Bed Rest Musings

I really thought I would write more on the blog while I was on bed rest but I have just been sooooo busy….not!

My typical day here starts with a 6 am medication and a blood pressure check.  The medicine that I am on (Procardia) requires that my blood pressure is above 100/50 to take.  I usually try to go back to sleep until 730 when a technician bursts through my door to take my blood pressure and temperature (vitals).  From there it is just a barrage of people coming through my door!  People think bed rest must be great for rest, but when you are in a hospital it can be anything but.  From 730 on I see 2 doctors, 1 nurse, 1 technician, 1 house cleaner, and food service deliverers depending how many times I get room service.  I see the nurse a lot less now because my other medication (Indocin) was stopped at 27 weeks.  Some people knock on the door, some people don’t.  Those who DO knock usually don’t wait for a reply!  The other day a doctor knocked on my door and when I replied that I was getting dressed, he just walked in and had a conversation with me while I had one leg in my pants, underwear hanging out and all.  Not awkward.

I get a Non-Stress Test (NST) twice a day for 20 minutes each time, but it usually takes longer because the babies will fall off the monitors.  

Bottom pink strap= Baby A (so low it has to be put in my pants!), middle pink= contraction monitor, top blue= Baby B

The top blue line is Baby A's heartbeat and the pink line interlacing with it is Baby B's.  The Bottom line is my contraction monitor.  I was having a very low irritability day so the line is really flat for me!

The NST monitors how reactive the babies are (how much they are moving around and if their heartbeats go up and down at the appropriate times) and also if I am having any contractions.     It has really helped me to know exactly the difference between uterine tightening, Braxton Hicks and contractions.  I have really only felt two contractions since I have been here, but initially I was brought into the hospital for preterm labor and the doctor told me I was having contractions every 30 sec-1 minute.  That was scary because I didn’t feel it at all!  That night I was put on Dilaudid which in an IV medicine.  It helped to relax my uterus and made me feel warm and fuzzy before it knocked me out.

The babies were looking awesome at the last ultrasound on Friday.  Baby A weighed 2.5 and Baby B weighed 2.4.  Those are very average weights for a singleton, so pretty good for twins.  It is also reassuring that they are close in weight and one baby is not getting more nutrients than the other.  No one is checking my cervix any more because they do not want to irritate it any further.  If my water does not break I am allowed to go home and continue strict bed rest on Thursday!  Just in time for my mom to visit for a few weeks.  My dad and one of my brothers are also going to come down next week for a few days.  I am so happy that I will be able to get out of the hospital in time for Christmas and I am able to spend it with my family!  I am so grateful that my body’s status has not changed in the 6 weeks I have been here and these babies get to bake a little longer. Bed rest really does make all the difference in a high-risk pregnancy.

Omg what a funny 3 week comparison! Look how much we've grown.  The babies (and my belly) went through a serious growth spurt from 24-27 weeks.