Day 20

Well, I almost can't believe it. I've survived 20 days of hospital bed rest. It has gone surprisingly fast, and I am still sane. Imagine that.

{this is on day 2 after they let my head up a little}

I plan on keeping a daily journal of my exciting hospital adventures. I  know one day I will want to look back and read my thoughts and experiences from this unique time in my life. Since I am 20 days behind already, I thought I would do a quick re-cap of my hospital stay so far.

Week 1:

The first day was rough. At my doctors appointment we discovered that my cervix was .9 cm in length (average is above a 3 cm) and that I needed to be admitted to the hospital for the duration of my pregnancy. I was 23 weeks 6 days. 

I was given an IV (barf) and then hooked up to several drugs, one being Magnesium, which is horrible. It is used to reduce the chances of cerebral palsy in the baby once born. Unfortunately, the side effects for me are nasty, including intense headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, extreme hot flashes, and nausea. To top things off, they had my bed tilted so my head was below my feet, an old method used in hopes of keeping the baby in...literally. I was also not allowed to get up, so the trusty bed pan became my BFF. Lovely.

Once the contraction medications kicked in, everything calmed down and I was transferred to a different unit for patients on maternity bed rest.

I love my room!

My window is huge and I get plenty of sunlight pouring in. I have a sofa and chair for my guests, and the most amazing nurses.

Week 2:

Week two was very uneventful. I established a routine and had plenty of visitors. I learned that I can not nap during the day or I won't sleep at night, and that I am never hungry. I was taken to labour and delivery with a scare of contractions, but was returned several hours later still pregnant. Thank goodness.

Week 3:

Week 3 was a doozy. We discovered my bags of water is bulging out of my cervix . Not good news. Although my water is still in tact (not broken) I am now at a higher risk for infections and delivery. I am also dilated to a 3. If I start to contract or dilate more, then they will have to deliver. 

In my first pregnancy, I had a classical c-section (meaning my uterus was cut vertically) so a repeat c-section is necessary. The classical c-section also puts me at an increased risk for my uterus rupturing. Knowing this information, intense labouring is not allowed. 

Lastly, we discovered that my placenta is located on the front of my uterus and is overlapping my previous c-section scar. We are concerned that my placenta has grown into the scar of my uterus, meaning that at delivery I will need a hysterectomy. We won't know for sure until they open me up and take a look.

I also passed a kidney stone, ouch. I had my doctors convinced that I was in labor and going to deliver within the day, but luckily, it was only a kidney stone. It hurt so bad and I hope to never go through that again! 

I think that's it...phew! What a week :)