Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Sleeping last night was good until I kept getting interrupted at many different times by resident doctors and then my AM nurse LaShawn. I knew I was getting my ultrasound today; I was both excited and scared. But my excitement for that was dwarfed by knowing my great friend Josie was on her way down from NJ to visit me during the day. I miss her so much and was so happy when she told me she wanted to come down and hang out for the afternoon. I was called to Dr V’s office for my ultrasound while she was still on the way. I ended up waiting an extended amount of time in the office down there; I didn’t make it back up to my room until almost 2 hours after I left. But the test itself had its good news AND bad news. Good news: baby is 3lbs 15oz (almost 4lbs, yahoo). However the bad news was that my dilation is becoming much more rounded and as a result the threat of my water breaking is much higher than ever before because of that she decided to weight the baby after all (because she originally wasn’t unless there was a possible chance of an increased risk and/or possible delivery). Josie was in the room when I got back from my tests, I have to admit I was so happy to have someone there because I needed someone to talk to a bit before I have to tackle some stuff for work. Josie went out and got us some great lunch and I worked while she was gone and for a bit after she got back. I got things done and turned off skype. Spent a GREAT afternoon with Josie, I can’t wait to see her when she comes back in a week and a half. Dave came home from work early and joined us for dinner and my PM Nurse came on duty and Danielle said as she came in that they “finally let me have you again”. I was so touched and glad to see her. Before dinner we got a visit from Father Paul. He gave me communion and gave all three of us ashes; well it is Ash Wednesday and the beginning of Lent. We had dinner and afterwards Josie had to leave to go home. Shortly after she left I got a visit from Lindsey and Dylan. They hung out with us for a long while, did some blessing beads and I had so much fun seeing them. They are both such a riot. I can’t wait for them to visit again. After they left it was time for my medicine and monitoring. Baby (like usual) has a strong heart rate and no contractions picked up. After the monitoring was completed Dave started talking to the belly and the baby was just moving like crazy and ended up hitting my bladder really hard and that equaled a mad dash for the bathroom…LOL. Afterwards I decided to send Dave home, because he looked so tired and I was fading fast too but I also wanted to be alone. I am coming to grips as to how high risk I really am at the moment and that my water could break at any time and I could be rushed to be delivered sooner than later. It’s a bit scary and I worry about the baby, but I know I’m in the best place to be and things will be OK in the long run. However, I’m still very scared. Going to go to bed and hopefully get some good sleep or at least get the chance to relax a bit.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Tuesday, February 24, 2009
HAPPY 31 Weeks!!!! Each week is a blessing. Another week to go for our next goal, a day at a time. My AM nurse Quynh came in to give me my meds this morning and just let me sleep a bit longer. A few other doctors (residents) came in right before her, but I was able to fall back asleep just fine. When I got up and ate breakfast I called Quynh and told her I’d be ok for being on the monitor but before that I asked her to call my OB on duty to ask if I could have a shower today. She came in to put me on the monitor and told me the doctor gave me the OK for a shower. YAHOO!!!! (isn’t it sad..LOL…when the best part of my day is a shower?) Baby looked good on the monitor, but I had a contraction and they were able to see it on the monitor but it was very minor… so when I was done, I got to work for a bit and followed up on a few ongoing issues. I felt very productive with what I got accomplished today. Then got all cleaned up. Feeling good and had some lunch and then my afternoon medication. Decided to take a nap for a bit and asked Dave later to bring me some dinner, because I was in the mood for a cheese burger. I got a new RN I’ve never had before tonight. Her name is Ashley, she is a riot. I like her. Dr Co came to visit, she had a very busy day and because nothing major or imminent was going on with me she saved my visit for the evening when everything for her slowed down. She talked to us for a minute and reminded me there is an ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow and that we’d see her soon. Dave brought me dinner and we watched the pitiful hockey game, Caps vs. Philly. I’m not even going into the details of the game, at one point I truly thought I was going to give myself contractions due to how frustrated I was getting. Oh and get this…the PCA’s came again to take my vitals near the end of the third period. I literally said to them “are you kidding me ladies, you want to take my vitals NOW??” LMAO…we all had a good laugh about it. The game ended and they got what they needed. Thankfully everything was just fine with my vitals. I sent Dave home to get some sleep and I updated my journal (what you are reading now) and posted everything online. Worked on the baby blanket I’m making until I got too tired and turned out the lights.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Monday, February 23, 2009

Monday, February 23, 2009
This morning I certainly was a little over tired. Then I got a call that made my morning even worse. I got a call from where we are trying to re-finance through, and because I’m in the hospital they can’t guarantee my income and if I will return to work after the baby is born, therefore they can’t approve the application. I was not happy hearing that news, I of course called Dave in tears and profusely apologizing because I’m taking the blame for not getting what we wanted. My AM nurse LaShawn came in and saw me upset, she sat and talked to me for a while before putting me on the monitor. She was so nice. Then when Dr Ca came in to check on me she saw that I looked upset and talked to me as well a little bit. Everyone is so nice; I’m amazed everyday by the compassion of the staff and doctors here. This afternoon I was able to work a good amount and keep my mind occupied. I am very thankful for the distraction. I finally relaxed enough in the afternoon to take a bit of a nap before dinner. When Dave finally got here later on he went to warm up his dinner only to find a visitor for me, Father Paul. He hung around for a good while and even put a bead on my prayer beads strand. He’s so kind to take time out of his evening to visit. We enjoyed his visit very much. Got to settle in and watch Heroes and some of our other favorite shows together too. Aicha is my PM Nurse tonight, she came in as was so happy that she was assigned to me tonight. She’s so sweet. Baby Girl looked great on the monitor tonight, Dave went home early cuz he wasn’t feeling 100%, just told him to go home and take some Ny-quil and go to bed. I am going to try and turn in myself, we’ll see how that goes.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Sunday, February 22, 2009

