26w1d - Hospital day 2

Hi folks-
Still here. I still have this bug and all that goes with it. I am trying so hard to be really ok but its hard because I feel terrible and I am so limited. And having these 4 monitors and the IV 24 hours a day make it hard to go to the bathroom as often as I need to go, if you are catching my drift. I think the next thing I am going to ask Brian to bring me is the good soft TP from home ;)

BREAK

Ok...so a gaggle of people just left the room. A couple of nurses came in here to find heartbeats. Another couple of people came in to deal with the water on the floor.
#1 - I knocked a full pitcher of ice water over with my belly. All over the floor.
#2 - The toilet in my bathroom was shooting like a geyser and I am just so thankful that of all the times for that to happen, it was not right after my having gone to the bathroom. This was thankfully just water. I don't even want to imagine what it would have been like any other time. blech.
ANYWAY, back to the nurses and the heartbeats. There has been some frustration from the nursing staff about Lantry's order to have constant monitoring of all 3 babies' hearbeats. Getting all 3 heartbeats to stay on the monitor at the same time seems nearly impossible. Lantry wants to know what their heartbeats are at any given time and reported every hour. This means constant adjusting of the monitors that are leaving me with permanent indentations and sore skin. All of the nurses that have tried have either not been able to have all 3 showing at the same time OR take about 20 minutes to get there. And then one of the babies moves or shifts and its all over. There has been concern in the last couple of days about baby B. He's the hardest to find and seems to 'disappear' the most. And I feel him the least. The 2 nurses that were just here couldn't rule that the heartbeat they found was baby B's and not just the monitor picking up A or C so they brought an ulrtasound machine in here to see. This made me really nervous. As much as I love seeing them, I HATE the few seconds before I can find the heartbeat or see movement. They scanned everyone and found everyone's heartbeat, including baby B's. This helped them pinpoint the exact location to put the monitor. The ONLY thing that I didn't feel great about is that he wasn't moving as much as the other two. This could be a issue of space or something else, I don't know. But the nurses seemed satisfied for now since they found what they were looking for and I know there is nothing I can do until I see DeVore either Monday or Tuesday. Speaking of whom, DeVore is in Hawaii and getting back tomorrow. I didn't even know he was gone.

So, until DeVore comes I am hooked up to my machines and have to carry these cords with me every time I go to the bathroom, which is every other minute! Also, because Lantry has ordered constant reporting of the heartbeats and my vitals, sleeping is not much of a reality for me. Having a nurse come in every hour to move the monitors around my belly and squirt more jelly and poke and prod makes it hard to rest. Especially considering each round takes about 10 minutes (if I am lucky) with my BP, temperature and finding each little baby's heartbeat. And I feel dizzy each time since I have to lay flat on my back for them to find baby A (he/she is she one whose head is pushing down on my cervix.). Within minutes of this I get numb in my arms and legs and I feel nauseous and dizzy. Almost 40 lbs of baby stuff pushing down and cutting circulation...its incredible how completely out of breath I am after each check. But I am grateful that the babies and I are being so closely monitored. I am grateful that Lantry is being such a stickler, even if it is making the nurses' job tough. She is unrelenting and that gives me some reassurance that the babies and I are being so well taken care of. And the upside of being hooked up to the machines 24 hours a day is that I can not only FEEL when they move, I can HEAR them. Its so cool! I am getting tired of this 2 day old IV - it hurts - and I am thinking of asking someone to move it to another spot tomorrow. I fear getting a new poke though, so we'll see. Although it doesn't sound like it, besides the fantastic and relentless diarrhea (I just had to type the word) and the abdominal pain, this is an overall positive experience. People are nice enough and I am being well taken care of. The little things are a pain in the neck but I will deal. I just want what is best for the babies and to feel better NOW!

Lantry came and visited with me this morning and basically said I'm doing ok and that this bug -as miserable as it is - just has to pass and I have to keep my big girl panties on with the annoyances of being here and discomfort of it all. She says all of my other big questions will be dealt with when DeVore gets back. She talked to me more AGAIN about the time after the babies come home. She said she didn't want to sound mean by being so persistent but she was just concerned and really wanted to make sure I understand this and had the help I need. She said that so many people go through so much and she wants me to LOVE my experience with my babies and not just be overwhelmed and miss the joy. She said that mothers of multiples have a much higher rate of PPD (Post Partum Depression) and she says anything we can think of to alleviate stress will not only be better for me but for the babies. That they'll get stronger, faster in a lower-stress environment and this is what is most important. She shared that she has 3 children of her own which was so tough and that they obviously were more spaced apart than mine and can't imagine having 3 infants at the same time. She said not to underestimate that this will be a unique experience for the first few months. Although she is a very straightforward lady (I've learned that she's got that reputation with the nurses, too!), she is very kind and I appreciate her honesty and I truly believe she cares. This means so much considering what an emotionally challenging experience this pregnancy has been. Although she is not the warm and fuzzy pat on the back lady, she is the strong hand to hold onto and that suits me just fine. I am glad she is my doctor.

