Fortunately, I am officially 36 weeks along as of yesterday and if I have not delivered by next Monday, the OB will schedule an induction for Tuesday early morning. This means we will have baby boy sometime between now and next Tuesday, October 13 (which happens to be my great- grandfather's birthday).
I have been having contractions each day since I arrived and yesterday I had them for a bit over an hour. They are not putting me into labor yet though.
The swelling had gotten so bad that I now have to wear wraps around my calves 24 hours a day which are connected to an air compressor at the foot of my bed. The air compressor switches between each leg putting pressure on the legs and then releasing. My swelling has gone down- not completely, but enough so that I've lost 8 lbs since I've been here. (Hooray, less weight to lose when I get home, even if it's just water weight.) Apparently my sweet mother and father had talked about me last weekend and decided I looked like the Michelin Man. They didn't mention this to me until I was hospitalized and the swelling in my face went down. It's still not polite for my mom to mention every morning that my feet look huge, but I guess politeness isn't my family's strong suit.
I've had blood tests run just about every day I've been here. My platelet count is the issue they are testing for as well as liver enzymes. My platelets had gotten pretty low and the OB was concerned that I wouldn't be able to clot during delivery and if they got too much lower they would not be able to give me an epidural. I informed them that if they let them get that low, I would be using Tequila as my epidural regardless of platelet count.
My blood pressures have been very volatile. Sometimes I have as low as 102/63 and sometimes I have as high as 177/90. These are my blood pressures laying down on my side after complete rest so they are not actually accurate blood pressures to compare to a normal person in their normal life. My blood pressure goes way up when I sit up or stand up.
Because of the blood pressure issues, I am still on mandatory bedrest at the hospital. This involves me laying down on my side for about 23 hours and 25 minutes a day. I am allowed a 5 minute shower break and a 30 minute wheelchair privilege. Luckily, my mom is in charge of the wheelchair privilege and she is not good with telling time. We wheel around the hospital pretending our nurses are after us and I'm pretty sure there is one nurse who has put out an APB on us before. This hospital will be on lockdown until I am recovered, removed, and replaced in my bed. I've heard prisoners get more privileges and times out of their cells. Plus, with my leg compressors on, I am litterally tied to my bed.
I have chosen to lighten the mood by wearing my own pajamas. My mom has run from Targets to Old Navy's buying up any pajamas that are not flannel. This resulted in 3 pair. Spencer refers to my room as "The Icebox" and is planning to bring an electric blanket to sleep with. Luckily, we don't pay the electric bill here.
The other issue with my body is that I have protein in my urine. I really have no idea why this is bad, but the OB was concerned. With all of these issues, I am officially Pre-Eclampic which happens to about 8% of all pregnant women. If you look at it this way, I'm in the top 92% of pregnant women. I'm basically an overachiever.
While today is my 8th day in the hospital, I'd like to mention a few of the exciting things that have occurred during this stay. On Saturday, I had a baby shower in Roswell, Ga. My college girlfriends all lived in the same apartment at one time or another and it was apartment number 107. Since college, we've had an annual Mother-Daughter Reunion for the 107 Girls. It's about 9 of us and we have such a blast catching up. Well this year, they also celebrated my upcoming blessing and my friend Catherine's upcoming wedding! It was a double shower and I was scared I wouldn't be able to attend. Fortunately, with the power of technology and the abilities of my friends, I was able to use the webcam to be in the same room. I got to see everyone and everything going on and had a BLAST! My mom even opened the gifts for me. It was so much fun even if I never left Club 127 (the nickname of my hospital room).
Afterwards, many of the mothers and daugthers came to Club 127 to visit me. My nurses are getting concerned that I'm breaking fire codes because I've had so many wonderful visitors!! I knew that Spencer and I were blessed with great friends and family, but it has really been unbelievable! My friends have gone above and beyond with their visits, calls, emails, texts, and gifts to keep me entertained. I really think I have a least one or two friends stop by every night and this past weekend it was more like 4 to 8 visitors! It's a revolving door here at Club 127 and with all of these blessings, I certainly can't complain too much! God has been so good to me, Baby Shell, and Spencer!
We have started a routine to keep up until the baby arrives. During the days, my mom stays at the hospital and causes trouble with me. At night after work, Spencer comes and spends the evenings relaxing, watching TV and then sleeps here all night. They are very dedicated caregivers. Spencer also calls 8,000 times a day to check in with me. He cares so much he just doesn't want to miss a thing. I told him I'd call him after the baby's here, but he did not find that funny AT ALL.
Here are a few pictures:
Club 127 Dinner Club with Catherine, Suz, and Kamber
ULC 107 Girls:Cristina, Eleanor, Kamber, Catherine, Amy, Suz, and Darragh. Casey and I were unable to attend in person.
The ULC 107 Moms: Jean, Banh Le, Virginia, Maura, Kathy, Elaine, Krissy, and Neva
So here's to the next 6 days or less! Baby Shell, we are anxiously awaiting your arrival and can't wait to bring you home- healthy! Love, your mom
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