Baby Update (Hospital Report)

As many of you probably already knew I had my first hospitalization for this pregnancy. Don't worry it was planned! I was scheduled for a cerclage (putting in a stitch to hold things together to keep baby in longer) on Tuesday, January 5th.

Wade and I arrived at the hospital at about 10 'till 3 in the afternoon. I was taken to a room on the L&D (labor and delivery) floor where an IV was started, blood was drawn, vital signs were recorded, and other such medically necessary things like history and physicals were completed. The procedure was to start at 5 p.m. At 6 p.m. I was wheeled back to the OR where I was given a spinal block and the procedure began. Within 30 minutes the doctor was finished and I was wheeled back to the room. At that time I was given the choice to stay overnight or leave whenever I was feeling well enough.

Before having the cerclage I was concerned about leaving so soon after something so major, but afterwards I felt well and wasn't having any contractions or major discomfort so I became indifferent to whether we stayed or went home that evening. At 10 p.m. I requested assistance to the restroom only to find that half of my legs and my behind were still numb. It was a rather odd sensation. At that time I decided that staying overnight was probably going to be the best option. It was midnight before I fully regained feeling in all of the lower half of my body.

The night was uneventful (other than the nurse that insisted on removing my IV at 12:30 a.m.) and the next morning I welcomed a nice hot plate of breakfast food and the sun shining through my window. The doctor made rounds about noon and at about 1 or so we were being escorted downstairs and out the front doors.

Overall the experience was good. It was AWESOME seeing and visiting with some of our favorite nurses from L&D as well as some of our favorite NICU nurses/RTs. We were welcomed with enthusiasm and our baby-to-be already has his own cheerleaders (nurses and RTs) excited for his arrival. With as much time as we've spent in the hospital these wonderful people are more than just doctors, nurses, RTs, etc. They are family!

The doctor gave a good report regarding the cerclage and left me with instructions I was anticipating hearing sometime during this pregnancy but wasn't quite expecting this early. He said he couldn't hardly see putting me on "strict" bedrest, so he is putting me on "modified" bedrest. After saying modified-bedrest he continued with BUT... "do as little as possible", "let others take care of you as much as possible", "stay off your feet as much as possible", and probably some other similar statements that I may have missed. His instructions didn't have a timeline but I got the impression it's for the duration of this pregnancy. But you know what?!...that's okay. Even before getting pregnant I anticipated bedrest. I don't dread it. I've already planned for it (as much as possible. I wasn't expecting it this early). It's the way I have to do things so I can have healthy babies. And a healthy baby is all that matters.

I spent the rest of the week with my mom so she could help with Ryan while I recovered. Now I'm home on a "trial" basis. I'm going to see how things go this weekend. Wade will be around for when I need his help. I'm hoping we can all get into a good, normal, relaxing, restful routine where I can still be home as much as possible afterall I'm not completely confined to the bed 24 hours a day (just as much as possible). Ryan plays very well by himself and can do many things unassisted like climbing in and out of his crib. By the way...his crib, we've decided, is his security and a boundary he still prefers/needs. He can climb in and out by himself, but he chooses to stay in without complaint during naps and bedtime. We've tried moving him to a "big-boy" bed and he's just not ready. Anyway...I'm hoping that we can stay home some, and when we need/want to go to Nana's for a few days she is more than willing and ready. (She didn't want us to leave this evening.) So far the only thing I can't quite figure out how to manage is meals.

For now we just keep doing what we're doing. We make adjustments where needed and we learn what works and doesn't work. We keep hoping and praying that God blesses us with a full-term healthy baby. I'm looking forward to all of this...I really am! I'm sure there will be days when my outlook isn't quite as cheerful, but I must enter into this time with hope and expectations for greatness. God is still in control! Keep praying!