Over night my regimen of medicine got messed up a bit again. But at least that lets me sleep in a tad longer. I’m glad the resident doctor who came to visit this morning waiting until close to 8am to come and see me. Joyce is my AM nurse today, again. She’s not the charge nurse today so she will not forget about me and such. Dr H came in and sat down and talked with me for a while. She was concerned about me from yesterday (being depressed) and I told her about my journal and how that writing it is helping me. She thought it is very healthy that I’m doing one. I’m very tired but anxiously awaiting the Caps vs. Pens game on NBC at 12:30. I made sure Dave took my ticket to go to the game. He totally deserves it. He’s called me already after arriving at the Phone Booth, to give me the well wishes sent by a bunch of friends. I just hope I’m going to be able to stay away for the entire game, I’m still exhausted. But still hopeful at the same time; Let’s Go Caps!! OMG…what an amazing hockey game. The Caps won 5-2, eat that Pittsburgh! And we won on NBC (finally). *happy dance* I’m finally getting my “Grease” (the movie) fix…they are playing it on ABC family. What can I say, Grease IS the word. Dave made it over here to the hospital after the game and brought Sherri with him. It was so nice spending time with her, especially after such a great game and there was so much to talk about too. When Dave left to feed Glinda and such at home, he picked me up some dinner when he came back. Stephanie was my PM Nurse and came in after we finished eating to bring my pre-natal vitamins and put me on the monitor as we started watching the Academy Awards. Dave left after midnight and I stayed awake a bit longer to continue working on crocheting the baby blanket. When it starts looking more like a blanket and less like a scarf, I’ll post a photo. And thanks to Stephanie my medicine regimen got fixed. She's so good to me.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Saturday, February 21, 2009

Woke up completely exhausted, Stephanie came in before her PM shift ended to give me my medicine early this morning and I went back to sleep. I kept the room quiet all morning and only opened my eyes to get my vitals checked and to tell Joyce, my AM nurse that once I got up I’d let her know when I was ready to be on the monitor. I don’t really think I was fully asleep, but more like a relaxed state of mind. But after some time I was tapped awake by Dr H checking up on me and how I was feeling. She examined my belly and said everything looked good and that she’d see me tomorrow. I got to skype today with my mom; she was checking on me and totally noticed how I wasn’t acting normally. And uncovered the fact that the depression I’ve started getting is settling in. My Dad even called later in the day, he picked up on it right away too. I knew it was going to catch up with me eventually, it was only a matter of time. I even told Dr H about it when she was here this morning. She told me if I needed to talk to someone just to let them know. I’m ok right now. I’m just trying to get a handle on things. It’s proving to be difficult but you know…it’s not easy. So needless to say, today was a low day for me (emotionally). I got a visit from Justin; it’s always so nice to see him. We hung out for a while and just chatted it up. And while he was here I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers from Josie. They are so beautiful, so much in fact I placed them next to my bed. Dave went to church tonight before he got dinner. Right before he arrived I got a call from my buddy Wes; you all know him as the voice of the Washington Capitals. He sounded so much better in comparison to the last time I spoke with him. He was in full flu symptoms and missed the hockey game that night. He had a trip last weekend with his family and I told him the warm air would help him in clearing up his flu symptoms and it did. I told him we were all glad he was better and back at the Phone Booth. It’s not a home game without him. Had a good dinner with Dave after the phone call and realized that my AM nurse never gave me my medicine before she left. I got a little upset because it threw my whole medicine schedule off by another hour. When Stephanie came in to ask what medicine I didn’t get and to tell me she was my PM nurse, I was still upset and kind of lashed out at her by mistake…she said ‘hold up’ walked to the door and walked back in the room…LOL… pressing reset is how she put it. It made me laugh and I apologized so much, I still feel bad about it. Stephanie came in again to put me on the monitor and I apologized again to her and she was completely fine about it. Apparently there were many people today that had a bad day (including my AM nurse) and it didn’t make things easy for me. But I’m much better now, and it’s the end of the day. Hopefully tomorrow won’t as down and today has been.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Friday, February 20, 2009

Was able to get sleep, but not a lot. Quynh came on duty and let me sleep more after she gave me my meds. I spend most of the morning quiet in the room and just lying down. Kristen the nurse practitioner from my OB office came to see me today. It was nice to see her, it had been a long while. She just did the basic questions and made sure all was well…and it is. Got a visit from Sally (Dave’s mom) today; she’s still feeling her asthma a lot, I hope she gets to see her Dr soon and get better faster. She bought me a nice pink t-shirt and a lovely navy blue sweater. They are so nice. I can’t wait to wear them. I also got to work on the blanket I’m crocheting for baby girl. It’s coming along very nicely. It was a nice day, nice a sunny outside too. Dave came over later after work, because Diva has made it into town and will now make our lives a living hell for the next two months. Just what I need. We got to watch the Caps vs. Avs game but the Caps lost the game and rather sadly too. Dave left early, he was so tired. I ended up not falling asleep until after 2:30am.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Thursday, February 19, 2009

After another restless night, Quynh came in the morning as my AM nurse and got me my meds and put me on the monitor. Dr W gave me permission to take a shower today after she was doing her early rounds. Worked a good amount today, Got visited by Jen for a couple of reasons..First, being for disability paperwork and second, bringing my phone list to me. Also talked on skype with my mom, Jen, Race and then just chatted with my childhood friend Amy. Today marks me being here 3 weeks officially. I still can’t believe it. The evening was a very mild one. Rachel came on duty as my PM nurse. I just wish it wasn’t so difficult to sleep each night, I just have trouble getting to sleep.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Wednesday, February 18, 2009

