PRETERM LABOR Part 1

I'm gonna be breaking this down into different parts because there is a lot to talk about. Please forgive my typos because I'm writing with an iv and I'm also on anxiety medication that makes me pretty loopy. First things first, the important part.

28 weeks:
Babies born at 28 weeks gestation have a 90-95percent chance of survival. Babies born at this gestation will typically weigh about 1kg. At 27 weeks a baby is no longer considered a micro-preemie but is now termed a very premature infant. At 28 weeks, the eyelids are now open, the eyebrows and eyelashes are fully formed. The eyes can now blink and respond to light and to dark. Their retinas are still developing (making them at risk for retinopathy of prematurity) but their eyes can form images. Although the 28 weeker can hear your voice, loud noises are often too much for their underdeveloped neurological system and they will startle at loud noises. The bright lights may also be too much for them to handle and they may tire easily. Keeping their space dimly lit will help them get the rest they need to learn and grow. By 28 weeks, premature babies are also starting to develop more coordinated sleep-wake cycles and are starting to have periods of REM sleep. The bones are fully formed at 28 weeks but are still very soft and vulnerable. The stomach and intestines are slowly maturing by 28 weeks . The lungs sacs (alveoli) are formed and are capable of breathing air as their vascular system can now handle oxygen carbon dioxide exchange and their brain stem can now regulate rhythmic breathing. Although they often still have underdeveloped lungs and may need extra help with respiratory support as they grow stronger. The 28 weekers body fat has begun to increase and they are able to regulate their basal body temperature but will need help keeping warm as they still lack brown fat and their brain is unable to regulate their tiny body’s temperature. Premature babies born at 28 weeks will still require long NICU stays with extensive medical care before they are discharged to home. (www.peekabooicu.net/2012/02/your-growing-preemie-week-by-week/).

I'm not 28 weeks anymore, I'm 28 weeks 5 days, but at this point everyday counts.

Lets start from the very beginning. Which was at 23 weeks. I went over this awhile ago, but now it actually comes into play and really matters. I've been feeling braxton hicks since 23 weeks. Dr Evil (who is on call tonight and if he is really nice then maybe I will change his name back) told me that the braxton hicks could mean labor but he isn't sure so just wait it out until I go into active labor. But by that time it will be to late and he wouldn't stop it. So I ignored them. I went for an appt with Dr Hall on Monday and he checked my cervix. It looked perfect and no cause for alarm. I tried to just blow off this feeling like something was wrong but I knew something wasn't right. 2 weeks later I was still having Braxton Hicks everyday. I will admit I went to Branson last weekend and walked around a lot. Dr Hall said it was okay as long as I took it easy. I took it at easy as I could, but I was never in much pain. Only lots and lots of tightening which I thought was okay to be having. Occationally I would be in pain and would have to stop what I was doing and breath through an actual contraction, but being a second time mom I knew what real labor felt like and I knew that tiny aches and pains wasnt dangerous. Or so I thought. I had an amazing shower on Thurday and I got everything I needed. Thankfully all the stuff that I need now are little things that I can order online from the comfort of my hospital room. By the way, To all my shower guests, I'm very sorry but Thank you cards will be coming very late this time. I'm not exactly sure where the list is for the thank you cards and I don't know if my mom will be able to go though my organized mess to find all the stuff I need.

So back to the shower. It came right on time because if It wasn't for the shower I would be a complete mess thinking about everything the girls needed that I am not going to be able to get. The nursery is a mess just ready to set up, the girls clothes are everythere just ready to be washed. So during Branson I was miserable because I had this intense feeling like I needed to go home and get things ready for the babies. I was too tired to do much when I got home so Monday I started washing clothes. Monday was pretty busy though because I had to take a glucose test and I had an ultrasound that day. Which the girls looked perfect. I tried my best to get things done, but I felt stupid for being in such a hurry, I mean I had 8 weeks left so why the rush. Tuesday at work I was in a complete panic. I needed to get the house ready and NOW! I just wanted to go home and get the room ready and pack my bags. As soon as I got home though I was exhausted and played with Mason until bed. Once Mason went to bed I couldn't breath, so I went to bed as well. I forgot to mention that on Monday both babies were breech, but on Tuesday I felt feet kicking my lungs and I knew Aubree had turned and was now head down and ready to go.

