Hooray for my babies! One week in the NICU down, hopefully not too many more to go! Everyone continues to do very well, making slow but steady progress. The echo test results came back with good news, the hole is considered "small" so the doctors will take a wait and see approach. Ben was also taken off his CPAP yesterday and now just has a nose cannula. Delia and Mike are both cannula free and are breathing on their own pretty well. Everyone is going up on their feedings pretty regularly and they are all just about back to birth weight.
Delia may be able to get rid of the IV all together soon, because she is getting close to tolerating enough food via tube feeding. We'll see in a few more days, but in the mean time they had to take the line out of her umbilical cord and put an IV in her head instead. Boo minus. Poor girl took it like a trooper, they tried in her hands and feet several times first but she has bad veins like mommy and didn't have any luck. At least it's in a place where she can't reach it to mess with it :)
It's so refreshing to see everyone's faces, now that they are down to little or no tubes on the face. Poor kids still have the velcro tabs from their jaundice light sunglasses though, so their little heads get stuck to the blanket sometimes. I hate to laugh at them but can't hardly help myself :)
I'm also making slow and steady progress on my recovery. I had been feeling really good but had some issues with my incision yesterday. The doctor checked me out and said I was fine, I just have one spot that is healing a little slower than the rest, but I'll be glad when things close up!
I will try to get some updated pictures up later today but wanted to let everyone know the test results.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Steady progress for everyone and freedom for me!
Finally, after a mere 24 days in this hospital, I was released earlier today. WOO HOO!!!! I can't wait to take a shower without a damn hospital bracelet on! I was supposed to be released yesterday but was still a little anemic so I got another blood transfusion. So what exactly am I doing to celebrate my new found freedom? Staying in the hospital. No, I'm not completely crazy, not yet. I'm just taking advantage of a cool program for NICU parents called "rooming in." As long as they do not need the room for a true patient, they allow parents of NICU babies to stay at the hospital for free. They continue to provide linens and housekeeping services, but no meal service. There is a communal fridge and microwave in the labor and delivery waiting room, so we can have some food here but without a freezer supper could get interesting. And of course now I can come and go as I please, just as long as I sleep here and don't use the room as a day time lounge only. Ethan is staying with me for at least one more night, maybe tomorrow too but that will likely be it since school is starting on Monday.
I'm not sure how long I'll do this for, I think at least until my follow up doctor appt. on August 17, since I won't be allowed to drive until then. With Ethan being at school all day, it would be too tough to try to figure out how to get back and forth. Plus with pumping, I've got the lactation consultants right here to help me with any questions, and I don't have to worry about keeping it cold or transport.
I'm feeling pretty good, tired of course and still somewhat sore from the surgery, but over all pretty darn good considering I'm only five days post op. My total weight gain over the pregnancy was 48 pounds and as of this morning I've lost half of it. Yes, 24 pounds in five days. Of course ten pounds of that was literally babies, and then another 5ish I think is all the other crap in there. And then water weight from there, but I'm still pretty excited about that. I *almost* have knees again!! My feet are ridiculous elephant feet still but that's the last area to empty so I haven't lost hope yet.
The babies are all doing extremely well. It's almost a good thing that I don't have time to provide daily updates, because things tend to go back and forth so much that it would be a wasted effort! Everyone is getting breast milk via tube feeding, although Delia and Mike are getting more than Ben and slowly increasing every day. Ben got taken off his ventilator today and is now on a CPAP machine, while the others are down to nasal cannulas. Everyone is getting worked down slowly to a lower flow and less oxygen, thus far with no problems.
Ben and Delia both had echo tests done today on their hearts, as the doc is hearing a murmur that might indicate an open duct. While in the womb, some heart duct remains open to detour blood around the lungs (since there is no air in there ;) and within hours of birth it's supposed to close up. In preemies this doesn't always happen because the chemical communications aren't strong enough. Delia's is fairly small and she'll likely resolve it herself, but Ben's is larger so he may require medication to help him. They send the test results to STL for analysis and we hope to hear tomorrow.
