March 1st, 2014- The Scare

Well, here we are folks- in the hospital.  *Just a warning...I tried not to be too graphic in my descriptions of things below but I did describe some physical events that occurred.*

Friday was a normal day at school.  It was also Russell's first day at his new job, so our routine was switching again.  Russell now drops the boys off at school/daycare, and I pick them up after school.  So when the school day ended I picked them up, drove them home, and we met Russell there to go meet his parents for dinner.  

After dinner, we were going to his parents' church and the church where Luke attends Cubbies for a family fun night they were having- inflatables, roller skating, cotton candy and snow cones.  As we were leaving the restaurant, I felt a bit of a gush down below.  When we got to the church I went to the bathroom to check it out.  It wasn't too much fluid, but it did soak my through my underwear onto my pants, but a bit later I felt more and went back to check and it had become a bit pinker and contained a bit more mucus.  I decided I needed to call and ask the doctor about it.

The doctor on call returned my call a few minutes later after calling the hospital.  I told him what had happened and he said it sounded like bloody show and not to worry about it, just to take it easy the rest of the evening.  I felt relieved, because I did NOT want to have a baby that night!

Luke was spending the night with Russell's parents that night so we left with Ben around 8 and got him to bed around 9.  Since Luke wasn't there we decided to try him in Luke's bed since he would need to give the crib up pretty soon to Ally.  He got up a few times but he was pretty tired and it wasn't long before he was asleep.

We stayed up and watched some tv for a bit, and a little after 10 I decided to get ready for bed.  I had just finished up in the bathroom when I felt this strange sensation come over me.  I felt lightheaded and dizzy and hot, and then I felt pain in my abdomen.  I went and lay down on the bed and called for Russell.  He came in and I told him what had happened.  He asked what I wanted to do.  I was laying there feeling some contraction-like pains (not too horrible, but it worried me) and said we needed to call the doctor again.

When he returned my call this time, I explained what I had been feeling.  He said since I was at 34 weeks if I was truly in labor they would not do anything to stop it even though it was a bit early, and I could come in if I wanted to be checked or I could wait and see.  My concern was about the fact that they had wanted to do a scheduled delivery and making sure all the necessary people and things were in place.  He said not to worry, there were always the necessary people on call and they would be able to handle it.  I knew this, but I was just so concerned about it being so early...3 weeks before they had even though about scheduling the delivery.  As I was on the phone, the pains and other symptoms went away, so I told him I was feeling better and would try sleeping and see how things were in the morning.

Russell decided to go ahead and have his Dad come get Ben, just in case we would need to go to the hospital.  I felt awful having to do that, especially with his first time in the 'big boy bed' and he was doing so well (he was actually sleeping parallel to the pillows- so cute!) but Russell felt it was better safe than sorry.

I actually fell asleep before Russell's dad got there to get him. I woke around 1:30 to use the bathroom, but did it in the dark (in the middle of the night I usually leave the light off because there is a nightlight in there and it's all I really need to see by).  I went back to bed, but around 2 I felt another gush.  I went back to the bathroom and this time turned on the light and was horrified- I was completely bloody, through the pad, everywhere.

Russell came running when I yelled, and I told him we 
needed to get to the hospital.  He got me new underwear, a towel, pants, socks, and shoes.  I sat there and tried to clean up and put my contacts in, then finished getting dressed.  I got my coat and got in the car and started it while I waited for  Russell to come out from using the bathroom himself.  Then we took off.

I was terrified.  I thought for sure I had just lost her.  Why else would there be so much blood?  I also wasn't feeling any movement.  We didn't talk much on the short trip to the hospital but I did tell Russell my fears and tried not to freak out and over analyze what was taking place.

Russell dropped me off at the ER and left to park while I went in.  I told the front desk what had happened, filled out a short piece of paper with info, and started crying.  The woman asked if I wanted to walk or be wheeled and I told her I didn't care, just get me where we needed to be.  