I was very tired this morning and spend a good time of the morning just lying down. Emily (my AM nurse) got my meds for me and made sure I got my breakfast. Dr Co came in and asked when I was to have my next ultrasound, and I told her I didn’t know, either today or tomorrow (Thursday). She said she’d call down to Dr M & V’s office to see availability. After she left and I was lying down again for about 30 minutes, Emily came in to tell me that the wheelchair was ready and Dr M & V’s office was ready for me. So I got up and went down. It is always so nice to get out of my room for a bit. Even if it is for just a small bit of time. It’s out of that little room. Dr V did my ultrasound again and the first part of the ultrasound was to monitor the baby and her movement a bit. So we got to watch her move a bunch as I felt it too… she really is getting bigger and much stronger. And to my surprise Dr V turned on the 3D/4D monitor and got some amazing photos of my baby girl. Many photos of her profile and one really great one of almost her whole face. She’s soooooooooo pretty. I tear up every time I see the photo, I can (but really can’t) wait to meet her. Then I relaxed the rest of the afternoon. Grace came on duty as my PM Nurse and took good care of me. Dave came over after work and we watched the Caps vs. Mtl game and the Caps won. Went to bed right after Dave left to go home.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Tuesday, February 17, 2009

30 weeks!!! We made our first big hurdle. YAHOO!! Dana my AM nurse surprised me with a scale this morning. I have to now start being weighed each week. And to my and everyone’s surprise I lost 3 lbs since I’ve been here. Dr Co came in and checked with me to make sure I was eating correctly and such. And I told her I was, I also told her what I’ve been eating too. So I’m to work on trying to gain at the least a pound this week (this is the first time in my life I’ve ever been told that). Today I also got really frustrated with skype while trying to connect with Jen at work. So after many, many attempts we both gave up. I was also visited in person by a male doctor (forgot his name) from Anesthesia, in person who read the radiology reports I got from Georgetown Hospital and agreed with the plan that Dr R and I had discussed and answered a few more questions I had. He was very nice. Got visited by Lindsey and Dylan, they brought a great memory book and a kick ass bottle of coconut cream rum from Jamaica for me and Dave. So nice of them, they are such good friends. Peggy came by tonight as well and brought dinner for both Dave and me and her as well. We enjoyed a nice dinner and she surprised me with a piece of chocolate cake for desert. Heather (my PM nurse) came in and said hello to everyone and put big smiley faces back on my white board about being 30 weeks. She’s such a great cheerleader for me. She is keeping me upbeat and motivated for sure. It was such a nice evening and a great end to the day.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Tuesday, February 17, 2009

30 weeks!!! We made our first big hurdle. YAHOO!! Dana my AM nurse surprised me with a scale this morning. I have to now start being weighed each week. And to my and everyone’s surprise I lost 3 lbs since I’ve been here. Dr Co came in and checked with me to make sure I was eating correctly and such. And I told her I was, I also told her what I’ve been eating too. So I’m to work on trying to gain at the least a pound this week (this is the first time in my life I’ve ever been told that). Today I also got really frustrated with skype while trying to connect with Jen at work. So after many, many attempts we both gave up. I was also visited in person by a male doctor (forgot his name) from Anesthesia, in person who read the radiology reports I got from Georgetown Hospital and agreed with the plan that Dr R and I had discussed and answered a few more questions I had. He was very nice. Got visited by Lindsey and Dylan, they brought a great memory book and a kick ass bottle of coconut cream rum from Jamaica for me and Dave. So nice of them, they are such good friends. Peggy came by tonight as well and brought dinner for both Dave and me and her as well. We enjoyed a nice dinner and she surprised me with a piece of chocolate cake for desert. Heather (my PM nurse) came in and said hello to everyone and put big smiley faces back on my white board about being 30 weeks. She’s such a great cheerleader for me. She is keeping me upbeat and motivated for sure. It was such a nice evening and a great end to the day.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Monday, February 16, 2009

Milena my AM nurse today got me up to do my vitals and give me my meds this morning. We waited until after breakfast to do the monitor. I got a call from Karin in Florida. She’s doing very well and her and Frank get to try again for baby number 2 in a few weeks (according to the doctor). I’m so happy for them. Dr Ca visited this morning, she was happy to see I was still here. It’s become kind of a corny joke now. LOL. I was on skype today with a friend, Amanda. She’s home recuperating from strep throat, icky. But it was so nice talking to her and seeing her dogs trying to figure out who was talking to her…LOL. Got a visit from Peg and Eric today; they brought goodies for me. Candy from BigIslandCandies.com (yep from Hawaii). OMG, they are so addictively good. Father Paul stopped by too. It’s always a hoot when he comes by. He told me he ordered his new Super Bowl Champions sweatshirt and that he couldn’t wait to get it. He didn’t stay too long because he had many people to visit. Later in the afternoon, I got a call from Dr R of Anesthesia. She got a med history of me and asked about my back surgeries and what the plan was going to be for delivery. She broke down the options for me and what she thought would be the best course of action. I agreed with her recommendations and she answered all the questions I had. Dave came by after work for a bit and I had Heather as my PM Nurse.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Sunday, February 15, 2009

My AM nurse, Quynh got me on the monitor early and I told her about the dinner Dave got me the night before. I couldn’t help it, I loved what he did for me. She thought it was so nice too. Dr Co came back this morning just like she said, she wasn’t here visiting me for very long because nothing was going on and me and baby are doing well. Not a very eventful day at all, just killing time surfing on the internet and such. Dave showed up later and we watched the Caps @ Florida game and the Caps Won and Ovechkin got a hattrick. I had 2 PM nurses tonight, Aicha and Mesue. Aicha told Dave and I that her daughter just LOVES the gift and she doesn’t put it down. We were both so excited she liked it.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Saturday, February 14, 2009