Ben also had a PICC line put in so his umbilical line could come out. Mike had this done a couple days ago, and we thought Delia would also but it looks like she could avoid it. If she's able to tolerate her food increases, then she should not have a need for an IV within several days. Her umbilical line will expire, so she'll end up with a regular old foot IV for a couple days, but since that could be the end of her IV it's not worth putting the PICC in. The PICC is more "permanent" so to speak - 30 days - and a little more involved to put in, so the docs want to wait and see if she can get by without it. I swear one day I'm going to get off the elevator and see her walking down the hall talking on a cell phone or something!
Everyone got off their jaundice lights today, but Delia was put back on tonight. Since she was bruised up during delivery, her own stubborn fault for being burrowed so freaking low in my pelvis, she needs more time. Hopefully the boys are done with them though.
Ethan got to hold Ben tonight, finally, he is the only one we hadn't held yet, so that was awesome. I'm going to hold him later. Ethan said he told him all about yard sales and flea markets, I'm sure he was ecstatic about it :)
That's all for now, hopefully I'll have an update with some new pictures in a few days. Stay tuned!
I'm not sure how long I'll do this for, I think at least until my follow up doctor appt. on August 17, since I won't be allowed to drive until then. With Ethan being at school all day, it would be too tough to try to figure out how to get back and forth. Plus with pumping, I've got the lactation consultants right here to help me with any questions, and I don't have to worry about keeping it cold or transport.
I'm feeling pretty good, tired of course and still somewhat sore from the surgery, but over all pretty darn good considering I'm only five days post op. My total weight gain over the pregnancy was 48 pounds and as of this morning I've lost half of it. Yes, 24 pounds in five days. Of course ten pounds of that was literally babies, and then another 5ish I think is all the other crap in there. And then water weight from there, but I'm still pretty excited about that. I *almost* have knees again!! My feet are ridiculous elephant feet still but that's the last area to empty so I haven't lost hope yet.
The babies are all doing extremely well. It's almost a good thing that I don't have time to provide daily updates, because things tend to go back and forth so much that it would be a wasted effort! Everyone is getting breast milk via tube feeding, although Delia and Mike are getting more than Ben and slowly increasing every day. Ben got taken off his ventilator today and is now on a CPAP machine, while the others are down to nasal cannulas. Everyone is getting worked down slowly to a lower flow and less oxygen, thus far with no problems.
Ben and Delia both had echo tests done today on their hearts, as the doc is hearing a murmur that might indicate an open duct. While in the womb, some heart duct remains open to detour blood around the lungs (since there is no air in there ;) and within hours of birth it's supposed to close up. In preemies this doesn't always happen because the chemical communications aren't strong enough. Delia's is fairly small and she'll likely resolve it herself, but Ben's is larger so he may require medication to help him. They send the test results to STL for analysis and we hope to hear tomorrow.
Ben also had a PICC line put in so his umbilical line could come out. Mike had this done a couple days ago, and we thought Delia would also but it looks like she could avoid it. If she's able to tolerate her food increases, then she should not have a need for an IV within several days. Her umbilical line will expire, so she'll end up with a regular old foot IV for a couple days, but since that could be the end of her IV it's not worth putting the PICC in. The PICC is more "permanent" so to speak - 30 days - and a little more involved to put in, so the docs want to wait and see if she can get by without it. I swear one day I'm going to get off the elevator and see her walking down the hall talking on a cell phone or something!
Everyone got off their jaundice lights today, but Delia was put back on tonight. Since she was bruised up during delivery, her own stubborn fault for being burrowed so freaking low in my pelvis, she needs more time. Hopefully the boys are done with them though.
Ethan got to hold Ben tonight, finally, he is the only one we hadn't held yet, so that was awesome. I'm going to hold him later. Ethan said he told him all about yard sales and flea markets, I'm sure he was ecstatic about it :)
That's all for now, hopefully I'll have an update with some new pictures in a few days. Stay tuned!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Catching Up Part 1 - Delivery and Friday
So a lot of you are probably wondering what in the world happened to put all of this into motion. Our little tornado Delia is what happened! She was dead set on coming out first, so she kept inching lower and lower in my belly until she finally broke her water at 1AM on Friday. Things happened very quickly from there. By 1:15 they told me to get everybody to the hospital so I called mom (who was fortunately already in Jackson due to Wednesday's scare) and Ethan who got there very, very quickly! I was being wheeled back by 2 and they were out forty minutes later!
