Playing with Alexa's Bouncer!!!!

Finally Home and 31 Weeks :)

I finally came home on Monday but on bedrest. I still have to take my Procardia (for contractions) every 4 hours. Just wanted to thank everyone for your prayers.

Alexa is growing!!!!

Enjoying Nap Time!!!!!

"Lord, grant me the courage to walk on" ...

Sorry for the late, overdue post. Hopefully I'll be able to answer a couple of questions:

*What condition has brought me to the hospital????
On Monday, April 29 about 3p.m. I noticed that I was having the worst heartburn and headache so it was Alex's nap time and like any other day I tried taking a nap with him. I was really uncomfortable and couldn't sleep so I just got up and went to the living room and watched TV. Around 8p.m. I still had the heartburn and headache so I called my DR and he suggested that I go to CVS or HEB to check my blood pressure since I had preeclampsia with Alex. Rob took me to HEB to get my blood pressure checked and it was 134/88 which I thought wasn't that bad. I called my DR and gave him the results of my blood pressure and he suggested that I go to labor & delivery just to get checked out. I told him that I would just rather taking a Ambien (sleeping pill) and go to bed and promised if the headache got worse that I would go to labor & delivery so off to bed I went. I did go to sleep but woke up at 1a.m. with the worst headache so I woke up Rob and Rob's parents came over to watch Alex and Rob and I headed off to Corsicana.

Once I got there, they put me on the monitor and I was contracting every 2-4 minutes so the nurse checked me and I was already 2cm dilated and my cervix was thinned out 50% so she gave me a dose of Procardia to stop the contractions and it didn't help. I was put on a medicine drip called magnesium (don't wish this drug on anybody)to stop the contractions but it wasn't helping either. Since Navarro doesn't have a level 2 nursery my DR decided to ship me to another hospital that had a NICU in case I was going to deliver because I was only 29 3/7 weeks. My DR tried sending me to Baylor in Dallas but at the time their beds were full so Presby had a open bed for me and I rode the hour drive to Presby by ambulance.

Once at Presby, they sent me to labor and delivery and I got settled in and saw the OB DR on call. They checked my cervix and my dilation was still the same as the previous so that was a good thing but I was still contracting. I was kept on the magnesium that night and was bedridden. The next morning I was real short of breath and started having chest pain so they finally weaned me off the magnesium from 3gm to 2gm to 1gm until I was completely off the magnesium. By the time I was contracting irregularly from 5 to 8 minutes and then I was contracting just occasionally.

That afternoon I was able to move to antepartum where I was still on bedrest with bathroom privileges, off the monitor and was finally able to eat a regular diet. So here I am today still on antepartum. I was monitored twice a day for contractions and Alexa's heartbeat but now I am just monitored once a day in the morning. I was on bedrest with bathroom privileges but now I am able to walk in the hallway for 15 minutes twice a day and am able to go outside via wheelchair once a day. I was still contracting occasionally but they have not been painful but just feel tightening of my belly but (knock on wood) I have not had any contractions these past 3 days. I did have a scare on Wednesday with some vaginal bleeding but I had a varicosity vein that ruptured. I am taking Procardia every 4 hours to prevent contractions.

*How long will I be here?????
I am 31 weeks today and will be here until I am 34 weeks. They will do a swab called fetal fibronectin and it test for preterm labor. It actually test if you will go into preterm labor within 2 weeks. If it is negative then I will be able to go home on bedrest and continue taking the Procardia at home but if it comes back positive then I might have to stay here until I am 36 weeks :(

*What do I do to keep myself busy?????
I can actually say that these 2 weeks that I have been here has gone by fast. It seems that the day goes by fast but the nights just drag on. I just watch TV and I have a DVD player here so I have watched a couple of new releases. I am not a big reader of books buy started reading a book and reading magazines. When Rob is not working he and Alex are here visiting so that helps alot. Oh and yes I am on the computer alot, especially facebook.


There is not a day that goes by that I do not recognize and remind myself how incredibly blessed I am. I praise the Lord for His blessings in my life. Especially for the wonderful and supporting husband He has given me who is going through all this while working full time, caring for Alex, tending to his needs, cooking for him and doing the laundry and tending to the household chores. Today was a difficult day for me on an emotional level because tomorrow is Mother's Day and I won't be at home with Alex. This is still a big adjustment for Alex. He'll call me and say "Mommy you sick" or when leaving the hospital he'll say "you come Mommy?". This just breaks my heart.

I just wanted to thank everyone who prayed your hearts out to help our family through this tough time. All I know is that we are so blessed to have wonderful family and friends who have lifted us up and kept us strong through this. There are many days that we felt we couldn't have made it without all of you. I want to stand strong, to persevere in this trial, and to bring glory to God in doing so. I honestly couldn't do this without Him. He is the Creator of the universe, He is my Savior and He is God. Please pray for us as we continue to endure. Pray that we finish strong and that in the end we have a healthy baby girl. "Lord, grant me the courage to walk on" ...