Saturday, February 14, 2009
Happy Valentines Day! Dana was my Nurse for the day today. Always big smiles and happy day with her. She’s really fun to talk to. Dr Co checked in on me this morning and was happy to hear everything was just fine and said she’d see me tomorrow too. Dave worked at home during the day getting the drywall stuff taken care of in the nursery, well at least the first part of it and Peggy was there to help (she’s so great). Justin was helping too getting all the stuff out of the room and in the basement storage room. Got visited by KIM and was able to give her the gift I got for her. She was touched by it. She’s my sis, I have to spoil her when I can. Then Sally (Dave’s Mom) came by to visit too. She brought some cut outfits for the baby; she’s getting excited for her grand-daughter. I also got a visit from Sherean; she was on her way down to the NICU to spend time with her son and to finally go home after 54 days of being here. She was so excited as I was for her too. She gave me her address and such so that we can get together after I finally have my little girl and get to go home. I can’t wait. She is so nice and her son is so cute. She said she’ll be coming by a lot because of her son having to stay until he gains more weight. I hope he gets to go home soon. Well, my husband is so wonderful. He brought me a surprise dinner. He got PF Chang’s and brought also dishes, silverware, tablecloth and battery operated candles. He’s so wonderful. He also got me a beautiful card and a dozen roses. I love my hubby; he’s so good to me. Then we sat back and watched the Caps @ TB and they won. My PM nurse Heather was so nice and only came in when she needed to, so that Dave and I could have a nice evening together.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Friday, February 13, 2009

I had Milena as my AM nurse again. Dr H came in and checked out my tummy. She also was pleased with the results from the ultrasound. She OK’d me for a shower today (yeaaaaaaaah), isn’t it sad how I’m so excited to be allowed to take a shower (since it’s far and few between). Was so nice, I felt like a new woman for sure. I worked a long amount of time today; work was having issues in getting on the customer website to report hours for our employees. So we had most of the day to get it done, and lucky for us we got it done in time. Later that evening, Got a visit from Sherri & Justin. Sherri brought me cake (BIG SMILE). Yummy, in my tummy. My PM Nurse, Rachel had no problems getting me on monitor tonight. We think it might be because the baby was asleep and not moving so much (thank goodness). The evening was nice and calm.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Thursday, February 12, 2009

AM nurse, Milena woke me up for my meds and vitals this morning, and told me the fantastic news; Sherean had her baby this morning. A baby boy, he’s so cute. Sherean made it to 34 weeks, yahoo for her!! Mom and baby are great. Now I’m the only anti-partum left in the hall. Dr W came by and informed me of how pleased she was to read the report from Dr V about the baby and her growth, and the new info about the cervix. It could help me stay in here longer, which is ideal. As the day went on… I started to get low (emotionally). My mom called and to cheer me up, she brought me lunch. YUMMY! It did cheer me up I have to say. But once I was alone again, the sad moody feelings came in again. Dave spends each evening here with me and I did my best to be as upbeat while he was here. I think I did well. Tenay (my PM Nurse) got me on the evening monitor with not problem and Dave enjoyed listening to the baby.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Woke up exactly at 8 am thanks to the good ol’ construction. My AM nurse, Emily was amazing. I at first thought no one believed me about the noise from the construction in my room. Well, when Emily was trying to hook me up for my morning monitoring session…we could barely hear the baby’s heartbeat on the machine due to all of the banging and drilling. It was just absurd. Once we were able to keep me on the monitor for a good 30 minutes, she told me that I WAS changing rooms today and that if I’m going to be here for a considerable amount longer then I deserve a much more quiet room. She said she’d get to work on that. Dr. H came in as well and told me that they were going to call Dr M’s office to schedule and ultrasound (my impression was for Tomorrow) and to my surprise, I was picked up an hour later to go down. Well, Dr V (Dr M’s partner in his practice) did my ultrasound today. She was so nice, I had never met her before that day. She measured the baby for an updated (estimated) weight. Baby is now 3lbs 2oz. Talk about a growing spurt…WOW. It was fantastic news. Then she was able to get a few face photos of the baby with the regular ultrasound. It was so incredible. Then they measured all of the stuff going on in my cervix again to check for any changes. Well, to our surprise we did find something. Apparently I was having a contraction during the measuring…because we watched things dilate and then close. Yep that’s what I said…CLOSE! But then it opened again. Dr V asked me… “are you having a contraction??” My reply to her was “not that I know of, or can feel.” It’s not every day that you can make a doctor go “Wow”. And she told me I have a “dynamic” cervix, because of what it was doing. After everything was done, I walked to the bathroom and was met by another expectant mom being brought in to see Dr V as well… I looked at her, she looked at me and we both knew who we were the moment we saw each other. It was Sherean from the unit (the other anti-partum in my hallway, she’s been here for over 50 days so far). We hugged and said how nice it was to finally meet one another. I let her go in for her stuff and went back upstairs. Well I got back to my room; to find out they were ready for me to change rooms. YAHOO!! I was moved down from room 330 to room 338. A much more cozy feeling room too. Dave came home from work early to help with changing rooms. He got me all settled in too. We got to watch the Caps @ NYR and lose in the SO…oh well. Dave also brought something in for the nurse I had the other night, Aicha (who’s daughter went to see the show at KC) and lucky for us...she was my nurse this night too. We were able to give her the opening night gift for the show to her daughter (a stuffed animal with a bandana with the name of the show on it). Aicha was so excited and couldn’t wait to get home and give it to her daughter. Minus the Caps loss, it was a nice evening.

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Tuesday, February 10, 2009

My AM nurse Emily woke me up today with my medicine. Dr Co came in for the routine daily visit and I discussed the option of having a massage from the Teal Center, and she said “No”  and it is because it could bring on full blown labor. We don’t want that so I’ll have to wait until later. Grrrr. Oh well. But got visited by the Eucharistic Minister from St. Ann’s, Father Paul came over later too. But later Peggy stopped by, it was very nice to see her. All of my friends have been so great. My PM nurse Karen was really nice and was good in keeping up with my meds. Got some more good sleep, until all the Dr’s came in at o dark thirty (the next morning).