The surgery itself was very fast and simple, from my end at least. I had been worried about having my arms strapped down, but what actually bothered me worse was not being able to move my legs since they were totally numb. Very strange feeling. But anyway, I felt nothing, not even the pressure they always talk about on TV and stuff, and before I knew it they were here! All three cried when they came out, a huge relief since I wasn't sure if their lungs would be strong enough to make a cry. But of course they were immediately taken away to be checked by the NICU team so the visit was quite short.
I was back in my room by 4 AM but was too tired and numb to be able to see the babies until later in the morning. I took a much needed nap while Ethan took my mom and his parents and sister back to see them. He took some video for me so that I would be able to see, which I might try to put up later.
From there we started our NICU roller coaster. The initial assessment was that all babies were doing excellent. Everyone got an IV of some sort, Ben and Delia through their belly button and Michael in his foot, so they can get medicine and food. Everyone was given surfactant, which helps the lungs to expand and work properly, very common in preemies. And everyone needed breathing help to some extent, the boys getting ventilators and Delia getting a CPAP just like the kind snoring adults get. The boys needed some extra oxygen in their incubators, regular room air is 21% and they got something around 30%, but Delia was happy with room air.
She is very much the leader, starting with less ventilation and continuing on from there. She was the first to get her jaundice light, and also the first to be off the CPAP. She downgraded to a nose cannula only on Saturday, and went most of the day without anything on Sunday because she pulled the nose tube out so many times that the doc got tired of putting it back in! We are gonna have our hands full with her.
Ben is the second most serious, I guess you could say. He was the last to get off his ventilator, but he has stayed on a CPAP with extra oxygen the entire time. He needed some blood pressure medicine too, but the doc wasn't concerned about it. Ben is very much like his namesake (Ethan's dad) and already dislikes modern medicine. When anyone comes near him, he immediately starts to whimper because he knows they are going to bother him. We're still working on teaching him that WE aren't the bad guys, just those terrible nurses and doctors!
Michael was doing fine, came off his ventilator and went to a CPAP on Saturday and did fairly well, but he had a small hiccup this morning. He had a "collapsed lung" which really means that his lung got a tiny hole in it and some air got into the chest cavity outside of his lung. They had to re-ventilate him and put in a chest tube to get the air out. This procedure went very well, about two ounces of air was pulled out and the ventilator helped him focus on healing the lung by putting less exertion on his lungs. As of about 7 tonight the ventilator was removed because he was doing so well, and no more air had been sucked out of the chest tube. If he continues for 24 hours with no more air, they will clamp the chest tube and see if he does OK. They don't pull the tube entirely at first, just in case they would have to put it back in.
Michael also had a procedure today to put in a PICC. (I can't for the life of me remember what the acronyms stand for but I'll do my best to share my third grade level understanding of them.) Essentially his foot IV isn't hearty enough to give him the food and hefty meds he could need, and would need to be replaced periodically just as a human's IV is replaced every three days. Believe me, I know, after 20 days in the hospital with an IV port the entire time I understand this rotation thing. You'd think I was a lifelong dope shooter from the way my arms look right now! But I digress. He needed a more permanent kind of IV, which threads from his leg through to a major vessel in his chest, so that they can start to feed him and can avoid sticking him all the darn time. That procedure went very well and the tube, which looks about the size of a single hair I swear, is in place.
Overall, the babies are doing exactly what they should be. Two steps forward and one step back. Nothing that has happened thus far is "bad", it's all very typical for 31 week babies. It seems so strange to say that all this technology and crazy treatment is "normal", but we tried our best to prepare ourselves for most of this to happen. No one has had any infections yet, which is awesome, and all the docs and nurses say they are doing incredible. They share one large room so they are all together, and we can visit as often as we like.