Here is where things get interesting. Tuesday night I got up to go to the bathroom. I was sick and miserable. I couldn't walk and I felt like going out to the couch to cry because of how miserable I felt. I thought about texting my boss and saying I was officially done with work, but I thought I could last another 4 weeks and I was just being a sissy for feeling like this when a lot of twin moms last longer than 28 weeks while working. Besides, two of my doctors said it was find to be active eventhough they knew I was having a lot of tightening so I just assumed I was being my normal paranoid self. Wednesday I got to work and realized we were understaffed. I was feeling very bad. but I tried to suck it up and carry my weight since I didn't want to slow the back office down all because I was feeling a little "off". I sat down to work on a patient and I felt a very strong contraction. I knew it was a contraction because it felt like early labor with Mason. The blood drained from my face but it went away and I though "surely that was just gas!". Awhile later I felt another one only a little stronger. Again all blood left my face and I panicked. I debated on calling my doctor but instead decided to suck it up because we were so understaffed. Instead I went to the bathroom to try to see if that helped. Thinking that it helped I went back to work. I felt energy draining and knew I was overdoing it at work. I tried not to cry, but I was so miserable that I couldn't shake the feeling of "something is wrong, I need to leave work NOW". I was working with my boss on a retainer case when I felt another contraction only this time it was intense and I knew it wasn't normal gas pain at all. I looked around the room for anyone free that could help me but everyone was working so I stuck it out till the patient left. I could tell the doctor thought I was spacing because I kept dropping things and my head was not where it should have been. I felt another one shortly after that and this one wrapped around my back and tightened everything. As soon as we were finished with that patient I booked it to my phone and called the nurse. I explained what was going  on and she told me to drop everything and go to the hospital. Like the smart person I am I asked her if I could finish up my patients for the morning and then go to the hospital. She sternly told me no and I needed to leave asap. I felt dumb, I am not a first time mom, I know what labor feels like and I knew I wasn't in labor, but I guess better safe than sorry so I left and promised my boss I would be back after lunch. (hee hee). I got to the hospital and got hooked up to monitors. I was clearly not in any pain so the nurse didn't pay any attention to my contraction monitor and focused on getting the twins on the monitor which proved to be very difficult. Before I was discharged she decided to check my cervix. She turned around and asked when the last time I was checked was. I told her 3 weeks ago. She told me I was 2cm. That's when things got crazy. My mind raced. 2 cm!!!! I was 2 cm weeks before Mason was born! I was only 25 % effaced though so that was good. How could I be 2 cm. The nurse told me I was having contractions to dialate me and she adjusted the contraction monitor. A doctor came in to check on me and he asked what my contractions were doing. "2 minutes apart lasting for 1 minute each" is what I heard the nurse say. WHAT!!!!!????? I was supposed to be here just as a precaution, I wasn't supposed to be in labor. This wasn't supposed to happen to me!!!! That's when the doctor asked to check me again. 3 cm and 75% effaced. This had all happened in less than 1 hour. I started to panic and cry! I was in labor! I was in active labor and I couldn't even feel it. I was contracting every 2 minutes and I had no idea. The doctor held my hand and said he was going to try to stop labor by giving me magnesium. First I had to have a steriod shot. I was given steriods to help the babies lungs in case of delivery and started magnesium. I was very scared because I've heard horror storied about Magnesium

For anyone faced with magnesium in their future, I want to help you out. Going in the magnesium made my chest burn and my mouth feel hot. Then it made it's way down my body. I felt it making it's way down cause every body part would get hotter and hotter. The nurse put a fan on my face which made a huge difference. At that point the doctor had to get real and he asked me all these questions about what type of delivery I wanted. I chose a vbac and he said that was his suggestion as well because it's much better for preterm babies. As soon as my initial panic was over I felt like I was floating almost. Like I was watching all of this take place but it wasn't really happening to me. God spoke to me and said "pray Megan." So that's what I did. And I felt God pick me up just like he did when I was bleeding so many weeks ago. I was calm. I had the labor and delivery team surrounding me, I had the nicu staff talking to me, I had people prepping for delivery but I knew it was all in vain. These babies were not coming out. My nurse and doctor told me that it was a matter of hours before I would meet the twins, but I knew differently. Their birthday was not going to be August 8, 2013. I felt liquid between my legs and the doctor came over to check my water. Luckily it was discharge from the labor stopping suppositories that I was given and not my water, but my cervix was now almost 4 cm and 80% effaced. My doctor sat down and said that we wouldn't make it to my 24 hour mark where I needed that second dose of steriods. She ordered it for 12 hours instead and she said my goal was to make it to my next steriod shot before delivery.

I asked about the magnesium since everyone was so sure I was going to deliver. They told me that magnesium works within 2 hours and since I had passed that 2 hour mark, the magnesium was not stopping labor, it was only being used to strengthen the twins. I again politely smiled. These babies were NOT coming out tonight! I knew it. I was  administered to 3 times that night and I know a lot of prayers went up for me. God was listening because nothing was stopping that fast moving labor. I was progressing so fast that they thought I was going to have babies within hours. Well hours turned into more hours and soon hours turned into days and here I am 3 days later and still very pregnant. I know it was the power of prayer that stopped my labor because the doctors and nurses were amazed that it just stopped for no reason. I knew it would, I had no doubt it would. God has carried me through this pregnancy and he will continue to carry me though. Sorry people, no belly pictures today. I'm not allowed to get up to do anything except go to the bathroom. I'm on hospital bedrest for a very long time. A lot more has happened, mainly with my health so I will update you all in a part 2. I took 2 Ambian last night so I'm exhausted and need to take a nap before I get out of jail and they allow me to take a shower. yay!!!!! It's the little things. :)