Days 5 & 6

Shockingly, not too much exciting is going on here! :) That's a good thing though because it means everything is holding steady. I get monitored for contractions and the baby's heartbeat for an hour in the morning and an hour at night. So far the baby's heartbeat has been great and the monitors have only picked up a couple small contractions here and there. Not anything to be worried about apparently.

Yesterday my doctor let me know that after talking to the perinatologist, they had agreed I should stay here until at least 28 weeks for sure and then they would re-evaluate. It was a mix of being relieved I would be observed until reaching that first big milestone and being bummed about knowing I'd be here for at least another 2 1/2 weeks. Today, the perinatologist came to check on me and just explained a little more on why they wanted to keep me here. Now I'm kind of scared to leave at all! He just emphasized how short my cervix really is which means the cerclage and the opening to the cervix has basically nothing to support it and with the pressure of the water sack on top of it, it could tear or the membranes or water sack could start bulging through the stitched opening. When it does start bulging then it becomes a week point and will eventually burst. That could put me into labor either right away or shortly after. Like I said, now I am pretty content with staying here until the baby is at least close to full term!

I asked about another ultra sound and he said they wouldn't do one until close to 28 weeks because they can get the best look at the cervix with a vaginal ultra sound and they really don't want to do those often since everything is so fragile. Plus, he pointed out that even if my cervix has shortened more, there is nothing new they would be doing for me so it really didn't matter. Since the baby looked just fine in the first ultra sound, there was no reason to check on him right away either. Makes sense to me.

So, I am just being a blob on a bed and letting my boy get bigger and stronger each day. My friends and family are continuing to offer help, bring me things to keep me comfortable and busy, and visiting me. It has been really nice. Today, one of the nurses came in with a big bag with a bow on it. Apparently there was a woman that stayed here about a year ago with a high risk pregnancy for about 3 months. When she had the baby and went home, she kept thinking about her time at the hospital and decided she needed to do something for the moms staying here. She started an organization called High Risk Hope that would deliver bags of comforts to the moms that have to be admitted for an extended time while pregnant. Inside was a nice blanket, socks, lotions, shower gel, chapstick, nice toilet paper, thank you cards, notebooks, pens, toothpaste, a nail care set, napkins, plastic silverware, and a few other nice things. I was pretty blown away by this woman's actions to help make our stays more bearable. She really thought of everything! The nurses and staff have also been amazing here. They have been kind and willing to do anything to help. They even changed my room tonight because my last room was right by the elevator and nurses desk and they thought I should be somewhere more quiet.

Chris and Lila have still been coming everyday. I feel so bad for Chris. He looked a little tired! It would be very hard to work full time and be a single parent overnight. He is doing amazing though and has been my hero. Not only is he working and taking care of Lila and the house, but he is also staying on top of all the insurance stuff that I'm no good at. Today he fixed a problem with my employment (I'm still on leave but they had tried to terminate my employment on accident) and I had been trying to work it out for a week. Pretty important since we need that insurance! Today was the first night Lila really held on to me when Chris tried to leave. I think she finally figured out that I'm not at home anymore and have to stay here. She kept gripping my neck and hugging me. I admit I was trying really hard not to lose it. I'm hoping it will get easier. I know she is having fun at her sitter's though. Tara sent me pictures of Lila at Pump it Up where she was having a blast jumping and sliding on everything. It makes me feel good to see her doing well!

I'm hoping my days go by quickly and uneventfully and I can look back on this a just a short period of time that things were a little crazy!
 Oh, as a side note, they have stopped checking my blood sugar levels, so no more poking! Yea! I'm still going to stay on the diabetic diet for the most part though because it has been healthy and I'm hoping will help me not get too huge as I just lay here! :)