Whoa baby.
I woke up at 4 a.m. and had to pee. Nothing out of the ordinary there. But I woke up fast when I saw it wasn't just pee. "Um, Scott? Come have a look."
"Yep, you're going to have to go in."
I said that maybe it was nothing and that I'd call in the morning, that I'd go back to bed. It is just too early to be what I think it is, I thought. I got a drink and laid down and tried to get the baby to move just for a little peace of mind. He was moving fine, but I woke up enough to realize that there was no way I was going back to sleep and I had that same trickling feeling that preceded Phoebe's birth. I grabbed my half-packed hospital bag, grabbed a few random items to stuff in it, and headed out.
I got in the car and drove myself to the hospital. Scott stayed in bed but never went back to sleep of course. I didn't want to call a sitter at 4 a.m. when it might not be anything and I'd probably just wait around in the emergency department for awhile.
I checked myself in fairly quickly. As it turns out, there was no wait at 5 a.m. at this hospital. I got a wheelchair ride to my room, got swabbed and poked, and it was confirmed that the membranes had indeed ruptured. So then my tear ducts broke some water.
And then I called Scott, who called our friend to take Bruce and Phoebe, then hightailed it to the hospital.
We talked to lots of doctors and the plan is to keep the baby in as long as possible because we are just shy of 29 weeks. I got some yucky medication to slow/stop contractions and keep labor from progressing. I got a steroid shot in the thigh to help our little man's lungs develop faster (bye bye drug-free birth! And bye bye VBAC, I'm cruising toward a C-section at this point!).
And so our little guy could be here tomorrow, or it could be 2-3 weeks. But he will be here soon. And that is scary and exciting.
In some ways, I feel like we are about as well-prepared as we can be for this to happen. We have been through some preemie issues before, so we have some inkling of what's going to happen and how to manage logistics and such. We have a good support network, all the gear we need (thanks to yesterday's baby shower!), and some savings in case this baby is expensive.
I've been preparing Bruce and Phoebe, guiding them toward self-sufficiency. I've been delegating responsibilities, making lots of meals for new moms to pay it forward a bit, and trying to make myself generally less needed just in case I disappeared for a little while. This Tuesday is my last official day with Miss J, so last week we started transitioning her to new care. While I feel a little bad I'm ditching out of two days of work, I'm glad it's only two days and she has a place to go.
And so while I am scared to do the whole preemie thing again, in some ways I feel like our family has been preparing for this our whole lives.
Go Team Raymond!
"Yep, you're going to have to go in."
I said that maybe it was nothing and that I'd call in the morning, that I'd go back to bed. It is just too early to be what I think it is, I thought. I got a drink and laid down and tried to get the baby to move just for a little peace of mind. He was moving fine, but I woke up enough to realize that there was no way I was going back to sleep and I had that same trickling feeling that preceded Phoebe's birth. I grabbed my half-packed hospital bag, grabbed a few random items to stuff in it, and headed out.
I got in the car and drove myself to the hospital. Scott stayed in bed but never went back to sleep of course. I didn't want to call a sitter at 4 a.m. when it might not be anything and I'd probably just wait around in the emergency department for awhile.
I checked myself in fairly quickly. As it turns out, there was no wait at 5 a.m. at this hospital. I got a wheelchair ride to my room, got swabbed and poked, and it was confirmed that the membranes had indeed ruptured. So then my tear ducts broke some water.
And then I called Scott, who called our friend to take Bruce and Phoebe, then hightailed it to the hospital.
We talked to lots of doctors and the plan is to keep the baby in as long as possible because we are just shy of 29 weeks. I got some yucky medication to slow/stop contractions and keep labor from progressing. I got a steroid shot in the thigh to help our little man's lungs develop faster (bye bye drug-free birth! And bye bye VBAC, I'm cruising toward a C-section at this point!).
And so our little guy could be here tomorrow, or it could be 2-3 weeks. But he will be here soon. And that is scary and exciting.
In some ways, I feel like we are about as well-prepared as we can be for this to happen. We have been through some preemie issues before, so we have some inkling of what's going to happen and how to manage logistics and such. We have a good support network, all the gear we need (thanks to yesterday's baby shower!), and some savings in case this baby is expensive.
I've been preparing Bruce and Phoebe, guiding them toward self-sufficiency. I've been delegating responsibilities, making lots of meals for new moms to pay it forward a bit, and trying to make myself generally less needed just in case I disappeared for a little while. This Tuesday is my last official day with Miss J, so last week we started transitioning her to new care. While I feel a little bad I'm ditching out of two days of work, I'm glad it's only two days and she has a place to go.
And so while I am scared to do the whole preemie thing again, in some ways I feel like our family has been preparing for this our whole lives.
Go Team Raymond!
Labels: baby
posted by Emily at 8:42 PM
4 Comments:
I saw your kids with Pam today. Does she have them for a while? Can I take a turn? Let me know what you need from me. Henry and I are super flexible and can hang at your place with your kids just as easily as we can be at Target and Costco. :)
Emily, thanks for taking the time to update when you're in the hospital attached to monitors with a baby trying to jump the gun. We'll be praying he can hold off coming a little longer.
Anyway, you're amazing, and so prepared--if anyone can be ready for this, you are! Go Team Raymond!
We're cheering for you on the sidelines! The whole building was filled with love for you and your family at church today. We're praying for you.
You guys are so ready for this little man!!! it is going to be hard, but wonderful! can't believe you're days away from successful baby #3! GO EMILY!!!!
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