Hospital Stay Update

Well...I'm finally among the living again!  I guess I'll start from the beginning, so bare with me.

I was about to walk out the door to go to school on Tuesday morning at about 7:15, but I thought I'd make a bathroom stop before leaving.  I noticed a bit of spotting, so I told Daniel, called the doctor, and that's where our LONG week started.  The doctor advised me to go to the hospital to Labor & Delivery so they could put me on the monitors and check to see if I'd had any changes since my last doctor visit. 

We arrived at the hospital at about 8:15 where I was immediately put on the monitors for Bentley's heart rate and my contractions.  The nurse checked me, and said I was dilated about 1 1/2 cm.  This was a little nerve racking.  Daniel and I both were thinking, "This really could be it."  They decided to start terbutaline (which is the same medicine they gave me when all this started a few weeks ago), and they would go ahead and administer the steroid shots needed to help develop Bentley's lungs in case he makes an early arrival.

After three shots of terbutaline, the contractions had subsided, and I had the first dose of steroids by 10:00 AM.  We were in the clear for a bit.  Everything had calmed down, and we thought we'd be going home the following day.  THEN...at about 3:30 PM the contractions started again.  The doctor decided to start Magnesium Sulfate treatment to stop the contractions, which I can now say is possibly the most miserable thing I've ever been through. 

While getting Magnesium Sulfate, I had to have a catheter, wear the beautiful support hose on my calves along with the inflatable leggings to prevent blood clots, and all of this went along with the two monitors on my belly, my IV, and the oxygen sensor on my finger.  By the way...did I mention that all of this would take place through the night.  I knew that sleep was not in my near future. 

When they started the Mag treatment, they warned me that I may feel a heat wave going through my body.  That was an understatement.  I felt like me arm was on fire where the meds were going in, and I felt like my blood was boiling.  My visitors were standing around fanning me with menus, and I had the air turned down to the lowest setting.  Everyone that came to visit was covered up with blankets and wearing jackets while I was feeling like I was laying on a heating pad.  After about half an hour, the worst had passed...now I just had to attempt to get comfortable with complete bed rest and the tubes and wires coming in and out of me. 

By bedtime, I had come to the conclusion that I was absolutely not going to be able to sleep at all.  They offered me Ambien, which I didn't want to take, but I figured I really needed to sleep.  So...I took the Ambien and attempted to go to sleep.  That didn't go so well.  Every time time I rolled over or moved I woke up and the room was spinning.  That made me sick, so my wonderful husband then had to play nurse and empty my puke buckets all night and morning.  I may have slept about 3 hours all night, and I was so groggy from the Mag and the Ambien that I couldn't even function.  I started to worry that something was really wrong when I couldn't see straight.  I asked my nurse, "Do my eyes look normal?"  She said they did and asked me why I was asking.  I told her, "I see three of you, and I don't know which one is real."  Also, I couldn't lift my arms and legs, and I couldn't pick items up off my table.  She ran blood tests and found that I was "Magged Out."  I had all the Magnesium Sulfate my body could handle, and guess what...I was still having contractions. 

The doctor came in to check me, and I had dilated to 2 cm and was 60% effaced.  It was right at time for my last dose of steroids for Bentley's lungs, and after consulting with a specialist from UAB, my doctor decided that none of the options we were trying seemed to be working, so we would let nature take it's course.  Bentley is 29 weeks, and though he'll need support if he's born now, he can be born healthy and his outcome looks very positive. 

I am feeling almost normal.  The Mag is out of my system, so I feel a lot better from that, but now I'm battling the "blah syndrome."  There is only so much you can do while sitting in bed.  I have been able to shower and put on a little make-up, so I am feeling a lot better since that. We will be in the hospital until Monday (at least), and then the doctor will decide if she feels it's safe for me to continue bed rest at home.  From now on, though, I am on true bed rest...shower and bathroom privileges are then only things that get me out of bed. 

So far, Bentley has decided to stay put.  All the steroids have had a chance to take affect, so now we wait.  I could go into full labor tonight, or I could go full-term.  Either way, it's out of our hands.  God gets to decide our fate, so we are leaving it in His hands.  There are lots of people praying for us, and we are so grateful.  Please continue to pray!