Timeline

I'll start this off by saying that everything is okay.  It has been a stressful 2 weeks and it still is pretty stressful around here but we are making it.  One day at a time.  

Thursday, March 19.  

I had not been feeling right all week.  Nothing major just a little lightheaded and no appetite (which was quite the change!).  I woke up from a nap around 2:30 and I had been dreaming that I was taking a nap and having contractions.  After being awake for a few minutes I realized that I was actually having contractions.  Great.  I came upstairs and tried to get comfortable, drank a ton of water, etc.  Blakely was here with Brenda.  I started timing them at about 3:30...every 7 minutes.  I mentioned it to Brenda and she offered to stay until Lonnie got home or my mom got here.  I wasn't too worried yet.  At 4:30 they were about every 4 minutes.  Started worrying.  My mom left work and came here and Lonnie got home about 5:15.  Still contracting regularly so I called my doctor and up I went to the hospital.  Lonnie stayed with B and my mom came with me.  

They checked my urine and I was dehydrated.  Which is crazy for the amount of water I drink.  I also had ketones in my urine which can make you feel lightheaded, etc.  I had a fever as well,  wth?  So they hooked me up to the IV, monitored the babes and gave me terbutaline for the contractions, which were now every 2 minutes.  That made them stop thankfully but I had to stay until I got all the fluid.  Cervix still closed....hallelujah.  Fetal fibronectin was negative....basically that means the chance of going into labor in the next 2 weeks is very low.  Got home after midnight.  They told me to be on bed rest until my appointment on Monday.  

I had contractions on and off the rest of the weekend but nothing worrisome or regular.  I laid down and did not do a single thing.  

Monday, March 23.

I had my appointment at 1015.  I had to get Blakely ready to go with Juanet and then get myself ready.  By the time I was ready to leave for the doctor I was uncomfortable and worn out.  Basically he said that I am obviously prone to contracting early and I probably will from here on out.  That is okay we just need to worry when they get regular.  He switched me to weekly appointments.  They also gave me a steroid shot to mature the babies lungs in case I do deliver early.  Then we talked about an at-home medicine I can take...procardia.  Basically when/if the contractions get going regularly I need to take one.  If they haven't backed off in 30 min. to an hour then I take another one.  If that doesn't slow them then I need to go to labor and delivery.  Cervix was still closed and the babies looked fine.  Also, bed rest from here on out....or at least until 34 weeks which is our goal at the moment.  I was so ready to go home and lay down.  

Monday afternoon/early evening I started contracting AGAIN.  Seriously?  Glad I got that prescription filled.  I ended up taking a procardia at about 7pm.  The contractions went from every 4 minutes to every 7.  Good but not good enough for me!  I took another one about an hour later and they stopped.  I tried to go to sleep but I was hopped up on steroids so it was a very long night.  

Tuesday, March 24. 

I woke up feeling very comfortable thank goodness.  I seriously didn't want to move.  I felt like all the moving and doing Monday nearly sent me into labor so I was happy to stay in  bed.  But I had to go back to the doctor at 11 to get the second dose of steroids for the babies lungs.  My aunt Jenni was here watching B and waiting on me.  We went to the doctor and came right back home to the bed.  I was feeling good...all day.

Midnight I wake up with really painful contractions.  Up to this point they had never been painful.  I mean I could feel them but I wouldn't say there was pain.  These were PAINFUL.  I had a few about 3 minutes apart and realized I couldn't get out of the bed.  I had to call Lonnie to help me (because I was afraid I was going to pee the bed) and he did and we timed them for a bit then I took a procardia.  I took another one 30 minutes later because the first one didn't help.  The meds made them less painful but they were still every 3-4 minutes.  By this point it was 3 am and I was in tears.  Lonnie was back asleep and I really thought we were going to have to go to the hospital.  But at some point I fell back asleep.  I woke up 2 hours later and was fine.  GAH.  So stressful.  I laid around all day Tuesday and did nothing.  I basically only got up to pee and then back to the couch or the bed. 

Since then things have been stable.  I still have contractions here and there (1-2 an hour) but nothing to really be worried about.  I feel like bed rest is helping that situation.  Although bed rest is pretty difficult!  I just want my uterus to RELAX and let these babes keep growing.  Right now I am taking it one day at a time.  Every day the babes stay in there is good.  Since my cervix is still closed I am not overly concerned that they could come any minute.  Although I go back and forth on this.  Trying not to panic and trying to stay calm!  I go back to the doctor on Wednesday and hoping everything remains stable!

