Saturday, February 6, 2010

Back home. For now...

Guess what? I managed to escape the hospital... I passed their "walk up and down the hall for 30 minutes"-test or whatever they call it. Still having light contractions a couple of times an hour, with a couple of extra scares thrown in just for fun. But since the steroid shots have had time to do their very important job, and having passed the 32 week mark, they have changed the flags in my file from "Oh shit! Keep that baby in!!!" to "Well, s/he should be kind of okay if s/he's born now, so when s/he wants to come, we'll let her/him..."

Which means there's really no point keeping me strapped to a hospital bed. I might as well wait it out at home. So home I am. With strict orders to stay in bed as much as possible, with bathroom priviledges and 3 30-minute strolls through the house a day. If anything changes, I am to come in to the hospital ASAP (thank god it's only a 10-minute drive).

The past couple of days have scared the crap out of me. But because they decided to keep me there after my check-up last Tuesday and managed to stop labour just in time that same night, I am still carrying our baby. For that, I am unbelievably greatful!

We will see how it goes from here...

Friday, February 5, 2010

32 weeks and 2 days

She is doing great!
The first night in the hospital was rough, with at it worst contractions every 3 minutes (!!) . With the medication dose doubled however peace and quiet returned. More hours were won for those little lungs. We were joking on the phone that while other people count down the weeks from 32, she is counting hours. Like 12 hours more than the twins already. And then one more night, and another.
Today she will try to walk for half an hour, three times during the day. If this goes well she can go home Saturday (bedrest remains to be seen) and hopes to make it to 34 weeks.

The good news of making it past 32 weeks is that even if the little one decides to come "now" is that she can go/stay in the hospital close to her home town and shouldn't need the specialist hospital with NICU much further away. (Although I imagine it will be hard enough running back and forth with the twins to a nearby hospital)

I discovered the hospital has an E-card system: you pick a card online and they print it and bring it around to the patients room the next day. I've been forwarding your comments already, so between phone calls, Internet, and printed paper she knows we bloggy friends are cheering her on. Thank you!

(And Mijke, I hope I haven't scrambled your information and your blog too much!)

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Bedrest

Message from a friend.
Mijke just called and told me not to be scared, and just post a message for her saying that she is ok, and hanging in there. In a hospital. I suppose the good news is that the baby is hanging in there/her as well. If I remember correctly she had her weekly check up this morning and was told her cervix was getting too short now. Time for hospital.
As a precaution she was given steroids to mature the little lungs, something she missed out on with the twins. She is also on anti contraction medication, and it is working, everything is quiet now.
She is on bedrest, so only allowed to get up to use the toilet. While I was still shocked she was already reassuring me that she was fine. That this is probably just a scare, and that in a couple of days she might just be home enjoying weeks and weeks of pregnancy. That for now she will enjoy the time off, like maternity leave. Read a book. Have a rest. She sounded like her cheerful normal self.
The only bad news is she doesn't have internet access, just TV. And for now that doesn't worry her.

Tomorrow will be 32 weeks.