And that, my friends, is why I'm here!

I woke up at 3:15am today with cramping, It wasn't intense, but it was kept me up so I decided after a few minutes to call the nurse. I was having at times 3 contractions per 10 minutes (probably more like braxton hicks), but with my situation any of them that are consistent, are not my friend. They told me that if they didnt calm, then they would deliver the baby today. They gave me procardia & a bag of fluids which calmed the activity down. I've seen the doctor today who said I would continue with procadia as precaution for a little while. It could have been a side effect of magnesium yesterday, mild dehydration or beginning or pre-term labor. Good news is that I am not having contractions now.
I'm not sure how I would have handled the situation if I'd been home, so I was thankful to have immediate access to nurses & doctors!

NICU

I had an IV of magnesium today. I was so nervouse about it!  I have just been "living" here in Baptist and not needing any extra shots or poking or medicines, so the thought of it made me a little anxious. I had talked to my high risk doctor over the weekend and discussed it being a good time to get the IV and one more steroid shot for baby's lungs. The meds are most effective for a 2 week period and she felt like if we get 2 more weeks of baby staying in utero, that we will be out of the zone of baby boy needing as much extra help. They have said that making it to 28+ weeks is a milestone (I'm approaching 29). That 30 would be better, 32 would be great & by getting to 34 they would expect the health of a full term baby (minus a few pounds)! I feel comfort that we took a proactive step. I began to fear a change occuring and not being able to get the medicine he needs quickly enough (24 hours to take effect). My biggest risk at this point is contractions. I don't have a history of pre-term labor, so we are praying this pregnancy will prove to be the same. The doctors tell me the uterus has an amazing ability to hold even when it's very thin.
I also visited the NICU for the first time this weekend. I wanted to prepare myself as much as I could for what to expect when baby boy is born. Baptist's NICU is amazing!!  Now, I don't have much to compare it to, but the technology in there is unprecidented. The nurse to baby ratio is 2:1 and sometimes 1:1. Although it was hard to imagine our little boy being 3 or 4 lbs with a feeding tube, the success and growth of the babies is trememendous and the staff encouraged me that it won't take too long for little boy Purifoy to get to a size that is comparable to full term babies at his same age. It was hardest for me to swallow that, depending on what gestation he is born, I may not be able to hold him for a while. Touch raises their heart rate and therefore makes their heart and lungs work harder when technically, as a preterm baby, they are not ready to be touched. I'm eating up all this information. It is so intriguing to me. Thank you again for all your prayer and support. I couldn't make it as sanely as I have without you!!

Seeing these make it much easier on me to be at the hospital...

VBS

Lego Camp (Camp Brick)

Sweet CeCes with friends



Bowling with on of our awesome babysitters, Mary Ellen

Things are pretty uneventful here. It's been 2 weeks and surprsingly, it is going by faster than I thought. A high risk doctor and general OB come see me everyday. Our conversation is very short as I have literally no other symptoms of anything which is great!!  It does make it harder at times to swallow the fact that I'm here. I feel like I have a one bedroom apartment in the hopsital.
My ultrasounds are uneventful too which is what we want. They did measure baby boy on Monday and he is estimated to be about 2.5lbs. I actually feel my best when I leave the ultrasound because I know for a fact that nothing is going on without my knowing.
What I miss most is being at home with Michael and the boys. I miss giving Michael a hug when he gets home from work. I miss reading the boys books and making them lunch. I also miss cooking. I don't miss cleaning :0 I"m sure Michael misses that!  They've told me the longest I will go is to 34 weeks, so at most, I have 6 more weeks to go! 

1 day = 3 days

I've been at Baptist 10 days. I learned yesterday that every day baby boy stays in my tummy, it's 3 less days in the NICU. So far, we're 30 down :0 I had an ultrasound this morning and he is weighing in at about 2lbs 6 oz. He continues to look healthy. One doctor talked to me about magnesium and how if given even a dose of 30 minutes, can decrease a pre-term baby's risk of cerebal palsey by 50%. I don't think it is likely that he would be born with that at this point, but it is a slight risk and something we are praying for. I told the doctor I love to understand all the information and he's been great with giving me as much info as he can. He also said there are a couple things they would do if we see that delivery is impending like a booster shot of lung steroid and the magnesium). I asked him how we would know if delivery was impending and he gave me a couple potential indicators... nothing is routine or concrete with this type of situation. So, I'm also praying that there would be indicators if needed. It's difficult for me to swallow that this baby could be born any day or could be born in 7 weeks. And of course, I have plenty of time to think about it :)  I am occupying my time fairly well though with visiors and knitting!!

This is a picture of little guy sucking his thumb and the tiny hat I made him at 4am yesterday to keep him warm in the NICU

Some of my favorite visitors!

1 week down... I can't believe it! Thank you so much for everyone visiting, bringing food, helping with the kids, and calling. All of it helps me get through each day and focus on getting baby boy here! My most recent ultrasound was Monday afternoon. I think the goal of them now is that they would be uneventful... Basically as long as they can see that everything is "holding together" then they will let baby keep growing. It is eventful for me though to see this little boy growing. I saw him yawn & suck his thumb which was precious. My mom was visiting me when they came to get me for the ultrasound. They just fit me in, so I never know when they will come. So, mom went with me. That was was the first time she has seen an ultrasound, so it was really sweet. we did see him using his lungs and his diaphragm again which gives me such comfort. Those are two things that are ideal to see functioning for a pre-term baby. My fear right now is the unknown... But even as I think about it, I do feel peace that no matter what, God has me & this little guy in His hands.