Hospital Stay Journal Entry: Monday, February 9, 2009

My AM nurse, Milena, woke me up with more medicine this morning and got me on the monitor early. Dr Ca came in and she said she had a nice weekend and asked me about the night before (pressure and such) and asked if I felt anything since, but the answer was No. I worked in the AM hours of the day, using skype I can talk to people at work and get things done. It felt really good to do that, it is certainly a nice distraction from my everyday life in this one room. Matt and Sue came to visit this evening. It was so nice to see them. Also, this evening was the first episode of Caps “Red Line”, the Fanatic portion featuring Goat. It was great, I cannot wait to see our episode. My PM nurse tonight was Aicha, she is so nice and sweet. She told us (after learning that Dave works at the Kennedy Center) that the previous week her daughter went with her class to see a show there, and it was one of Dave’s show. She was so excited to hear that too. Slept well minus getting woke up for vitals and different doctors visiting in the early AM hours of the next day.

Hospital Journal Entry: Sunday, February 8, 2009

Woke up rather early to a new AM nurse (whom I shall not name, because I didn’t like her too much), she didn’t even know how to properly put me on the monitor and made me feel a little uncomfortable. I think she might be new, and she barely even came in to check on me..in fact I don’t think she ever did. She only came in when she had a purpose. Dr M came and checked on me earlier before visitors arrived. Today was the original date of my baby shower. But because I’m here in the hospital, we had to cancel it. So instead, I decided to have immediate family and a few close friends come spend the afternoon here with me for a mini-sprinkle. Elyssa, my Mom, Diane, my sister Jen, Aunt Karen, Aunt Fran, Dave’s mom Sally, Karen King were all there to help celebrate the afternoon. Everyone was so nice and brought some really wonderful things that I know we will use. I can’t wait to see everything after the nursery is set up. I was a very over stimulating day for sure. So tired again after everything. Stephanie was my PM nurse again. She made sure I remained in bed and staying calm after all of the excitement of the day. Justin came by when Dave was here. It is always so nice to see him. Later after everyone left I got on skype with Josie, I love talking to her. I miss her so much and wish she lived closer. Sadly I did have a problem later in the evening. I had some major pressure going on in my pelvis. Stephanie called the resident on duty and they put me on the monitor for an additional hour and did an exam to make sure nothing was wrong. Thank goodness everything was ok, they believe the baby might’ve shifted lower creating the pressure I felt and maybe even a contraction or two. But all was OK. After that I finally fell asleep. Such a long but wonderful day. I thank everyone for making it that way. I will certainly never forget it. But Dave and I decided because we couldn’t have the original baby shower that we will hold a welcome home and meet the baby party at our house, when we get organized after we both (baby especially) get home. I can’t wait.

Hospital Journal Entry: Saturday, February 7, 2009

Got to have Dana as my RN for the day, that always makes me smile. She always seems to make me smile as she enters my room. Dr M came to check in on me, she is filling in for my OB office this weekend. Before the hockey game I got visited by Sam, Sherri and Justin; they were in their hockey jerseys (that made me happy to see). I really miss going to the phone booth to see the Caps play. Later in the afternoon Rosemary and Richard came to visit, they were out in Alexandria enjoying the beautiful day and stopped by to check up on Me here and see Dave too. Then I got a surprise visit from Theresa and Alex. I was so happy to see them, they look great and still glowing their newlywed glow. I was so worn out after everyone left, I took a little nap and my PM nurse Stephanie got me up to give me my PM medication and put me on the monitor. The Caps won vs the Panthers, yahoo!! I also spent some time on skype with my Mom, Aunt Karen (that was fun) and my belly buddy from the baby message boards I belong to in the evening.. I’m so glad I got more family members on skype, it’s such an easy way to keep in touch with everyone. I need to save the rest of my energy for tomorrow. I turned in earlier than normal.

Hospital Journal Entry: Saturday, February 7, 2009

Got to have Dana as my RN for the day, that always makes me smile. She always seems to make me smile as she enters my room. Dr M came to check in on me, she is filling in for my OB office this weekend. Before the hockey game I got visited by Sam, Sherri and Justin; they were in their hockey jerseys (that made me happy to see). I really miss going to the phone booth to see the Caps play. Later in the afternoon Rosemary and Richard came to visit, they were out in Alexandria enjoying the beautiful day and stopped by to check up on Me here and see Dave too. Then I got a surprise visit from Theresa and Alex. I was so happy to see them, they look great and still glowing their newlywed glow. I was so worn out after everyone left, I took a little nap and my PM nurse Stephanie got me up to give me my PM medication and put me on the monitor. The Caps won vs the Panthers, yahoo!! I also spent some time on skype with my Mom, Aunt Karen (that was fun) and my belly buddy from the baby message boards I belong to in the evening.. I’m so glad I got more family members on skype, it’s such an easy way to keep in touch with everyone. I need to save the rest of my energy for tomorrow. I turned in earlier than normal.

Hospital Journal Entry: Friday, February 6, 2009

I woke up to seeing my nurse Milena bringing my morning medication. Dr H came in early as well to check up on me to see how I was feeling. I was fine with no issues other than the bad news from the day before at the ultrasound. Dr H was so nice and listened to my fears and answered my questions too. I felt a bit better after she left. The day went by pretty quick. I installed a webcam on my computer and uploaded skype software and talked to Race, Jen and my Mom online during the day and evening hours. But I also got visits during the day, my Mom came over (that’s when I told her about skype and how to install her webcam). I also got a visit from a Eucharistic Minister from St. Ann’s and Kirsten came by later in the evening when Dave was already here. It was so good to see her, it has been since May (the wedding). Stephanie my evening nurse kept me on time with my meds because my cough was getting really bad. But thankfully with the lack of sleep from the night before I was able to sleep tonight.

