Monday, October 19, 2009

33 Weeks!

Saturday night my husband and I were going to go out to dinner since the days of date nights are numbered, but around 4 pm, my uterus began to thwart our plans.

I started having contractions about every 3 minutes, and then they started to hurt. Not a lot, but enough that I didn't want to talk while I was having one. I took some Terbutaline which slowed them, but didn't stop them. Realizing this could be true labor, I called our MFM's number which automatically transfers to the answering service on the weekend. Usually. I tried it no less than 10 times and it disconnected me each time. I gave up and tried calling our hospital directly, and was also disconnected! Eventually we found a number that was not in their main network and someone transferred us to Labor and Delivery. After about 45 minutes of trying! Of course, they said to come in, but I had hoped to talk to Dr. P first.

When we arrived, they hooked me up to the monitor and only saw about 8 contractions and hour, and the babies looked wonderful! They were having good accelerations and great baseline heart rates. After the oral terb started to wear off, the contractions picked up again, this time more painful and longer. My awesome nurse checked my cervix and announced I was dilated to 2.5 cm and about 80% effaced. Not a huge deal, since I have had a child before, but we wanted to make sure it stayed that way. The nurse went off to call Dr. P and said, "Do you want to have them now? Sometimes doctors just decide your "done" and deliver." After we picked our jaws up off of the floor, we said, "We want to get to 34 weeks, and we are sure Dr. P will too."

When Dr. P came in she asked why we didn't call her and I explained the answering service didn't ANSWER! The nurse told us the entire hospital's switchboard had been down and that affected the service. Dr. P was a bit horrified and said, "Yikes! I hope it was not down too long..."

She agreed with us, of course, that she wanted to try to get to 34 weeks, and I received a shot of Terbutaline which stopped the contractions right away. They kept me overnight to make sure the contractions stayed away after the Terb wore off, which they did, and monitored the babies again in the morning. Dr. P used words I have not heard spoken by her: "gorgeous monitoring session for the babies" and "they look beautiful!" were phrases that set my mind at ease.

We left the hospital, happily, the next afternoon and I will go back tomorrow for a quickie ultrasound and NST. Then back for my LAST appointment on Friday and then three short days later, my sons will be born! There are just about seven days remaining until the big C-section. What's that? You want to know how many hours? Okay, 166 hours and two minutes. And you can figure we sleep 8 hours per day, so that is about 110 waking hours left!

So I am alternating between states of excitement, overwhelming gratitude, fear and organization. Really, you should see the closets around here. Tidy and labeled! In fact, I have been labeling everything. EVERYTHING. My daughter's toy bins, the boys' drawers, art supplies. (I am aware of the psychological implications here and that by creating order in my drawers and closets, I feel some control over the outcome of this pregnancy, but ANYWAY...)

Cases in point:









I become very annoyed when I cannot get things into a label-able category, as is often the case with my techie husband's gadgets, cords, chargers and nameless pieces of electronics. In this case I found something that fit:



Seriously, I should be a professional organizer, but I am willing to admit that I am only this good when pregnant.

28 comments:

  1. I am so happy the contractions stopped and you are able to hopefully hold out until 34 weeks!

    I love the labeling lol!

    Kelley

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  2. Wow, you are so close! I cant believe its just a week away!

    Your labeling made me laugh. My house looks the same way. I just got done labeling the babies dresser so that DH has an easier time finding their clothes. lol.

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  3. 33 Weeks!
    How fabulous for all four of you:). Glad to hear they were able to quash the contractions for now. Another week will make a big difference.

    Happy nesting:)

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  4. How do you have the energy to label? I am so tired and worn out at 24 weeks with twins... I'd love some advice!!! I am going crazy in my disorganized home!!!

    I am so excited that it sounds like you will hit 34 weeks, no problem!!!

    Congrats!!!

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  5. A woman after my own heart! If I wasn't on bedrest I'd be a labeling fool, I'm jealous! Glad the contractions stopped, and that 34 week goal is soooo close!

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  6. WOO WOO! Yay for 33 weeks! Only one more to go and you'll be DONE! Hip Hip Horray!

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  7. It's totally weird how organized you get hey?! You should see all my excel spreadsheets and organization I have here since my baby's come. It's like I am doing something productive when I organize.

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  8. Yay! You are sooo close to 34 weeks now but I'm not easing up on my chanting yet!

    Your labeling is awesome! How about I babysit for you and you can come over and organize my house for me ;) hehe

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  9. Wow. Sorry your date night ... wasn't! Here's to you for hanging on for a few more weeks (and putting in the effort to get the care needed, good grief). And I can't, actually, imagine you sleep for 8 hours each day ... I certainly didn't at that stage, and that was with just 1 inside me. Hang in there.

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  10. Wow, congrats on 33 weeks! I hope I get to post that I've made it that far sometime in the new year...