Just so you know, I have gotten up to pee twice while typing this.

Let's talk about the good things that have happened while I have been in the hospital, shall we?
-My sister has brought me magazines and more Famous Amos chocolate chip cookies than I can ever imagine eating. Which is probably not true...I CAN imagine eating them all. I'll probably polish them off by Monday - WHO AM I KIDDING?
-Brian brought me lots and lots of stuff including pillows from home! And Baked ruffles (which I didn't have to ask for...he just KNOWS). These, too will be gone by Monday. And french fries. And halloween candy (NO ONE came to our door btw). And bananas. And everything else I have asked for and some things I haven't which are wonderful.

-My parents have visited twice and brought me delicious food AND both simultaneously rubbed my feet with cold washcloths since they are burning hot all the time (my feet, not my parents). I should have gotten a picture of this. I am now known by the nurses as the lady carrying triplets whose parents rub my feel with cold washcloths. I assured them that this was the first time that my parents have massaged my feet (and this really is only because I am the oven for their grandchildren - nothing to do with me) but really what kind of argument do I have? The nurses have decided that I am spoiled with my grocery store table full of food and cold washcloth footrubs. I could have real problems, right?

What else is good about being here?
1. I don't have to prepare any of my own meals.
2. The bed adjusts so it is MUCH easier to get out to pee (which makes the 5726 cords less annoying than they could be)!
3. High speed internet. Thank God. This might have been a WHOLE other experience for me without my computer and the internet.
4. I am no longer worried about the babies not getting enough and about being dehydrated. Although I go to the bathroom 56 times an hour, I am on an IV drip and they are feeding me well.
5. AMBIEN at night - Even though I can't stay asleep, it is easier to fall back asleep after waking to pee or be monitored than without the ambien. I was nervous at first about taking anything, but the doctor assured me the babies will not be on some psychedelic trip or be growth restricted or grow limbs from their foreheads just because I took ambien. I just wanted to make sure.
6. I can hear my babies' heartbeats on the machines next to me. I can hear them kick me. I can’t tell you how really wonderful it is.
7. I have a private room with a private bathroom. This is such a relief considering what got me here and what kind of business is going on in the bathroom.
8. They have this pellet typed ice that I love to chew on and it is unlimited. This may seem silly, but remember, I don't get out much anymore and these little things are wonderful to me!
9. Brian finally gets to spread out and sleep on more than a 1 foot wide strip of our bed. He deserves this!

I could probably come up with more...these are the things I have to focus on, and not on the way my body aches or the fact that my IV is crusty or that cords surround me or that I am sick and physically miserable. I knew early on that this was going to be challenging and I am strapping in for the toughest part of the pregnancy. I can't miss the good stuff. And, dammit, if unlimited pellety shaped ice is what does it for me then so be it. I am grateful for it!

I have not turned the TV on once today and I am just fine. I have my notebook and my computer. I don't want to spend the time zoned out on TV. Although I will be watching football tomorrow. :)

I just peed again. Seriously.

That’s it for day 2. I really hope I get to go home next week. I am REALLY hoping for this. But if it is not a part of the plan and is not what is best for these babies then I will deal with myself and get excited about my stay here. I’ll probably shed a few tears first, and bitch and moan on here, but ultimately I am ready to do what is best for these little babies.

Please continue to pray for all of us and specifically for the following:

-That all 3 babies are healthy and growing fine. I want to stop worrying about baby B!
-That this bug will leave my body quickly and take its symptoms with it! I want some relief!
- That I gain back some more weight and strength for the babies (when have I EVER prayed to GAIN weight??? HA HA!)
- That DeVore finds me well enough to send me home – but that if not, I am ok.

Thanks for your e-mails and comments and prayers and love and cheerleading. These are my only windows to my outside world at the moment, besides the huge window beside my bed, but you know what I mean.

Much Love!
Cindy