Hospital Journal Entry: Thursday, Feb 5, 2009

My day nurse is Dana today…she had a student with her for part of the day. Dr W came in and told me that I would be called on sometime during the day for my follow up ultrasound and that she would come back later to talk to me about the results. I was really nice, I must admit, to leave the room just to go downstairs for a little bit. However, I only got more upsetting news. My cervix was observed as being completely effaced and starting to dilate even more (up to as much as 3cm). The amniotic sac is now funneling up against the actual cervical opening, which puts me at an even more risk for early rupture. I held it together as best as I could to get back upstairs. I just wanted to go back to my room afterwards and curl up. I called Dave in tears and told him the news. He came right over to be with me. Dr W came in before he got there and pretty much told me what I already knew, that I had an insufficient cervix and that my bed rest is more important than ever. On a happier note..got visited by Colleen and she looks fantastic. She’s a week ahead of me in her pregnancy (she’s having a boy, her third). My evening RN, Grace was great in giving me space and just coming in for medicine and getting my vitals. I had a low emotional evening as a result from the ultrasound. Had a difficult time staying asleep.

Hospital Journal Entry: Wednesday, Feb 4, 2009

I got a new AM nurse named Dana, she is topping the charts so far as my favorite nurse since being admitted. I discovered she can sing and she told me she was on youtube singing the national anthem at the GMU graduation from last spring (08). Such a beautiful voice..WOW. I proceeded to tell her that she needed to audition for singing the Anthem at Capitals games…she would be so much better than that girl who won last year (she’s not so good). Dr. H came in to check on me and told me how happy she was that I passed my 3 hour glucose test. And was pleased that I was still there (and had not delivered yet). She also told me I could take another shower and just to be sure to use the shower chair (I really cherish taking a shower, its amazing how just that kind of a simple thing can make you feel so great). I got visited by Kim (it was so great to see her, it had been since the wedding), Sally stopped by and brought more gifts (she’s really getting into shopping for the baby…it’s so cool), Father Paul stopped by and talked with me for a while (it is always so great to spend time and talk to him) and Justin hung out for a bit (he always seems to make me laugh, which I am grateful for). I got Rachel again as my evening nurse, it’s nice to have people as my nurse that I’m getting to know. Because knowing them make it easier to call on them when I need them without feeling like a pain.

Hospital Journal Entry: Feb 3, 2009

Was woke up early by my AM nurse Quynh and the lab to get my fasting glucose level and then to start my 3 hours glucose test. Got to drink the lemon lime flavored glucose drink this time, with my blood being taken once each hour for 3 hours afterwards. OMG, the first person who came to take my blood was awesome…the second one wasn’t so bad, the third one was AWFUL and bruised me badly but the first person came back for the final draw and apologized for the previous one. I passed the glucose test (YIPPEE!!) and that means I will have no dietary restrictions…bring on the food…LOL. Dr. Co came in to tell me again that I passed the test and to check up on me. I got a visit from a Eucharistic Minister from our church, we talked for a bit and prayed together and that was about it. My father came over in the evening and spent a few hours with me. Me and the RN conspired so my dad could hear the baby’s heartbeat on the monitor, because he’s never heard it before. He was so happy. He left and Dave showed up after work in time for the Caps @ NJ game (which they won). My evening nurse Rachel introduced herself..I discovered by talking to her…that her and her fiancé are getting married in May down in Key West. She’s so excited. Dave and I were giving her advice on Maui. Was another easy night to sleep. The glucose test proved to make me feel icky again, but not so bad this time (probably because I was still feeling awful from the test the day before).

Hospital Journal Entry: Monday, February 2, 2009

Was woke up early by my AM nurse Tricia who gave me my 1 hour glucose test….which I found out that I ultimately failed. When Dr. Ca came in to tell me, she thinks it was because of the steroid shots for the baby. But they would repeat the test on Tuesday but it would be the 3 hours one. Yucky. I got to take a shower and clean up a bit, which always makes me feel better. But around mid afternoon the construction in the next wing (that so happened to be on the other side of my room wall) was sooooooo loud (at least 7 people banging on walls and such with sledgehammers) and about 2 hours after the banging began an awful chemical smell and burnt electric smell was all down our hallway in overwhelming in my room. I had to call the nurse to get some deodorant like spray to make my room smell better, because I was feeling nauseous all day (due to the excessive glucose in my system). Once I felt a little better I called the coordinator of the birthing class and cancelled our enrollment and asked for a refund. They had no problem in processing that. (yeah $$$ back). My evening nurse was Loren, she recommended due to my long day to take some ambien so I would be rested enough to tackle my 3 hours glucose test in the morning. So I did that and was out like a light.

Hospital Journal Entry: Sunday February 1, 2009

Today started out in kind of a blur. My day nurse, Joyce came in to give me my antibiotic. She went to flush the line and all of the saline came right back out, meaning my IV site was blown and had to get a new one. Well they called the IV team (or person on duty) to come and start a new line. Sadly the girl who came over couldn’t successfully get a new one started and as a result really bruised my right hand. It was swollen, painful and very dark in color. I had to use ice packs to keep the pain and swelling down. But it was also a day with a Caps game at 12:30 and the Super Bowl later that night. Dr. W checked up on me and also said that there was no need for an IV anymore (phew). I also found out that I wasn’t the only person on the hallway that was a long term. Another woman named Sherean is here too, she has been here since Christmas Eve when her water broke. She sent me her business card with her phone number to her room. She’s so nice, it’s nice to know I’m not alone here.
Father Paul came by to give me communion and talk a bit. He was wearing his Steelers sweatshirt too, that gave us all a good laugh. Jim and Sally took Dave to get some lunch and then visited with me for a while. My Mom and Aunt Karen stopped by, so did Sarah Kate . Everyone brought little bags of stuff to keep me occupied and to ease my sugar cravings. It was so nice. Elyssa stopped by later too so we could re-plan arrangements for what was supposed to be my shower. Because we have to cancel it. So it was decided on just a small get together of immediate family and a couple of family friends to come by and hang out for an afternoon here at the hospital with me. The Caps won versus the Senators and Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl. For the second shift that night BJ was my early evening nurse and Danielle was my evening nurse. I had a contraction or two that night…they think it was due to all of the visitors and such, but nothing really came of it. I just got my medicine and went to sleep.