A little scare

Thursday evening, after resting most of the afternoon because Brenda was here, I got up to sit in the kitchen with my mom and Lonnie when they got home.  I was up for maybe 10 minutes and I all of the sudden just didn't feel right.  I was nauseated and felt like I was having a contraction.  I have Braxton Hicks contractions quite a bit in the evening (did with Blakely too) so I just grabbed my water and went to lay back down on the couch.  

For 20 minutes I could not get comfortable and I kept having contractions.  They felt different.  BH are usually on one side or the other and these were all over.  And they kinda hurt and were coming pretty quick.  I mean they didn't hurt hurt but I could definitely feel them.  I got in a different position and got my phone to start timing them.  Sure enough for the next 20 minutes I was having them every 3 minutes.  So I told Lonnie about it and I went downstairs to get in my bed where I knew I could get comfortable propped up with pillows.  I downed a glass of water, my second since this started.  

After being downstairs for a little over 20 minutes, so a total of 45 minutes of timing the contractions and an hour since they abruptly started, I told Lonnie we had to call.  I had about 13 in 45 minutes, averaging 3 minutes apart.  I texted my doctor to see if he was busy and if he could call me.  He called right back and I told him everything.  He said that was too many and to head up to labor and delivery.  He called them to tell them I was coming.  

So we did.  I was really hoping that just making the call would make the contractions stop.  But no such luck.  I had about 4 on the way there.  

When we got there they hooked me up to the monitor and then started trying to monitor the babies heart rates.  Well the babies WOULD NOT cooperate and stay still so they spent a good hour trying to do that.  They would get them both on there and then one of them would move and then the other would move and we had to start over.  I noticed that the contraction monitor wasn't picking up the contractions when I would feel them.  I asked the nurse this to make sure.  She said it wasn't.  Well the next one I had I made her feel my super tight belly and she said oh yes you are having a contraction.  So we moved the contraction monitor lower and it started picking them up.....every 3 minutes.  Ugh.  

They checked my cervix and it was hard and closed.  YAY.  They did a fetal fibronectin test which came back negative.  Read about that here...  They also checked my urine and apparently I have a UTI.  I had no idea.  I did know that they can cause contractions to start.  So the UTI was the culprit of this mess.  My doctor was in another town about an hour away (he wasn't on call) but came up there to see me when he got back into town.  Yes, he is awesome and I love him.  They gave me a shot of antibiotics and the contractions began to get less intense.  They were never intense for me but less intense on the monitor.  But since I was still having them every 3 minutes I had to get a shot of terbutaline.  They almost immediately stopped.  Man I was happy.  They checked my cervix again to make sure there had been no change since I had been contracting for about 3-4 hours at this point and it was still hard and closed.  YAY....I got to go home.  

So all of that to say it was a little scary but everything is fine now.  I am on an antibiotic to get rid of the UTI and I go back for my regular check up on Monday.  I was pretty calm through the whole thing.  I knew something was up but I never thought the babies were coming.  I just felt like everything was going to be okay.  I had been a little nauseated all day Thursday and I was not hungry which was pretty weird since I feel like I could eat 24/7.  I am hoping to not have to go back to L&D until these babes are full term.  This was just a little bump in the road.  I have been resting all weekend since Lonnie is off to take care of me and Blakely.  

Friday night she woke up about midnight and yelled out for me right before vomiting ALL over her entire bed.  I mean her pillows, her sheets, her peeps, her blankets and the wall were completely covered.  As was she.  All over her face and in her hair.  It was so incredibly nasty.  Lonnie came down to help me and I gathered up all the puke soaked things and he bathed her.  I covered her bed in towels and she went right back to sleep.  She then woke up about every hour to throw up a little and dry heave a lot.  Poor baby.  She feels pretty rough today but thankfully no more puking.  She is just laying around and watching movies.  She even fell asleep on the couch which has only happened one other time ever.  When she had a stomach bug back in October.  So I am hoping this is a quick 24 hour thing and she didn't share it with any of us.  

So that is our weekend!  I hope yours was much better!!!