I had an ultrasound this morning. The doctor's goal was to see how healthy the baby was... called the biophysical profile. Main thing was to see his heart and if the diaphragm was beginning to work to show that he has potential to breathe on his own... and it was!!  Another thing that it indicates is that he has enough energy to physically do it. The ultrasound technian said that sometimes you can't see this in an ultrasound until past 30 weeks. I'm at 26, so that is very good news!!  Everyone that has monitored me has said that the baby looks "great."  They didn't try to get a measurement on my scar because they know it is thin and becuase of baby's position, it is not likely to get an accurate reading anyway.  So, in an ultrasound now they are just looking to make sure everything is in tact and that nothing is coming through the scar. I was so glad to have the ultrasound completed and recieve positive news before the weekend! 

The first picture is his face profile with mouth open. She said she could see his tongue too, but I can't tell.
The other is his hand. He literally waves to us almost every ultrasound and we love it!

So I'm up again at 430am! Made it a little longer tonight than last and in general, I'm more comfortable. I think I'll take the nurses up on a sleep aid Friday night. As far as I know I will be getting ultrasound Friday. We may be able to see the lining more clearly or we may see baby boy in the same spot since its only been 2 days since my last ultrasound. Praying to see things more cleary which will give us a little more breathing room. Thank you to everyone who has reached out! I truly love hearing from you & am overwhelmed by those willing to help. My friend Jennie is sending out a meal calendar to those interested in helping that way. I would love a visit from anyone who is up for that too. My boys are pretty well taken care of for July. I had planned ahead since we knew this was a possibility. It looks like August will be a little more tricky with childcare since my babysitters will be going back to school/work & Luke doesn't go back until aug 27. Not sure how far I'll make it, so we are trying to take it one week at a time. Most urgent prayer right now would be that we could make it to a minimum of 30 weeks which is around aug 10 & that I wouldnt end up in an emergency situation (doctors tell me that an emergency isn't likely). Pray for Michael as he is adjusting to all this as well... Adding full time dad to his full time work schedule & juggling being with me. My parents have been a huge help too. I am so thankful for my family and community. You guys make this so much easier on us and we are are truly grateful!!

So here I am... July 11 (about 25/26 weeks). Baby boy's head is head down and right up to my scar on the inside of my uterus and my bladder is right up against it on the outside. They were not able to measure the thinning of my scar as in the past which has been the goal of every ultrasound. My high risk dr was at another office and I had a new ultrasound tech, so I was already a little on edge since I wasn't seeing "my regulars." The intern sends my images to the doctor & Michael and I wait. The practitioner walks in & says I need to be admitted to Baptist. No stopping at home. I lose it. I'm thinking "can't I just stop at home and get my things? Can't I just wait another hour so I can see my kids after VBS?" I was expecting this ultimately, just not so abruptly. I'm also afraid this means baby s coming much sooner than we thought. Michael is awesome... Totally with me every step of the way. I am admitted and my nurse Melissa is awesome! I've seen both high risk and regular OB today and they tell me it is still the goal to get me to 34 weeks. I'm thankful and relieved that it's even a remote possibility. The thought of being in the hospital for 8 weeks is overwhelming. But we want baby boy to get as strong as he can. I got a steroid shot to help his lungs develop a little more quickly. he is already around 2+ pounds and at 25/26 weeks, that is big. I don't typically have big babies so there is only one explanation for that... God! I can definitely say I haven't understood what He is up to, but not once have I doubted that He has been & will continue to be with me every step of the way! After being in bed a couple hours, my back was already hurting. This may be a long visit. I can get up for 1-2 hours at a time, then lay for 2 so that is nice & similar to what I was doing at home the last couple weeks. Just my scenery has changed. To a parking lot to be exact. My room is nice though. I do have dvd & 19" tv! The boys think my hospital "hotel" is awesome because my bed has a speaker on it and moves up & down. They will get to watch movies here with me, so they think that is the greatest. There are other "long timers" here at baptist as they have named my kind. All here for different reasons, but here until the baby comes. I, of course ask, if we can meet & hang out in the halls :) & they say some do. The nurse offered her iPad because my laptop isnt connecting. I've been up almost every hour going to the bathroom. They tell me the more I drink water and the more empty my bladder is, the less contractions I'll have (which ultimately can be a strain on my scar). They say they will leave me alone for the night unless I need them, but I've been up since 3am. I will get ultrasounds 2 times a week and unless im having pain or my scar pulls apart, then baby will stay put. Ive been told my next ultrasound is likely on Friday. I will probably post daily if you want to come to the site for updates. I appreciate you!

The story.... Ever since Luke was born (2007), Michael and I have wanted another baby. I had an issue at Luke's delivery via c-section that might not allow us to have another one (basically it's called a uterine window & after healing would increase my chanes of reoccurrence and potential inability to carry the baby to a healthy term). We weren't ready anytime soon... We had our hands full with two toddler boys! We didnt linger much on it until 2009 we met with doctors & had semi-unclear advice. We pursued other appointments, lots of prayer and looked into adoption for the next two years. In january of 2012, we were ready to make our decision. We went away for a weekend to seek clarity & pray. There is no way to describe what happened that weekend... Except we totally felt God's presence & peace. We decided that week to move forward with having a biological child. February 7, I found out I was pregnant! I was excited, shocked & scared. We meet with my OB and they seem somewhat optimistic saying things like "there are possibe risks, but I don't think they are likely." I was filled with hope. At 13 week ultrasound a different doctor, my new high risk dr, was telling me to prepare for hospital bed rest at 24 weeks. We were deflated, but we planned on it. We found out in May, we were having a another boy! Ultrasounds have been going as planned & things are looking as good as they can. We hit 23, then 24 and for three weeks the was little change in the thinning of my scar. We were hopeful yet again.