"Hostile Uterus"

25 weeks, 5 days!

Things here are going much better than they were about 48 hours ago. After I got off of the Mag drip, things have improved a lot for me, mentally and physically. I really don’t like the Mag drip at all. It is basically used to control contractions and relax the uterus, but I still had contractions through it the entire time I was on it. They told me that my “hostile uterus” contracts normally every 2 to 15 minutes, without feeling much of anything. There are apparently many factors that go into this, but they think it’s because I’m such a petite person to begin with, my body is more sensitive to such things.  It was nothing that I did, and there is nothing I can really do- it may have even happened the whole time while I was pregnant with Keaton, but they never really checked my cervix because there was only one baby in there at the time. So, I’m learning a lot right now about my body, and how I have very little control over it. I guess in a way it puts me at ease, because it’s not like I was being too active or doing things to endanger the babies. Now I can just kick my feet up and relax as much as possible. There is still no sign that I’ll go into labor anytime soon, but you just never know. I’m almost as big as I was when I was 8 months pregnant with Keaton, so there’s no way to know how it will all pan out. I just need to make it to 28 or 29 weeks, and the risks go down considerably for the boys. I can do this!!

Here’s what I’ve learned about myself while I’m here: I can have contractions for all kinds of reasons… laughing, sneezing, anytime the boys move a lot, anytime I have to go to the bathroom, etc. Again, these are not the kind of contractions that may come to mind- there is no screaming or pain. In fact, I rarely know I’m even having one, and the main reason I can tell is because there is a fetal monitor strapped to my belly at all times, and it occasionally feels tighter. My back hurts a bit, but it always has- we don’t know if that’s because I’ve been contracting for weeks and weeks, or because of the added weight of my belly on my body. Who knows! It could be a combination. So yeah… that’s what life is apparently like inside my hostile uterus. Poor boys… it doesn’t sound like the most pleasant place to be! But I hope they stay in for another 3 weeks regardless.

I love the nurses here. Really, they are all so great- it almost makes me want to come back when all of this is said and done and give back to them in some way. My current nurse, Johanna, was a patient here and had twins at 25 weeks, 2.5 years ago. They are doing great now. Her water broke very early in the pregnancy, and she was here until she gave birth. It has been great getting to chat with her about everything, because she’s very realistic about my situation, but also very encouraging. She actually was pregnant with triplets, but one did not make it after her water broke. It’s been nice to hear her perspective about everything. I feel blessed by every one of my nurses… even the one that was a little grumpier than the rest was still very nice… haha.

I have actually been pretty pampered today. The Mag drip was so uncomfortable that I am becoming more thankful for any perks I get: massage, shower, my own pajamas, unrestricted diet, etc. I don’t have to page the nurse whenever I have to go to the bathroom. I can order free movies and play on the internet most of the day. I will probably miss certain parts of this after it’s all over, because I won’t get 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep again anytime in the near future. Ambien has been my BFF at night, and I got such good sleep the past two nights that I didn’t even wake up to go to the bathroom, which is RARE. It caused some more intense contractions when I did wake up this morning, but they mellowed out as the morning went on. Overall, the consensus seems to be that I’m doing pretty well. I am thankful for every minute I have without the dreaded Mag drip. And if I need to go back on it, which is probably a reality since one of the meds I am on cannot be distributed again during this pregnancy after this round because of possible harmful side effects, then that’s what I’ll do. Until then, I’ll be happy with whatever I get. I’m really realizing the little things now and am grateful for all of them. This puts everything in perspective.

The boys both weigh over a pound now. They got some steroid shots when I was on the Mag drip, so I’m sure they are getting close to 1.5 pounds now. Monday is the big day… they are going to check my cervix again. I am nervous to find out what’s going on, because that could be the biggest deciding factor about when I go into labor. Even if I’m starting to dilate, and even if my water breaks, the can usually still hold off labor for a few days or more if they get to me early enough. I will most likely be here for Christmas this year, and although that sucks, I am trying to come to terms and be realistic about it. The party can come to me, I guess! We’ll see what happens.

Okay, that’s plenty for right now. I have very limited access to the Blogger website, so I have to write this in Word and then cut/paste so I can save my minutes. I’ll try to update again asap!

-Ash