I ought to start a whole other blog about breastfeeding, because I fear a large part of my audience wouldn't appreciate some of the comments I could make due to their graphic nature. But, I'll just say that everything is going well so far. I've needed lots of help from the nurses but am exactly where I should be. Everything I've pumped they are giving to the babies in teeny tiny doses - like drops at a time. Due to my output volume, this is good, but I'm hoping to get ahead of the curve soon so I can start stockpiling. Every day is a new adventure.
Thank you to everyone who has sent us thoughts and prayers, it is so awesome to know there is a little mini cyber world out there who follows everything we do. I think about all of you, even the ones I may not know very well, all the time, and draw from your strength when I have tough moments. Please continue to keep up all your positive energy and prayer for the long road we have ahead of it. There will be curves and bumps, but hopefully no unanticipated road construction that shuts down one lane for twenty miles when there isn't even any equipment parked on it.....
The surgery itself was very fast and simple, from my end at least. I had been worried about having my arms strapped down, but what actually bothered me worse was not being able to move my legs since they were totally numb. Very strange feeling. But anyway, I felt nothing, not even the pressure they always talk about on TV and stuff, and before I knew it they were here! All three cried when they came out, a huge relief since I wasn't sure if their lungs would be strong enough to make a cry. But of course they were immediately taken away to be checked by the NICU team so the visit was quite short.
I was back in my room by 4 AM but was too tired and numb to be able to see the babies until later in the morning. I took a much needed nap while Ethan took my mom and his parents and sister back to see them. He took some video for me so that I would be able to see, which I might try to put up later.
From there we started our NICU roller coaster. The initial assessment was that all babies were doing excellent. Everyone got an IV of some sort, Ben and Delia through their belly button and Michael in his foot, so they can get medicine and food. Everyone was given surfactant, which helps the lungs to expand and work properly, very common in preemies. And everyone needed breathing help to some extent, the boys getting ventilators and Delia getting a CPAP just like the kind snoring adults get. The boys needed some extra oxygen in their incubators, regular room air is 21% and they got something around 30%, but Delia was happy with room air.
She is very much the leader, starting with less ventilation and continuing on from there. She was the first to get her jaundice light, and also the first to be off the CPAP. She downgraded to a nose cannula only on Saturday, and went most of the day without anything on Sunday because she pulled the nose tube out so many times that the doc got tired of putting it back in! We are gonna have our hands full with her.
Ben is the second most serious, I guess you could say. He was the last to get off his ventilator, but he has stayed on a CPAP with extra oxygen the entire time. He needed some blood pressure medicine too, but the doc wasn't concerned about it. Ben is very much like his namesake (Ethan's dad) and already dislikes modern medicine. When anyone comes near him, he immediately starts to whimper because he knows they are going to bother him. We're still working on teaching him that WE aren't the bad guys, just those terrible nurses and doctors!
Michael was doing fine, came off his ventilator and went to a CPAP on Saturday and did fairly well, but he had a small hiccup this morning. He had a "collapsed lung" which really means that his lung got a tiny hole in it and some air got into the chest cavity outside of his lung. They had to re-ventilate him and put in a chest tube to get the air out. This procedure went very well, about two ounces of air was pulled out and the ventilator helped him focus on healing the lung by putting less exertion on his lungs. As of about 7 tonight the ventilator was removed because he was doing so well, and no more air had been sucked out of the chest tube. If he continues for 24 hours with no more air, they will clamp the chest tube and see if he does OK. They don't pull the tube entirely at first, just in case they would have to put it back in.
Michael also had a procedure today to put in a PICC. (I can't for the life of me remember what the acronyms stand for but I'll do my best to share my third grade level understanding of them.) Essentially his foot IV isn't hearty enough to give him the food and hefty meds he could need, and would need to be replaced periodically just as a human's IV is replaced every three days. Believe me, I know, after 20 days in the hospital with an IV port the entire time I understand this rotation thing. You'd think I was a lifelong dope shooter from the way my arms look right now! But I digress. He needed a more permanent kind of IV, which threads from his leg through to a major vessel in his chest, so that they can start to feed him and can avoid sticking him all the darn time. That procedure went very well and the tube, which looks about the size of a single hair I swear, is in place.
