Pre-Labor 29 weeks 2 days

The last two days have been very eventful.  In the end, I've found myself in a place I really, honestly, did not think I would be.  Maybe it was self-fullfilling prophecy to learn and read about the risks in a twin pregnancy, to have myself prepared just in case.  But like I said before, I am a positive person, I want to be responsible to know everything, and I still don't thiink my body will give up on these babies.

Its Satruday night, as I write this post, and they are still safe inside.  Starting Thursday evening I had a couple things happen that scared me plenty.  The first being a rush of fluid and the second being constant, but painless, contractions.  Throughout the evening, I had enough of these contractions that by 1:00am I was tracking them and they were 3 minuts apart - too many, too fast, even for Braxton Hicks.  I called the OB on call, which happend to be my Doctor. The contractions did not alarm her as much as the idea that I might be losing fluid.  She advised 600mg ibuprofen (yes it is safe before 32 weeks) and if there was any more fluid to head up to Labor and Delivery.  Not fun news with a soundly sleeping toddler in the next room - not to mention that the boys are only 29 weeks gestation.

Thankfully no more fluid, and the ibuprofen seemed to help but not for a long hour or more.  So I woke Friday morning feeling ok but a little scared. I had taken the day off to get some things done and go to the doctor.  I laid around most of the morning after taking Lillian to daycare and headed to the Doctor.  Thinking positively, I was almost certain she was going to tell me my cervix was still 4cm long (anything over 2.5 is great with twins) as it had been two weeks prior.  I was wrong.  First she did confirm that I am not leaking fluid - blessing.  However, hose painless contractions were doing their job - cervix down to 2cm, 50% effaced and dialated 1cm.  My Doctor's exact word were "you got yourself in trouble."  I am going to the hospital, I am on bedrest until these babies come.  And we can only hope they don't come now.  I take full blame, I just push myself further than I really know I should be going.

When I check into the hospital, I am not having cotractions.  Then they hooked me up to the IV and gave me light meds, at which point I start contracting again - regularly, every 2-3 minutes continuously for hours.  The stress of watching the montiors and feeling the contraction I'm sure just made me more anxious, not helping matters at all.  After another half-day of contracting, my Dr. came in to check me at the hospital -which they really don't like to do because this aggrivates things even more.  However, me, John and everyone else that knew what was going on, we had to know if I was dialating more.  Thankfully I was not.  Bad new was, I was not going  home in the original hoped for 24hour window.  I now need heavier meds and am here until at least Monday.

On to the meds - and boy is this fun for someone who hesitates to take two Ibuprofin for a headache. I'm on IV fluids, antibiotics in case of infection and emergency delivery, steroid shots in the ass for the babies lungs to mature in case of delivery, Motrin, Visterol ( I really dont't know how its spelled), Colace (stool softener - awesome), a Pepcid due to heartburn from the lovely iceberg lettuce hospital salad, and last but not least - my most favorite IV drip, Magnesium.  I picture Magnesium to be platinum colored metal that flows slow and thick when melted.  No woner I need the Colace.  Thankfully in my case it is a strange yellow tinged clear fluid that should relax my contractions for a good while.  Well, after being pumped full of it, they've gone down from every 3 minutes to one about every 3 hours.  And I am now on a very low dose.  But this stuff sucks.  The initial shock made me feel I was on fire on the inside, and I suddenly couldn't breathe. There was an elephant on my chest and I literally wanted to start pulling at my own skin.  Writhing in the bed the nurse gave me an ice cold wash cloth for my neck and immediately the sensations were relieved.  Such simple remedies... So at this point I'm just down to severe hot flashes and double vision, which thankfully has not given me the tell tale headache that also comes with this drug.  The major point in the matter though is that its working for me - and the babies are doing just fine through all of this.  I am supposed to come off the drip tomorrow evening, at which point I might be able to walk off my sea legs, hospital orthopedic bed style.  At least for a couple of minutes, and then its back to bed for me for as long as my body will possibly make a home for these twins.

So assuming all goes well and I leave here on Monday (as I will positively continue to assume), I am to go straight home to my bed or couch only to get up to use the restroom or go to a doctor appointment. I am done with my job.  I am done with running errands. I am done taking Lilli to daycare.  I am done helping prepare meals. I am done with preparing the nursery. And sadly, I am done with playing with Lillian to any full extent.  We will have to read books, do puzzles, and paint toes in Mommy's bed for some time to come.  BUT I am not done keeping these babies safe.  Not for a while I hope.

Couple of sided notes - I have the best family and friends in the world.  From the moment we found out about the frightening blessing of these babies, people have shown nothing but kindness, generosity, and just pure human goodness.  I cannot thank enough whatever the force is that guides me through life for putting these people here with me.
And second side note - not meant at all to diminish sincerety of first side note - I am really pretty loopy right now, so please ignore all spelling and grammatical errors, over and above what would be normal for me!

Pray for us and our babies - realistically we pray for 32 weeks, but I still think we can make it to 35.