27w1d: Still pregnant

So, as indicated by the picture, I am home and in bed, with company.  I was allowed to leave the hospital this morning around 8:30, after 2 hours of monitoring showed no real contractions.  My OB really doesn't seem worried at all (that makes 1 of us!).  He sent me home, he said no need to take Procardia because I wasn't contracting this morning, and to just stay in bed.  I have "bathroom privileges," so I can get up to use the toilet, brush my teeth, and take fast showers.  The other 23.8 hours of the day, I have to be lying in bed.  He said for special occasions once or twice a week, I can go downstairs for dinner with friends.  It is probably best that I stay upstairs in bed because when I am downstairs on the couch, I do get tempted to do stuff.  I was making my own breakfast every day, and sometimes my own lunch, or I would go get a snack for myself, or whatever.  And if I had visitors downstairs, I would go upstairs to use the bathroom, adding in a couple more trips.  This strict bedrest is only until 30 weeks and then he thinks I can do a little more, and then more again at 32 weeks.

Overall, I think I handled the hospital situation well.  When Eric first pushed the wheelchair into my hospital room and I put on the robe and got into bed, I cried.  I had not spent a night at the hospital since April 10, 1980, when I was born!  I have never really been sick in my life and just felt so defeated in all of this.  My body was no good at getting pregnant, and now it's apparently not so good at staying pregnant.  But, after all the contractions slowed and everyone said I would be going home in the morning, I was able to relax a little and just pretend it was a "normal" Thursday night in a strange room.  Of course, I did ask for an Ambien for sleep.  I have trouble enough in my own bed, let's not even think about a hot hospital room with a pillow flatter than a supermodel's chest.

I have to think that if my OB didn't believe I could keep the babies in with bedrest at home, he would have kept me at the hospital.  He doesn't want to meet these babies any more than I do!  In some sense it is reassuring being monitored at the hospital, knowing that their hearts are beating perfectly and that I'm not contracting.  But at the same time, the bed is not that comfortable, the food is lousy, and there are no husbands or cats when you go to sleep at night.  When I left this morning I actually had a stomach ache and some pain in my back, but I figured once I got home and got comfortable, it would go away.  And it did.  So goodness knows how uncomfortable I would be if I were stuck there for 20 more days!

I have to say that I feel very loved and supported in all of this.  Not only is Eric his usual sweet self, but my dad and friend Shoshana even visited in my short time as a hospital patient.  And today I have had tons of phone calls and emails from family and friends.  So thank you to everyone who has checked in, it means A LOT.

We had some moments of worry regarding plans for the coming week.  Eric is going to be leaving for a long-anticipated business trip.  His company is going to be launching their product at the PGA convention in Orlando (forgive me if I've mentioned this before) and his presence is fundamental.  I am sure that if the babies were born, or I were sick, his boss would let Eric stay home, no questions asked.  But I want Eric to go because he has been working for months and this is his big moment!  So who would babysit me?  My mom is in Asia, on a jaunt to Thailand before a few days in Singapore and a week in Vietnam.  I had planned to go to my aunt and uncle's, but the effort of packing up, going and coming back, and being away from my cats and all that worried me.  My dad said he would telecommute to work and stay with me, and my sister said she would come from DC on Thursday night.  So everyone was stepping in. 

But then my dad had a stroke of genius-- my aunt Sharon!  She is a nurse practitioner and a perfect Jewish mom (that means all of the food and none of the guilt).  And her job contract just ended so she isn't working.  My dad emailed, and next thing you know, she had booked a flight to come here for a week!  I am so thrilled.  I haven't seen Sharon for almost two years now, so we are overdue for lots of girl talk anyway.  On top of that, she is a good cook and baker, and said she is going to stock our freezer for us.  So out of all of this, there is something exciting to look forward to.  And she'll come to my 28 week growth scan with me and get to see the babies!

I have decided that there's just no way that I would have these babies this week.  The doctor says the goal is 3 weeks, but I am taking it 1 day at a time.  Today has been uneventful, and I hope to keep it that way.