Overall, the babies are doing exactly what they should be. Two steps forward and one step back. Nothing that has happened thus far is "bad", it's all very typical for 31 week babies. It seems so strange to say that all this technology and crazy treatment is "normal", but we tried our best to prepare ourselves for most of this to happen. No one has had any infections yet, which is awesome, and all the docs and nurses say they are doing incredible. They share one large room so they are all together, and we can visit as often as we like.
I ought to start a whole other blog about breastfeeding, because I fear a large part of my audience wouldn't appreciate some of the comments I could make due to their graphic nature. But, I'll just say that everything is going well so far. I've needed lots of help from the nurses but am exactly where I should be. Everything I've pumped they are giving to the babies in teeny tiny doses - like drops at a time. Due to my output volume, this is good, but I'm hoping to get ahead of the curve soon so I can start stockpiling. Every day is a new adventure.
Thank you to everyone who has sent us thoughts and prayers, it is so awesome to know there is a little mini cyber world out there who follows everything we do. I think about all of you, even the ones I may not know very well, all the time, and draw from your strength when I have tough moments. Please continue to keep up all your positive energy and prayer for the long road we have ahead of it. There will be curves and bumps, but hopefully no unanticipated road construction that shuts down one lane for twenty miles when there isn't even any equipment parked on it.....
Friday, July 30, 2010
An update via Justine - WELCOME, BABIES!
Hello Friends, Family, and Fans of the Evans Triplets!
This is Beth's friend Justine. I have been elected as her "Media Coordinator", updating this blog as well as her Facebook page :) She apparently had a "press release" prepared for me to post, but before she could send it to me, her water suddenly broke at about 1 o'clock this morning while she was asleep! So I am kind of winging it :) I will post the "official" announcement when I get it :)
"Baby A", Benjamin Joseph was born via C-section at 2:41 a.m. He weighed 3 lbs. 8 oz. Delia Maeve was born next, at 3 lbs. 7 oz. And finally, Michael Brendan was 3 lbs. even. Proud Grandma Maggie McDonough said they were very happy that all the babies hit that 3 lb. mark.
The babies are in the NICU, which was expected and planned for from the beginning of the pregnancy. However, things are going really well. Delia was on a breathing tube very briefly but is already off, and now the babies are just getting oxygen but no help actually breathing. Yay!!!
Beth was able to visit the babies in the NICU around 10 o'clock this morning I believe.
This is Beth's friend Justine. I have been elected as her "Media Coordinator", updating this blog as well as her Facebook page :) She apparently had a "press release" prepared for me to post, but before she could send it to me, her water suddenly broke at about 1 o'clock this morning while she was asleep! So I am kind of winging it :) I will post the "official" announcement when I get it :)
"Baby A", Benjamin Joseph was born via C-section at 2:41 a.m. He weighed 3 lbs. 8 oz. Delia Maeve was born next, at 3 lbs. 7 oz. And finally, Michael Brendan was 3 lbs. even. Proud Grandma Maggie McDonough said they were very happy that all the babies hit that 3 lb. mark.
The babies are in the NICU, which was expected and planned for from the beginning of the pregnancy. However, things are going really well. Delia was on a breathing tube very briefly but is already off, and now the babies are just getting oxygen but no help actually breathing. Yay!!!
Beth was able to visit the babies in the NICU around 10 o'clock this morning I believe.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Quick update
A million thank yous to everyone who has sent thoughts, prayers and well wishes to us over the past couple days. It has been a joyous whirlwind that shows no signs of ending! This is a quick update with a few pics to tide you over, but I'll do my best to add all the details soon.
The Saga Continues
No babies today. I'm sorry the update took so long, we went back and forth all day long. In short, my numbers came down and the babies continue to look good, so we're leaving them in the oven and will reevaluate on Friday.