Hospital Journal Entry: Saturday, January 31, 2009

Woke up feeling like a million bucks. Some solid rest really helped. My day nurse was Rachna. Always greeting me with a smile, this was so nice. Dr W came in to check up on me to see how things were going. She told me I could take a shower (YAHOO) and that I could continue doing so every other day. Such good news, couldn’t wait. Dave brought me over some toiletries and nice shampoo/conditioner. But it was what he brought in addition to that, is what touched my heart. He brought a few stuffed animals that mean a lot to me, the Caps car flag to hang up for some hockey décor and he brought a picture from the mantle of us on our honeymoon, for a few touches of home. I finally decided to clean up a bit. I spent a good amount of time just washing my hair and after I got cleaned up and finished, I felt so recharged and refreshed. Dave and I watched the 12:30pm start of the Caps vs. Red Wings and it was amazing to see the Caps beat the reigning Stanley Cup Champions.
Just a routine day after that, of antibiotics (every 4 hours, via IV) and getting monitored like usual. Dr W came in for a minute or two to check in on me, she’s so great and I’m always so happy to see her. My evening nurse came on duty and I got to meet the great and wonderful Kathie. She’s so cool. She reminds me of a person I used to work with at PWH. Had a difficult time getting restful sleep, slept very lightly and woke up more times than I cared to count.

Hospital Journal Entry: Friday, January 30, 2009

The next morning or should I really say all through the early morning hours I was extremely anxious and still in L&D. My new Day RN’s are Noel and Nicole. They were all so sweet in keeping up with me and my weepy moods. My mom called me and told me she wasn’t going to be able to make it over that day and I’d probably see her tomorrow. Needless to say, that did disappoint me but what could I do right? Well about 40 minutes later, came a knock at my door…yep you guessed it..it was my Mom and she had roses for me. I was so teary just seeing her. She put the flowers in water for me and sat down next to me and at that point I called Noel in the room. I whispered something in her ear so my mom couldn’t hear (I asked her to turn the volume up on the monitor, because mom had never heard the baby’s heartbeat) and she did. Mom was like..what’s that??? I said “your granddaughter”. Mom started tearing up and just squeezed my hand. She was so happy. I left it on until they disconnected me from the monitor. Dr H came in to check on me to see how I was feeling and told me that I graduated from L&D and was moving to the maternity wing. Mom helped in getting everything together (my clothes and personal belongings) to make the transition easy. She went home and about 30 minutes later Noel and Nicole moved me to Room 330 (my new home). I was transferred to a new nurse named BJ who was so sweet in getting me adjusted.

Justin and Sherri came over to visit that evening, they got there before Dave did. Sherri brought me some really great cake. YUMMMY. Shortly after they got here they had to go in the hallway because it was time for me to get my second (and final) steroid shot..yeah in the butt. But the medicine was for the baby and a must. OUCH did that smart. But it was over fast. I had a wonderful visit with both Justin and Sherri and they left after some time hanging out. My evening nurse was Arlene…she was charge nurse that night and she knows her stuff. I really like her. I insisted that Dave go home again..to get some rest at home, he’s only .5 miles away and could get here fast if I needed him here. I took more ambien and I was able to get a solid 6 hours of good sleep. Only being disturbed a few times for vital signs, antibiotics and visits from resident and attending doctors

Journal Entry: Thursday, January 29, 2009

Just a normal day getting started. I woke up, took a shower, got dressed and headed off to work. On the previous day, Wednesday, I was off work due to the ice/snow storm. However I spent the whole day in bed, feeling off and rather crampy. I thought originally that I just had an upset stomach and that was all. So I just continued on with everything so when I woke up Thursday…I felt fine so I just went about things as normal. I got to work and was doing things like normal, I started getting rather crampy again…so this time I decided to call the doctor to ease my mind and let them know what I was feeling. Originally the nurse said they would call me back…I had to call back and get her to talk to the doctor. They originally said it was just probably gas and that I needed to ‘use’ the bathroom. I informed them that there was no issue with that at all and I had already ‘used’ the bathroom. I was put on hold, and they asked me how fast I could get over to Dr M’s office. I told them a half and hour, and they told me they wanted me to be monitored for an hour and have some measurements done. So I went home and waited for Dave and we went over together (I’m so glad I asked him too). We got there, I was monitored for only 30 minutes because nothing (contraction wise) showed up. So they got me into another room and told me they were going to measure my cervix and see how things were looking. So the technician came in and started and the first sound she made was “Oh?” and that was it…of course my interest was peaked at that point..and then asked what was she measuring at that point and she just nicely said “oh..that’s the amniotic sac” so I just went..”Oh, that’s nice” all the while in my mind I’m thinking ‘WTF????’ and she measured a few more things. Grabbed a few pictures from the machine, smiled at Dave and I and said “the doctor will be right in, to share the measurement results”..which they always say there..so it was nothing out of the ordinary. Dr M came in a few minutes later, shook both of our hands saying hello. Then his expression changed and he said “unfortunately there is a problem” and at that exact moment I wanted to vomit. He informed me that my ‘cervix had become severely shortened and that the amniotic sac was trying to funnel through and causing me to start dilating.’ He told me to get dressed and that he’d explain more outside at the monitor. He walked out of the room, and I literally lost it, emotionally. Dave just hugged me, feeling the shock just as hard. We walked out and Dr. M explained what the picture showed and then said “you are going to be going up to L&D” at that point my expression must’ve been crazy cuz the only thing I was thinking was ‘WHAT?!?!?!’ He said that he was calling my doctor and they were going to be admitting me directly from their office.

