E-Mail Update #3

If I haven't sent you an update until now, I apologize. I seem to have left off several people I intended to e-mail. I blame it on demerol (which I'm now not taking, unfortunately). For whoever I still have left off and will remember later, I blame it on the percocet.

I'm 25 weeks and 5 days pregnant today, which means I've been here for three weeks and have only 2 weeks and 2 days until my revised goal delivery date. I am thrilled to have made it this far and I hope to make it much farther. I spoke with the neonatologist again yesterday who reminded me that at this point every day counts and that making it to 28 weeks would be a huge accomplishment as far as the babies' development.

This past Saturday the attending doctor said that they want to keep a close eye on me for now, but that if I didn't have any more "episodes" that they would consider sending me home at 27 weeks, or possibly 26 weeks. Just as I started getting used to that idea of going home (and sort of looking forward to it), I had an "episode" on Monday night. I was having some pretty stubborn contractions that were 5 minutes apart and lasted from about 8:00 at night until around 3:00 or so in the morning. They started talking about sending me to Labor & Delivery to be more closely watched, when the contractions finally responded to the meds I had been given up until that point and tapered off. There was little change to my cervix. The doctor said that I'm close to 2cm dilated now, but that she's still calling it 1cm because I'm not quite there. I'm still 50% effaced. I'm not sure how much of an "episode" this was and how that will affect my going home schedule, but I know it made me want to stay here. There is no substitute for the quick care I get when I'm here.

Last week I started getting "non-stress tests" -- which will be every Monday and Thursday. Basically, they strap little discs on my belly to monitor the babies' heartbeats and to monitor contractions. It's supposed to make sure that the babies all are active, have healthy heartbeats, and that the heartbeats do well during contractions. So far, the babies are passing these tests with flying colors. At one, Rosemary, Piper, and Henry were so active and kicking that it took two nurses to hold the discs on them (when usually they are just strapped on and ignored until the test is over). Anyway, the babies did so great that one nurse commented that they acted more like 28-weekers during the test. We are so proud of the babies for being so strong and healthy! That really makes this process so much easier.
I hope that you are all doing well!