound today and finally got to see little Lefty's face, so I have attached a picture. She looks like she is kissing Righty's head and it appears she has chubby chipmunk cheeks - I love it! I promise to update again in a day or so, or if anything changes.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Hi everyone! So here are the promised pics - The first is a pic of me at 34 weeks, just before all this hospital business started.
The second is me at Sacred Heart in Spokane. You can see that I look a little tired from all the excitement. Oh, and that one is a real belly shot, because frankly the thing is so huge, sometimes showing it with my shirt over it just doesn't do it justice.
And finally, the last pic is of my beautiful Miss Righty. Her face is being smooshed by Lefty's arm, but you can kind of tell what she'll look like. And the ultrasound tech told us that while Lefty looks to have a little bit of straight hair, Righty looks like she might have some wavy hair - cute!
The second is me at Sacred Heart in Spokane. You can see that I look a little tired from all the excitement. Oh, and that one is a real belly shot, because frankly the thing is so huge, sometimes showing it with my shirt over it just doesn't do it justice.
And finally, the last pic is of my beautiful Miss Righty. Her face is being smooshed by Lefty's arm, but you can kind of tell what she'll look like. And the ultrasound tech told us that while Lefty looks to have a little bit of straight hair, Righty looks like she might have some wavy hair - cute!
On another note, this hospital stuff sucks! Mainly because I wasn't really feeling any aches and pains before I became bed rest bound, but now my back hurts and because my girls are growing so great, my ribs are starting to separate to make room. Sometimes if you listen to my middle section while I move, you can hear the cartilage pop - gross and why would you listen to my middle section? But that's what's happening with me. I've been given Am.bien to help sleep at night (thank goodness) and hydr.codo.ne if the pain gets really bad...although I am trying not to take the hyd.ro.co.done because I worry about the effects that it might have on the babies. Probably nothing to worry about, but still..........
Anyway, that's all for today. Hope you enjoy the pics.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Being held hostage at the hospital...er, I mean, Bed restin' at the Hospital
Well, it looks like Sacred Heart will be my home until these babies make their arrival. We have been through craziness these past 6 days! Sometimes we thought we would be having the babies the next day, sometimes it looked like I might be able to make it to 36 weeks...everyday my labs were different and the Doctors had a different plan about how to proceed.
Bobby wins the best hubby award because he stayed with me the entire time (he went home today). He's the best caregiver and it was so nice to have his company...today has been dragging on and already a bit lonely.
So, let's get right down to it. Basically what is happening is that my liver enzymes were crazy out of control. And they couldn't explain why, which is what really freaked them out. I am at a point where I have mild pre-eclampsia. And when I say mild, I mean I just barely have it, but it is very, very slowly progressing. I also have PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension). However, when the Dr.'s said that I would be induced in a day or two, I got freaked out...I didn't want my girls to spend time in the NICU and thought I would try to apply the Power of Positive thinking to get me out of this predicament. Well, I think it's working (Bobby says I'm on crack and that positive thinking can't possibly be making me better, but what does he know?). As of right now, my liver enzymes are almost back to normal. I've had several blood pressure checks and all are coming back normal or only slightly elevated, and the protein in my urine looks to be progressing at a snails pace, which is ok by me.
So, what does that mean? It means that now I am stable. Ah, stable! That sounds awesome if you ask me. However, since pre-eclampsia is the type of thing that could go really bad, really fast, they have decided to keep me here at the hospital on bedrest for the duration...which they hope will be 37 or 38 weeks. Yikes! That means I could potentially be here for 3 weeks - yuck! At least my bedrest isn't too strict. Don't get me wrong, it's stricter than I would like, but I'm not gonna complain. I need to stay in bed for most of the day, but I don't have to have the bed in the "lay down" position. I can sit in the glider while I eat, I can use the bathroom and take a shower everyday. I can also have someone take me on a 30 minute wheelchair ride, but only right after I am monitored and only if the monitoring goes ok. Oh, yes, the babies are monitored 3 times a day for an hour each time, my bp is checked at these times as well.
Is this ideal? No. But I'll do what I have to do. We toured the NICU, and I was totally fine until they took us to the pod that they have set up for our girls. For some reason, the fact that they are all ready to go in case our girls come early was not comforting to me...it freaked me out - big time! So here's hoping I can keep chugging along and grow these babies a little longer.
