I can't say we got a whole lot of sleep last night, but I think if you added up all the little chunks we probably got around 4 hours. Could be worse and hopefully we'll nap some today. The good news is that the contractions have stayed away for the most part over night except when her bladder fills up. So about half an hour ago the docs took her off the magnesium sulfate and IV fluids so that is one less thing she's hooked up to. This makes it easier for her to get comfortable on her left side so that's good. This morning they wanted to get a solid 20 minute tracing of the babies heart rates which is no easy feat. Michelle had to hold pretty still to reduce the chances of losing one of the readings, but I guess they got what they wanted and the babies are still doing well. Now that she's off the magnesium they want to try to get two more hours of good monitoring of the babies and then, if all looks good, then she could come off the baby monitors too and they would just check the heart rates every so often. Once this two hour monitoring is done she should be able to get up and walk around and even take a shower. She can probably put on her own clothes too, which I'm sure would make her feel better. They're also going to do one more dose of Indocin and then try taking her off of that to see if the contractions stay away. So she'll be off the baby monitors, but stay on the contraction monitor (though it sounds like she could take break and still get a shower).
Michelle's nurse Tina has now been trying to get all the monitors on for about 40 minutes. Babies A & C are generally pretty cooperative and not too hard to find, though they've both had their moments. Baby B, on the other hand, is a true ninja baby-constantly moving and playing hide and seek. She's probably going to be our wild thing baby. =)
The only not-good news today is that Michelle's blood pressure continues to be elevated. For now she has the diagnosis of "gestational hypertension." Her 24 hour urine collection will be done at 4:30 this afternoon and we should have the results of that evaluation later tonight. So far her bloodwork has all come back fine, but the fear is that she may be developing pre-eclampsia. The risks for pre-eclampsia are increased with multiples and with first pregnancies so the doc said it wouldn't be surprising. Here's a link to more info about pre-eclampsia. Honestly, it scares me and I really really hope she doesn't have it, or develop it. I asked the doc what the plan would be if it turns out she does and she said they would try to manage it with blood pressure meds for as long as we can (34-35wks) and monitor closely for any maternal or fetal complications that would indicate the need for earlier delivery. In other words, if she does have pre-eclampsia, we're here until the babies are born.
I asked the doc for best-case scenario (ie. contractions stay away & blood pressure comes down to normal levels--off all meds), then we could probably go home on Monday. But the doc said "just don't get it in your head that you're going home Monday." I said, "I know. I just like to know what to hope for!" =) So we will try to prepare for the worst (pre-eclampsia & babies born before 32 wks) and hope for the best (discharge Monday and babies make it to 35+ weeks).
Michelle's nurse Tina has now been trying to get all the monitors on for about 40 minutes. Babies A & C are generally pretty cooperative and not too hard to find, though they've both had their moments. Baby B, on the other hand, is a true ninja baby-constantly moving and playing hide and seek. She's probably going to be our wild thing baby. =)
The only not-good news today is that Michelle's blood pressure continues to be elevated. For now she has the diagnosis of "gestational hypertension." Her 24 hour urine collection will be done at 4:30 this afternoon and we should have the results of that evaluation later tonight. So far her bloodwork has all come back fine, but the fear is that she may be developing pre-eclampsia. The risks for pre-eclampsia are increased with multiples and with first pregnancies so the doc said it wouldn't be surprising. Here's a link to more info about pre-eclampsia. Honestly, it scares me and I really really hope she doesn't have it, or develop it. I asked the doc what the plan would be if it turns out she does and she said they would try to manage it with blood pressure meds for as long as we can (34-35wks) and monitor closely for any maternal or fetal complications that would indicate the need for earlier delivery. In other words, if she does have pre-eclampsia, we're here until the babies are born.
I asked the doc for best-case scenario (ie. contractions stay away & blood pressure comes down to normal levels--off all meds), then we could probably go home on Monday. But the doc said "just don't get it in your head that you're going home Monday." I said, "I know. I just like to know what to hope for!" =) So we will try to prepare for the worst (pre-eclampsia & babies born before 32 wks) and hope for the best (discharge Monday and babies make it to 35+ weeks).
You're right. You've got to know what you hope for so we all can put our energy toward that and hope with you too!
ReplyDeleteYou're right. You've got to know what you hope for so we all can put our energy toward that and hope with you too!
ReplyDeleteGo, best case scenario, go!!!! BTW, I've got my digital voice recorder all set to go to class tomorrow and record for Michelle.
ReplyDelete