Week 29: Admitted for Monitoring

Here we are, week 29, and it's been a very emotional day! After a pretty good check up with my OB yesterday, today was not as I was expecting. I went in for my weekly MFM appointment as usual. Babies looked great just as they always do. It's my darn cervix that won't cooperate. Today they could not get any measurements of my cervix - as in, it was too short to measure. Instead they discovered I am dilated about 0.5cm, which sounds like no big deal to some (heck, I walked around at 3cm for a couple months when I was pregnant with Josiah before I ever went into labor), but when you're carrying multiples and have the high risk factors I've had, it's cause for concern. So I was told that I needed to be admitted to the hospital to be monitored...for who knows how long. Thankfully it was not an emergency, so I had time to go home and pack a bag and drive down to Austin.

Let me pause here and say that there is much to be thankful for. We have some awesome friends who are so willing to help in any way, especially with Josiah. I am thankful my mom was with me at the appointment - yes, there's been a lot of crying today. And just the amount of prayers being sent up by friends and family has been encouraging. Seriously. So grateful.

As I said, I needed to head to Austin to be admitted. Seton Medical Center does not have a NICU facility. My doctor mentioned Scott & White as an option, but we ultimately decided on St. David's North Austin Medical Center - this is where all my MFM doctors are; they know us, they know our history. This makes things a little more complicated as it's 45 minutes away from home, but we're taking it one day at a time. Right now, my mom is here with me, Josiah is with a friend, and Richard is about to get off work to come be with me (he had a pretty full schedule today and couldn't get away until later in the day). He will probably stay the night with me and we'll see what happens tomorrow. We could be here for a couple of days or it could be weeks, we don't know yet.

So what have they done since I was admitted? They hooked me up to some fetal monitors to track the babies and my contractions - the nurse preferred to call them "irritations" since they aren't very strong and basically a blip on the screen. I had more blood drawn for some lab work and an IV put in, but is not being used yet. They gave me some medicine to help relax my uterus to keep the contractions away and I get to wear these lovely compression wraps on my legs to help prevent blood clots since I'm on bedrest still.

We are prayerful that the Lord will keep these girls safe and healthy and inside for a little longer. At this point the babies look great and we should be grateful we've already had one round of steroid shots. Their main concern right now is making sure I don't go into preterm labor and that I'm safe and healthy. Please pray with us. God is so much bigger than my fear and uncertainty. He will be my strength and my comfort. He has a plan and it is perfect.

(I will read those last few sentences often as a reminder. Because, hello. Hormones.)