So here's how the day went down. As of this morning we were expecting to have them today. My daily weight showed a one pound gain and my blood pressure was lower than it had been. Also, when they tested me for protein, I had an "acceptable" level, so they told me that it would not be today. I was surprised but happy because I was able to have a solid lunch! My liquid breakfast was not cutting it. And you'll notice I did not say I had a "real" lunch because diabetic hospital food is most certainly not deserving of "real" status.
So I kind of hung out for a while, started to pack up my stuff because they had planned to move me to a larger labor and delivery room in anticipation of the babies coming in the next day or two. OK fine. Then the doctor stuck her head in and said she was concerned about the minimal growth of Baby C and that she wanted me to see the perinatologist to have him verify the flow of blood in his cord. If he wasn't getting good blood flow, we were gonna be back on for delivery tonight. But of course they didn't know what time I'd see him because I was being squeezed in between appointments.
I saw the perinatologist around 3 o'clock, and the results came back very good. Cord flow was good for everyone, and fluid levels were acceptable for everyone. Baby C is on the lower end of OK, but still OK. So by 4 the doc had officially decided NOT to do it today. And then she went home so I should be safe now :) She thinks I may go Friday, but if my blood pressure continues to stay lower (130/70ish), then she's gonna keep letting me go.
The moral of the story is that no one has any earthly clue what these boogers are gonna do. Now that I've had my initial "oh sh*t this is really gonna happen" moment/breakdown, I think I am much more mentally prepared for it to happen. So hopefully the back and forth that I'm sure will continue won't be as traumatic.
The toughest thing for me is feeling like I'm chicken little, getting people all psyched up and then having things change. But I know that anyone who has awaited the arrival of babies before has experienced this back and forth nonsense. Just another reminder that I'm not in charge, I can't plan, things may not work out the way I have them perfectly planned and pictured in my mind, and I'm going to have to deal with that.
My mom is down through Sunday, with her part time schedule she was able to take one vacation day tomorrow and have five days in a row off, so we'll be safe until Sunday before we have to reevaluate whether she should go home or not. My poor dad took a half day vacation today in anticipation of coming down, but once we started getting loosey-goosey answers he decided to stay put until we got a hard answer. Smart man :)
It's hard for me to think that people might not be here while they are being delivered, but at the same time, in reality I know that it kind of doesn't make a difference, in a way. Since this birth will be so abnormal, it's not like anyone will be able to see the babies right after they are born. Or me for that matter, because I'll (hopefully) be doped up and out of it for at least a little while. Also, I'm fairly confident that we'll have at least an hour or two notice before things happen, because of the logistical issues involved in getting neonatologists, extra nurses, and all the others lined up. Everyone that wants to be here will be able to get here before I'm able to see them, and as much as I want to know that they are sitting in the waiting room, it won't be the end of the world if they aren't here. I know, especially after today's events, that I have literally hundreds of people praying for me and thinking about me, and it doesn't matter if they are in the waiting room, St. Louis, Florida, or even the US. I can truly draw strength just knowing you all are out there, so thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers and please keep them coming!
So here's how the day went down. As of this morning we were expecting to have them today. My daily weight showed a one pound gain and my blood pressure was lower than it had been. Also, when they tested me for protein, I had an "acceptable" level, so they told me that it would not be today. I was surprised but happy because I was able to have a solid lunch! My liquid breakfast was not cutting it. And you'll notice I did not say I had a "real" lunch because diabetic hospital food is most certainly not deserving of "real" status.
So I kind of hung out for a while, started to pack up my stuff because they had planned to move me to a larger labor and delivery room in anticipation of the babies coming in the next day or two. OK fine. Then the doctor stuck her head in and said she was concerned about the minimal growth of Baby C and that she wanted me to see the perinatologist to have him verify the flow of blood in his cord. If he wasn't getting good blood flow, we were gonna be back on for delivery tonight. But of course they didn't know what time I'd see him because I was being squeezed in between appointments.
