Its been a loong week...

...and time is not going to stop.

So its been a little bit since I have updated and this long update is going to make up for lost time. On Tuesday, December 8th I woke up and had some contractions after being able to take a nap I woke again and discovered some bleeding so I called the doctor. The nurse asked me if I was having contractions and I told her yes, and she wondered why I hadn't called earlier... this is the beginning of the major frustration I have with the nurses and other doctors not knowing what is going on with me. After I explained what was going on with me she was a little more understanding and obviously I went in to labor and delivery. The bleeding had stopped but they weren't impressed with the contractions so they gave me a shot of terbutaline; which I have had before and they did the same thing they always do.. nothing. The midwife checked me and I was at 2cm, which is where I was a week ago. They decided that they would keep me for at least 24 hours. My mom had just started down with RuthAnne and because I was going to stay she headed back to her house. Wednesday is when she started to be affected by not being around us and home. She still isn't quite the same yet. Around 10am on Wednesday I started to have some more strong contractions so they checked me and I had dilated to 3cm... BOOM EVERYTHING changed. They started me on magnesium sulfate, this meant my very first catheter. Lets talk about how fun that was.. lol. This slowed things down, still didn't stop them. They brought in the neonatologist and I talked to him for a little bit. I started to only see the doctors instead of the midwives. I see a doctor but the way things work in the practice I go to is this: There is always a doctor and and midwife on call. If you are low risk you see the midwife, and the midwife delivers you. If something goes wrong or you are high risk the doctor would deliver you. I am guessing that if your doctor is on you have the option to have them, but that didn't happen with RuthAnne. Thursday they did an ultrasound to see if they could figure out where the blood was coming from; the doctor who looked at the ultrasound said that blood doesn't come from no where, the trick is figuring out where it came from so they were looking at my placenta. The problem is that sometimes if the placenta is tearing away it can stick back, and where I was in bed for 2 days it was possible that is what happened (if it was even tearing away). I went back to my bed. My doctor came in to see me and told me that he really didn't think this was going to happen, and wasn't really sure what was going on. Friday was uneventful. At some point the days mush together a little bit a doctor mentioned that part of the reason they base not having preterm labor with your second on whether or not you had it with your first is because they figure your uterus can handle a full size baby. While I realize that people have had little babies then big ones this got me to thinking. RuthAnne was 6lbs 7oz full term. This baby, at 34 weeks, is already almost 6lbs. I think that what happened with RuthAnne was she was small enough that I made it far enough to not go preterm. Saturday they took me off the mag and I finally got to see RuthAnne. She is sooo different, she is talking and she is like a little kid, not even toddler like anymore. They moved me upstairs to the maternity ward where I was until Monday morning. I saw my doctor before I left and he said he thought I was going to go early but we probably had a week or so. I joked with him about how he said this wasn't going to happen, he knew I was kinda joking but he looked at me seriously and said that I was going to go early. He said the positives are that I am beta complete, which just means that I got the steroids to help the baby's lungs develop. I am at 34 weeks, and all babies survive, most without long term problems. I feel like there was something else... oh well. He asked me how far away I lived, and if I still had help with RuthAnne. I think if I didn't have help or lived too far away I would have been there for a little longer. He took me off the meds I was on at home and at this point they are just going to let me go if I go into labor. I have a follow up appointment with him tomorrow so we shall see how that goes. I have to ask him about traveling for Christmas, I think he is probably going to tell me I can't, which is kinda depressing. Its just far enough away though :(
I had mentioned my major frustration with the nurses... I was frustrated before because when I would call or even go in they didn't look at my chart or something because they didn't understand till I fully explained what was going on. But in the hospital the nurses would ask me if I was having contractions and I would say yes, and they would be all worried. When I would tell them they weren't any worse they were like, oh ok. But if I just told them they were no different they asked me what I meant, and had no idea that I was contracting so much. Almost didn't believe me till they looked back a few hours at the monitor. I also have an irritable uterus and they would say, oh you need to drink more. Well when I was drinking and hooked up to the IV it was still happening, dehydration was not the problem, which nurses that watched me for 8-12 hours knew.

So I am back home. RuthAnne is adjusting, still kinda having a hard time though. My mom has been going to work from here. So Isaac gets home from work around 5am ish and goes to sleep, my mom leaves for work around 5:30am, Isaac gets up with RuthAnne around 7am and is with her and me for the day. My mom gets back around 4pm and Isaac goes back to bed, wakes at 9pm and goes to work at 9:30pm. This way I am not alone with RuthAnne if something happens. Partly because there isn't hardly anyone on campus right now because of Christmas. I am getting by. Last night I woke to some strong contractions, which hasn't happened since last week. I am trying to figure out what is better, here or the hospital. Here I have bigger TVs with cable, computer, and the Wii, but I can't hardly use them because of RuthAnne. I really do like being home better, its less lonely and I really missed my RuthAnne.


I guess that is all. I hope it makes at least a little sense. I need to go find something to eat :)

GB ~The Woodwards