I am relieved to know that they are on board with us trying for a vaginal birth, however when the time does come I am going to have to magnesium sulfate. Ewww. I heard that stuff is the worst, but I am at risk of have seizures because of the stupid pre-e so this is not optional.
I can't complain too much at things here. The nurses are fabulous. The food isn't the most terrible thing. I have my own room with a pretty nice view. The most annoying thing I've found is that every time a baby is born a bell chimes. Well, this is a big hospital and I swear about 20 babies are born every day, so that damn chime is always going off. It's like this endless line of women come in, have their baby and leave and I just get to sit in this bed - booo to that.
Ok, I am sure I will be posting more often, because...let's face it, what else have I got to do?
Oh, and on a completely different topic...my mom asked why sometimes in my blog there are random periods in the middle of words. For example, Ba.bies r u.s. By adding the periods, my blog doesn't come up on Go.ogle when people are searching for Babie.s r U.s. A little trick someone told me about :-)
I do have some pics to post, but blogger isn't letting me post anything, so I will try again tomorrow. They are of me at 34 weeks, me at the hospital in Spokane, and a beautiful picture of my little Miss Righty's face!
Till next time......
Bobby wins the best hubby award because he stayed with me the entire time (he went home today). He's the best caregiver and it was so nice to have his company...today has been dragging on and already a bit lonely.
So, let's get right down to it. Basically what is happening is that my liver enzymes were crazy out of control. And they couldn't explain why, which is what really freaked them out. I am at a point where I have mild pre-eclampsia. And when I say mild, I mean I just barely have it, but it is very, very slowly progressing. I also have PIH (pregnancy induced hypertension). However, when the Dr.'s said that I would be induced in a day or two, I got freaked out...I didn't want my girls to spend time in the NICU and thought I would try to apply the Power of Positive thinking to get me out of this predicament. Well, I think it's working (Bobby says I'm on crack and that positive thinking can't possibly be making me better, but what does he know?). As of right now, my liver enzymes are almost back to normal. I've had several blood pressure checks and all are coming back normal or only slightly elevated, and the protein in my urine looks to be progressing at a snails pace, which is ok by me.
So, what does that mean? It means that now I am stable. Ah, stable! That sounds awesome if you ask me. However, since pre-eclampsia is the type of thing that could go really bad, really fast, they have decided to keep me here at the hospital on bedrest for the duration...which they hope will be 37 or 38 weeks. Yikes! That means I could potentially be here for 3 weeks - yuck! At least my bedrest isn't too strict. Don't get me wrong, it's stricter than I would like, but I'm not gonna complain. I need to stay in bed for most of the day, but I don't have to have the bed in the "lay down" position. I can sit in the glider while I eat, I can use the bathroom and take a shower everyday. I can also have someone take me on a 30 minute wheelchair ride, but only right after I am monitored and only if the monitoring goes ok. Oh, yes, the babies are monitored 3 times a day for an hour each time, my bp is checked at these times as well.
Is this ideal? No. But I'll do what I have to do. We toured the NICU, and I was totally fine until they took us to the pod that they have set up for our girls. For some reason, the fact that they are all ready to go in case our girls come early was not comforting to me...it freaked me out - big time! So here's hoping I can keep chugging along and grow these babies a little longer.
I am relieved to know that they are on board with us trying for a vaginal birth, however when the time does come I am going to have to magnesium sulfate. Ewww. I heard that stuff is the worst, but I am at risk of have seizures because of the stupid pre-e so this is not optional.
I can't complain too much at things here. The nurses are fabulous. The food isn't the most terrible thing. I have my own room with a pretty nice view. The most annoying thing I've found is that every time a baby is born a bell chimes. Well, this is a big hospital and I swear about 20 babies are born every day, so that damn chime is always going off. It's like this endless line of women come in, have their baby and leave and I just get to sit in this bed - booo to that.
Ok, I am sure I will be posting more often, because...let's face it, what else have I got to do?
Oh, and on a completely different topic...my mom asked why sometimes in my blog there are random periods in the middle of words. For example, Ba.bies r u.s. By adding the periods, my blog doesn't come up on Go.ogle when people are searching for Babie.s r U.s. A little trick someone told me about :-)
I do have some pics to post, but blogger isn't letting me post anything, so I will try again tomorrow. They are of me at 34 weeks, me at the hospital in Spokane, and a beautiful picture of my little Miss Righty's face!
Till next time......
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