Well, to say that the happenings at our house in the last 2 weeks have been crazy and chaotic is almost an understatement.....It all started exactly 2 weeks ago....I had been having awful back pain and tightening in my stomach "area" that were really getting more painful and really felt contraction-like in nature; I called our Nurse Practitioner and she said to come in right away just so she could check and make sure. I have to admit, I really thought it was all just Braxton Hicks and would taper off....I did not expect what followed in the next several hours. At the Dr's office I was having pretty regular contractions the whole time (every 2 minutes lasting at that time for about 45 seconds to a minute)...they hadn't seemed intense at home but as I sat there they seemed to get worse and worse. So, Nicole (Nurse Practitioner) said she thought it was best if I went to the Hospital (please note: as we have recently moved to a town of 1,000 people, the nearest hospital is located an hr away from our house) she had checked me and there had not been any change to my cervix at that point, but she thought it was better to err on the side of caution and either the contractions would just stop OR I would be in the Hospital and they would Medi-Vac me where I needed to be (Wpg) if need be.
So, as I was really unbelieving that anything drastic was going to happen, my mom came and brought me to the Hospital (we didn't think we needed to worry about sitters, etc for the kids as really just thought I would be home in a few hrs) We arrived at the Hospital and my contractions were even a little more intense still, and definitely NOT stopping....the monitor was showing them as coming still every 2-3 minutes; they gave me some medicine that was to help stop contractions (didn't work) as well as a steroid injection to help with baby's lungs if she was in fact coming. They did an ultrasound to confirm baby's position and then told me that it looked like I was in labour (also, I had dilated to 1 cm) and that they thought it was best that they fly me to Winnipeg as they are not equipped to deal with such a preemie. I was feeling a whole range of emotions; panic was the first one...this baby wasn't ready yet, she couldn't come! My husband was at home, I couldnt' have the baby without him.....Anyhow, due to an impending storm etc I was in the airplane less then an hour later and an hr after that was being rushed by Ambulance to the Hospital in Winnipeg. In the meantime my mom had headed back home to get Eddie, and make arrangements for the kids. They had a 5 hr drive ahead of them, and nobody knew if they would be arriving to a baby, or what might happen (I think that part was the worst...the "not knowing part") My mom had friends coming in from out of town that same day and they were able to watch T& N...Edd, my mom, Ireland, Madison and Trin (who had been there for several weeks) all packed up and hit the highway at about Midnight....Edd dropped Madison and Trin off on the way in to Wpg and then they proceeded to the Hospital, unsure of what they were walking into.
It had been a pretty uneventful night for me....once I had arrived at the hospital they got me hooked up to monitors, etc. Once they got an idea of where things were at (and I hadn't dilated anymore yet, contractions however were still about the same...every 2 minutes lasting about a minute in length) they moved me over to High Risk where a nurse monitored me all night/morning....gave me a bit of morphine (which helped take the edge off for about 20 minutes...but at least I was able to get that 20 minutes of rest)
When Eddie and mom arrived I was still feeling quite uncomfortable, but it was also comforting that baby HADN'T come, and we weren't dealing with more then my discomfort. It was soooo good to see him and hug him and know that he was there just in case things changed. Mom dropped them off where they were going to stay for a few days (she was coming back for a wedding in a few days so depending what was happening would pick them up again then) and she headed back home (have I mentioned how thankful I am to my parents that they are ALWAYS there for us, no matter what...my mom sure did a heck of a lot of driving those few days....) Oh, and back to the Wedding for a minute...Look how gorgeous my oldest looked that day (her old babysitter got married!)
Later that same day as things weren't progressing they moved me into Antepartum where they closely monitored me for the next 5 days; they also gave me several rounds of medicine to try to stop contractions, another shot of steroids for baby's lungs and some medication to try to help with pain (which it didn't, so I stopped taking as what was the point?) There were many checks, ultrasound, monitors, etc....all confirming that I was still only 1 cm and it didn't look like baby would come yet.....
These were all really really great things...but, there was a kicker: Because I was (and still am, 2 weeks later) in so much discomfort with these contractions (or "uterine irritability") and because we live so far from the Hospital/don't have a NICU, etc...the Hospital back home said I should not be coming back as they weren't capable to properly take care of me or baby, and the Dr's here said it was not practical for me to go back like this as they would only be sending me right back if they took one look at me....so, I needed to stay close (not IN Hospital but close enough that I could get to one ASAP if my water breaks/things get stronger, etc)....enter Ronald McDonald House....I left the Hospital exactly 8 days ago, and this is where I have been since (and after a conversation with my Dr back home on Monday) I WILL be here until 34 Weeks...I'm counting down the days....if I had to be anywhere, this is the most beautiful, relaxing place to be FOR SURE (not to mention the most affordable for our family) the hope is that baby will stay put at least until then (let's face it, I could face being here much longer if she came as then we would be going back and forth to the NICU, etc for indefinite number of weeks)....I am 30 weeks right now so in 4 weeks I can go back home to my own bed, etc....and I think my Dr there will consider inducing at 36 weeks if I am still feeling as uncomfortable as I am right now. I see the Dr here twice a week right now to check and make sure that I am still not dilating more etc.....I've had a lot of painful contractions, etc but they aren't super consistent...the contractions themselves keep on coming every 2 minutes, but not all of them bring me to my knees.
I miss my kids SOOOOOO much and yesterday, Ireland turned 2 and I couldn't be there....THAT was hard :( I got a lot of pictures from my family of the little celebration they had though...so that cheered me up a little!!
Every time I get new photos of these guys this little miss is making the SILLIEST faces; I can almost hear her saying "CHEESE"!!!!
While I was in the Hospital they also misplaced my belongings (thankfully, there wasn't much as I didn't know I was coming to Winnipeg, so I had my clothes I was wearing, and my phone), however my iPhone had a LOT of photos on it, and makes me sooo sad that it never turned up :(
Anyhow, that is kind of where things are at right now....by the time I get home I will have been away for 6 weeks. I'm very blessed that I have an amazing husband who takes care of the kids SO WELL, and that I also have amazing parents who are nearby to help him as much as they are able also!!! I'm super excited also that they are going to come and spend a night here with me this weekend (I haven't seen Noah since I left a few weeks ago, and Edd and the girls either for 2 weeks by the time they get here)
My days are very long and lonely most times (thanks to the Executive Director here I now have a laptop to use my entire stay, so that helps break things up a bit) but let's face it....you can only watch sooo many Netflix movies, etc....the early mornings and nights are the worst as I toss and turn and don't get a lot of sleep due to so much discomfort....I'm sticking close to my bed for the most part, as I seem to get too "stirred up" if I do too much.....
In all of this, however, I am thankful that baby is staying put for now...she is too little to come yet (2.5 pounds), and every day she stays inside instead of outside is a blessing. Yes, it's a little sad being here all alone, and it's uncomfortable, etc....but it isn't about me...and that's what I keep reminding myself when I get so frustrated and start feeling like "I just want this to be over"...
So, that was quite a lengthy post, but it actually felt good to get that all out.....that's where things are at for now. It's all just a reminder of how life can sometimes throw us a curveball....thus the title of this post!!! My hope is that I will get in some good posts in the next few weeks while I'm here...it's another outlet for me, for sure!!!
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