I saw the perinatologist around 3 o'clock, and the results came back very good. Cord flow was good for everyone, and fluid levels were acceptable for everyone. Baby C is on the lower end of OK, but still OK. So by 4 the doc had officially decided NOT to do it today. And then she went home so I should be safe now :) She thinks I may go Friday, but if my blood pressure continues to stay lower (130/70ish), then she's gonna keep letting me go.
The moral of the story is that no one has any earthly clue what these boogers are gonna do. Now that I've had my initial "oh sh*t this is really gonna happen" moment/breakdown, I think I am much more mentally prepared for it to happen. So hopefully the back and forth that I'm sure will continue won't be as traumatic.
The toughest thing for me is feeling like I'm chicken little, getting people all psyched up and then having things change. But I know that anyone who has awaited the arrival of babies before has experienced this back and forth nonsense. Just another reminder that I'm not in charge, I can't plan, things may not work out the way I have them perfectly planned and pictured in my mind, and I'm going to have to deal with that.
My mom is down through Sunday, with her part time schedule she was able to take one vacation day tomorrow and have five days in a row off, so we'll be safe until Sunday before we have to reevaluate whether she should go home or not. My poor dad took a half day vacation today in anticipation of coming down, but once we started getting loosey-goosey answers he decided to stay put until we got a hard answer. Smart man :)
It's hard for me to think that people might not be here while they are being delivered, but at the same time, in reality I know that it kind of doesn't make a difference, in a way. Since this birth will be so abnormal, it's not like anyone will be able to see the babies right after they are born. Or me for that matter, because I'll (hopefully) be doped up and out of it for at least a little while. Also, I'm fairly confident that we'll have at least an hour or two notice before things happen, because of the logistical issues involved in getting neonatologists, extra nurses, and all the others lined up. Everyone that wants to be here will be able to get here before I'm able to see them, and as much as I want to know that they are sitting in the waiting room, it won't be the end of the world if they aren't here. I know, especially after today's events, that I have literally hundreds of people praying for me and thinking about me, and it doesn't matter if they are in the waiting room, St. Louis, Florida, or even the US. I can truly draw strength just knowing you all are out there, so thank you again for all your thoughts and prayers and please keep them coming!
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
The Final Countdown...
Well, it's not official but looks like tomorrow is the day. I gained another two pounds of water weight in the last 24 hours, and my blood pressure is staying kind of high, so she is waiting to test one more thing tomorrow morning but is pretty sure it will be tomorrow afternoon. I'm getting a clear liquid breakfast tomorrow, which I doubt she would be ordering if she wasn't fairly confident it was going to happen. I'll repost when I get a definite answer tomorrow.
I'll be moving rooms tomorrow also, to one of the larger delivery rooms. Even though I'll be in the OR, that will give us more room for people to come see me after the fact, and it will give me a chance to pack up before I'm totally out of it. I'll let everyone know the new room number tomorrow also.
I'm kind of bummed that I haven't made it as long as I wanted to, but the doctor is pleased with their sizes and I know she is making the best decision for all of us. It's time for me to start getting used to NOT being able to influence things anyway, usually I've been able to force things to work in my favor by being stubborn and this time it just isn't gonna happen. Thank goodness I have such an awesome and supportive family, mom will be here tomorrow morning and if we get confirmation that tomorrow is the day Dad will be here too. And of course Ethan's family is all very close.
More to come tomorrow!
I'll be moving rooms tomorrow also, to one of the larger delivery rooms. Even though I'll be in the OR, that will give us more room for people to come see me after the fact, and it will give me a chance to pack up before I'm totally out of it. I'll let everyone know the new room number tomorrow also.
I'm kind of bummed that I haven't made it as long as I wanted to, but the doctor is pleased with their sizes and I know she is making the best decision for all of us. It's time for me to start getting used to NOT being able to influence things anyway, usually I've been able to force things to work in my favor by being stubborn and this time it just isn't gonna happen. Thank goodness I have such an awesome and supportive family, mom will be here tomorrow morning and if we get confirmation that tomorrow is the day Dad will be here too. And of course Ethan's family is all very close.
More to come tomorrow!
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