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  11. you are so close! :) good luck making it seven more days. an eternity now, but just a blip in the long run.

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  12. Carrie, you crack me up! Wow, if we ever got together, the organized results would be astonishing!! Organizing is a passion of mine, too. :) AND it is a great skill for a mom of triplets!

    So glad to hear the uterus is playing along so nicely and listening to the terb! 34 weeks, here you come...

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  13. Yay for 33 weeks!

    You are SO close now!

    I love the labels...gosh, I wish I was that organized!

    Thank you, as always, for your kind words AND your excitement...it means a lot to me!

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  14. I'm glad they are trying to get you to 34w. Every single day counts in the life of a preemie and you are doing great! I know a lot of folks who would have said "deliver me". I applaud you for going the extra mile!

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  15. Given the following:

    1) Our confirmed mutual love and respect of the label maker as evidenced by our wall posts on Facebook.

    2) Your boys look "beautiful" and "gorgeous" as confirmed by Dr. P.

    3) Your husband, like my husband, possesses a ton of things that go in the "God knows what" category!

    I believe a song is in order...

    I sometimes read your posts inside my car
    Because I cannot wait until I get home...
    Sometimes I feel my heart will overflow

    Hello? Is it three you're eating for?
    'Cause I wonder where you are
    And I wonder what you do

    Are you somewhere, eating apples
    While watching Mad Men?
    Tell me the model of your label maker
    Because I need one that's new

    But let me start by saying...
    Hello? Is it three you're eating for?

    This is not my best work because I didn't realize what a complete stalker song it is, but you get the gist. :)

    xoxo

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  16. YaHOO!!!! How great! 33 weeks and counting! I am terribly impressed with your labeling, as well! I had no nesting urges whatsoever and I am only now starting to get our house in order, 17 months later....

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  17. So happy that they were able to get things slowed down and stopped! I can't believe you are only a week away from meeting your precious little boys.

    And I love the labels! Do you want to come and do that to my place?

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  18. You are SO nesting. Love it. I'm an organizing-wonk too. I guess it takes one to know one. My dh has one of those bins with cords and chargers that drives me nuts. Thanks to you I now know how to label it! LOL.

    Sorry to hear your ute thwarted your date night, and how stressful it was to get hold of your doc and L&D, but thank goodness the terb worked. Yay for one-night hospital stays.

    One week to go, which I'm sure feels like an eternity. You have done such an awesome job growing your boys. Hang in there. I'm counting the days with you!

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  19. Happy 33! I am so impressed.

    The labeling looks delicious. Hospitalization seriously interfered with my nesting.

    Be good, uterus!

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  20. Wow, another labeler :), and another husband with enormous amounts of Stuff that needs to be organised.... I hope you have a week without any more surprises and ALL THE BEST!

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  21. So close! Man, I am on pins & needles for you.

    And I love labelling stuff too! Although I am the label maker type (my handwriting is not as tidy as yours).

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  22. Congrats on getting to 33wks. You have done a fantastic job. From here on every week is a bonus.

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  23. You are going to make it to 34 weeks....that is BEYOND awesome!!!! I'm in awe of your labeling prowess. Were you a teacher? Teachers are always really good at that stuff. My mom is visiting me this week, I think you've inspired me to get some labels and start doing some of this myself!!!

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  24. You are so amazing!

    So, this is a really stupid question, but I can't figure out why 34 weeks is the magic week for you since you are doing so awesome! Why isn't the plan to let you stay pregnant as long as your awesome self can take it and then deliver?

    Is it more about being able to control the delivery since HELLO THREE BABIES and going into spontaneous labor might be wild? Or are you literally going to max out on uterine growth at 34 weeks?

    I just see how fabulous you're doing and I'm like, Oh dudes. She can totally make it past 34. She's rocking it.

    (P.S. Love your labels.)

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  25. Labels are a great idea!! Keeping everything crossed for these next 7 days!! Really hope you get to 34 weeks, you have done so well thus far! Good luck!

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  26. So sorry about the contraction scare (and the nurse's crazy comment), but so glad to hear that things are under control and that you're sailing towards 34 weeks. I can't believe they will be here so soon!

    I am the most disorganized person on the planet, and even I've been getting the boxing and labeling urge. It's crazy!

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  27. I am finally getting caught up on my google reader, and I'm celebrating for this awesome post!!! WHOO HOO!! You are so close now, and everything looks so good... I am super pumped for you.

    And maybe you can stop by my house and label some things before the boys come? ;)

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  28. You are almost there!! I can't believe it.

    I'm glad they were able to stop your contractions. That's great news that the boys are doing so well. You will see them soon!

    I love the organization. Each label is so cute. Nice job. I wish I were that organized at home. I am in my classroom. Maybe because I get paid for that. :)

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