We were escorted upstairs to L&D and we were warmly greeted by the nurses, and my doctor just happened to walk by..I said hello to Dr. W and she looked at me (please keep in mind there are 4 doctors at my OB office) and she was shocked to see me standing there…she asked me what I was doing there and at that point, it hit me…something was wrong and I started to tear up. She came over to hug me, to which I proceeded to openly cry. She asked me “so why are you here hun?” and I told her about what Dr. M’s office told me and at that point she said “oh hunny…you aren’t going home.” (which at that point I interpreted as, I was just staying the night). She led me into my room and I changed into the fashionable gowns and such and made my way to my bed. I looked at Dave at that point and said something to the effect of “maybe I’ll only have to stay a night or two” to which he shook his head and said “the Dr said you won’t be leaving until the baby is born”. With more shock on my face I started crying again. My nurse Marylou came in and got me tissues and consoled both Dave and I and proceeded to get me fully admitted and set up on an IV and monitor. Apparently, all the cramping I was having the night before and such were Contractions. Yep..contractions. I’m only 27 weeks then..waaaaaaaay to early to deliver. So Dr H took over that evening for Dr W in L&D, so we went over a plan of treatment for what was happening to my body and the baby. I was going to be given medicine to stop contractions (or at least slow them down) and also set of steroid shots for the baby to help her lungs develop faster, so just in case she delivered early that she would have a better chance of breathing on her own. That night was a long one…I was admitted with the clothes on my back and just my purse. I sent Dave home to get me some things. He brought me some clothes, books, my laptop and my body pillow. That night I also got 2 visitors, Elyssa and Cristen. Seeing them both really helped me relax and make it through the night easier. After they left, it was just Dave and I and I sent him home to get some rest. We only live .5 mile from the hospital, so he could’ve been back in a flash. I wanted him to get some good rest at home and such. Besides there was no point to both of us being miserable. I was also given ambien (5mg, half a dosage) to help me sleep, but I only slept 2 ½ hours that night. Mostly because I was really restless and the baby was moving like crazy too. But the nurses were wonderful during the night in helping me adjust.

Journal Entry: Thursday, January 29, 2009

Just a normal day getting started. I woke up, took a shower, got dressed and headed off to work. On the previous day, Wednesday, I was off work due to the ice/snow storm. However I spent the whole day in bed, feeling off and rather crampy. I thought originally that I just had an upset stomach and that was all. So I just continued on with everything so when I woke up Thursday…I felt fine so I just went about things as normal. I got to work and was doing things like normal, I started getting rather crampy again…so this time I decided to call the doctor to ease my mind and let them know what I was feeling. Originally the nurse said they would call me back…I had to call back and get her to talk to the doctor. They originally said it was just probably gas and that I needed to ‘use’ the bathroom. I informed them that there was no issue with that at all and I had already ‘used’ the bathroom. I was put on hold, and they asked me how fast I could get over to Dr M’s office. I told them a half and hour, and they told me they wanted me to be monitored for an hour and have some measurements done. So I went home and waited for Dave and we went over together (I’m so glad I asked him too). We got there, I was monitored for only 30 minutes because nothing (contraction wise) showed up. So they got me into another room and told me they were going to measure my cervix and see how things were looking. So the technician came in and started and the first sound she made was “Oh?” and that was it…of course my interest was peaked at that point..and then asked what was she measuring at that point and she just nicely said “oh..that’s the amniotic sac” so I just went..”Oh, that’s nice” all the while in my mind I’m thinking ‘WTF????’ and she measured a few more things. Grabbed a few pictures from the machine, smiled at Dave and I and said “the doctor will be right in, to share the measurement results”..which they always say there..so it was nothing out of the ordinary. Dr M came in a few minutes later, shook both of our hands saying hello. Then his expression changed and he said “unfortunately there is a problem” and at that exact moment I wanted to vomit. He informed me that my ‘cervix had become severely shortened and that the amniotic sac was trying to funnel through and causing me to start dilating.’ He told me to get dressed and that he’d explain more outside at the monitor. He walked out of the room, and I literally lost it, emotionally. Dave just hugged me, feeling the shock just as hard. We walked out and Dr. M explained what the picture showed and then said “you are going to be going up to L&D” at that point my expression must’ve been crazy cuz the only thing I was thinking was ‘WHAT?!?!?!’ He said that he was calling my doctor and they were going to be admitting me directly from their office.

We were escorted upstairs to L&D and we were warmly greeted by the nurses, and my doctor just happened to walk by..I said hello to Dr. W and she looked at me (please keep in mind there are 4 doctors at my OB office) and she was shocked to see me standing there…she asked me what I was doing there and at that point, it hit me…something was wrong and I started to tear up. She came over to hug me, to which I proceeded to openly cry. She asked me “so why are you here hun?” and I told her about what Dr. M’s office told me and at that point she said “oh hunny…you aren’t going home.” (which at that point I interpreted as, I was just staying the night). She led me into my room and I changed into the fashionable gowns and such and made my way to my bed. I looked at Dave at that point and said something to the effect of “maybe I’ll only have to stay a night or two” to which he shook his head and said “the Dr said you won’t be leaving until the baby is born”. With more shock on my face I started crying again. My nurse Marylou came in and got me tissues and consoled both Dave and I and proceeded to get me fully admitted and set up on an IV and monitor. Apparently, all the cramping I was having the night before and such were Contractions. Yep..contractions. I’m only 27 weeks then..waaaaaaaay to early to deliver. So Dr H took over that evening for Dr W in L&D, so we went over a plan of treatment for what was happening to my body and the baby. I was going to be given medicine to stop contractions (or at least slow them down) and also set of steroid shots for the baby to help her lungs develop faster, so just in case she delivered early that she would have a better chance of breathing on her own. That night was a long one…I was admitted with the clothes on my back and just my purse. I sent Dave home to get me some things. He brought me some clothes, books, my laptop and my body pillow. That night I also got 2 visitors, Elyssa and Cristen. Seeing them both really helped me relax and make it through the night easier. After they left, it was just Dave and I and I sent him home to get some rest. We only live .5 mile from the hospital, so he could’ve been back in a flash. I wanted him to get some good rest at home and such. Besides there was no point to both of us being miserable. I was also given ambien (5mg, half a dosage) to help me sleep, but I only slept 2 ½ hours that night. Mostly because I was really restless and the baby was moving like crazy too. But the nurses were wonderful during the night in helping me adjust.