I walked behind her crying the whole way.  She took me to the staff elevator.  When it opened we got in and she was trying to press the button to take us to the labor & delivery floor.  It was giving her a hard time for a few seconds and all I wanted to do was scream 'Make it go!  My baby is in trouble!'.  I know it was only maybe 20 seconds or so but it felt like forever and I wanted to find out what was going on.

I got up to the correct floor and they took me back and put me in a gown.  The nurse was really nice and was asking me what happened as she was hooking me up to the fetal monitor.  I got so distracted as she was doing this it was hard to keep talking, especially as she moved it around trying to find where to position it.  By then Russell had come in and we both breathed a huge sigh of relief when we heard it pick up the heartbeat.  What a great sound!  

My doctor then came in.  I had called him on the way to the hospital to tell him briefly what had happened and that we were coming in.  He looked and checked...the leakage was mostly water with some blood mixed in, and I really wasn't dilated at all.  Basically my water was broken and so I would be admitted and probably have a baby fairly soon.  He ordered a sonogram and they took me to a room.  

Russell decided to go home once I'd settled in.  I told him not to worry and I would call him if anything changed.  I wasn't in any pain or feeling contractions so probably nothing was going to happen right away but I would call him if it did.  The nurse caring for me that the monitors were showing that I was contracting about every 2 minutes!  I wasn't feeling a thing so I could hardly believe it.

I was tired and tried to sleep, but it was difficult.  Around 4 
the sonogram tech came in with the machine.  The fluid is definitely lower but everything else looked ok.  Ally's heartbeat monitor shows she isn't in distress (except for the occasional dip, which is normal) and she's handling this well.  
Around 7 I called home and told my mom what was going on.  She said she would come down and could leave around 10:30.  Russell came back around 8 after a fitful bit of trying to sleep at home and had called his parents to let them know (since nothing major happened during the night, we didn't want to wake anyone needlessly).

The rest of the day has been a rather boring waiting game.  I wasn't allowed to eat since I was 'in labor' and no one seemed to be able to tell me much about what was next, except that 
they were not going to give me anything to stop labor since I had made it to 34 weeks (and 1 day).  

Russell's parents brought the boys to see me around 12, which was a great distraction for me.  Luke immediately asked if Ally was here yet, which we had to tell him no, not yet.  I also explained to him that since Ally was a bit early she would have to go to a special part of the hospital and he might not get to hold or even touch her right away, and he seemed to understand that.  He was fascinated by my iv and the monitors on my belly and was terrified at the noise it made when I shifted in the bed- he wouldn't even hug me goodbye because of it.

Mom made it down around 1:45 and she came in and we had a chance to catch up.  My doctor came in around 2:30 to tell me what was going on.

Basically, my labor had stopped.  I never felt the contractions to begin with so I had no idea.  Since my water had broken they felt like they wanted to give me up to 36 hours for it to start on its own, then after that they would start probably start pitocin.  They actually wanted to try to keep her in for a bit if possible to help her with lung development.  She will definitely be in the NICU since she is early, but the length of her stay will depend on her status at birth, plus any complications that develop  as a result of the dandy-walker and hydrocephalus.  The sonogram tech's measurements show her to be 4 lbs, 11 oz., which isn't a terrible weight, but of course it is an estimate.  

So, right now we are playing the waiting game.  We are very thankful to Russell's parents for helping with the boys and mom for being here for a little while to allow Russell to rest some to before the show starts!  Hopefully the next time we update will be with pictures and some real answers to the many questions we have had for the last 13 weeks.

Thanks for the prayers from everyone.  I can tell you all have been praying because this week I've had a real sense of peace that everything was going to work out for our family, I just had to trust and be patient.  This obviously wasn't part of that plan but we will take things as they come.  And obviously many of you have been praying for a natural delivery, because at this point that is what it looks like we will be having unless there are new developments (but obviously some of you forgot the part about 39 weeks!  Just kidding.).

Off to hopefully get some rest and contractions going.  Come on Ally girl, lots of people are ready to meet you...especially Mommy.