32nd Week Excitement

Usually my weekly Wednesday posts goes something like this: Post Weekly Belly Picture and talk about how good I feel being pregnant and what not. But the reason this weekly post is late is because we had some extra excitement on Wednesday (the day I turned 32 weeks). So here it is:

Wednesday December 22

Went to work and things were super slow compared to the week prior where we had a lot going on in the office. I had asked for the next day off, Thursday, because we had an OB-GYN appointment at 9:30am and I would be coming in late because of that and then our office would close early around 3pm. My managers were awesome and they told me to take the day off (personal day). So I knew when I got home Wednesday night I could relax and pretend it was my Friday. When I got home Romulo and I headed to the grocery store to pick up some last minute things for our Christmas Dinner we had planned with friends of ours. Then we came home I made dinner, cleaned up the dishes, changed the table cloth for Christmas Dinner, light cleaned around the house, and then decided to take a shower before heading to bed. After my shower I was laying in bed with Romulo talking about baby stuff. We were planning over the long holiday weekend to finish up getting the diaper bag ready, put together our hospital bags, wash certain baby clothes, and actually write out the final draft of our birthing plan. The time was around 10:15pm and then all of a sudden I shouted "Ooh my gosh" and jumped up. I felt a huge warm gush of water and when I jumped up the bed was wet and water was still coming out of me. As I was walking to the bathroom water was just dropping everywhere.

Every fiber of my body knew it was my bags of water breaking but in my head I was thinking "No, I'm only 32 weeks today it too early.". Romulo was calm and actually went down to touch the water and smelled it; it was clear and odorless (which is good). So as I sat on the toilet with water still coming out of me he called our doctor and talked to the nurse and she told us to head to the hospital. I have to say we both were really calm the whole time. We left our apartment and headed to the hospital. I called my parents and Romulo called a friend who lives close to us to be on stand by just in case we needed something.

As I got out of the car and started walking I noticed the whole inside of my sweatpants were soaked, so I had to waddle because it was kind of uncomfortable having thick sweatpants soaked. I was not feeling any pain with contractions or anything just uncomfortable with the pants and a little embarrassed (good thing it was about 11pm at night and not too many people were around). We checked in at the OB Reception area and they took us straight back. After some questions and such they gave me a shot to spot contractions. At this time I was laying down and had time to concentrate on my body and I was feeling only tightening of the belly (or contractions) every 6 minutes apart for about 30 seconds each. Zero pain really just noticed the tightening. Because I was only 32 weeks along and hadn't been checked to see if I had Group B strep they started Antibiotics just in case (but they did swab me to check but those test results come back in 3-4 days who just in case they gave me the med). After an hour I headed upstairs to the Labor Department.

Because I had broken my water bags and was only 32 weeks along they needed to keep an eye on me just in case I was to go into labor. Around 1am I was given a shot in the bottom for the baby to get steroids to help "speed" up his lung development. This medicine helps develop the little "balloons" in his lungs for when he takes his first breath. The best example of why they give this med is like when you try to blow up a balloon for the first time its kind of tight and hard but then when you continue to re-blow up the balloon it gets easier so this med basically makes the first breath and others to follow easier. Plus it advances his lungs development to a 35 week old baby lungs. This shot would be repeated the next night and only given twice but its important that this little one stayed inside of me during those 48hours so he could get the maximum benefit of this drug. (I'm so bad with med names but Romulo could tell you in seconds what was what.) I was also given a medicine that helped soften my uterus but this med does not prevent or induce labor just help relax things so we could really tell what was happening and not cause stress on the baby.

I have to say this little boy has a mind of his own and we couldn't be happier for him but seriously little boy you need to stay calm and know that you will enter this earth soon enough! But he is such a strong boy; his heartbeat is so precious to hear and one that has stay consistent and not jumped around. His heartbeats have been in the range of 125-145 (per external baby monitor).

Picture of me in the hospital right after my water broke.

Thursday, December 23

Still in the hospital and our doctor came to see us and she asked us that we should be seeing her in her office not for us to be in the hospital. She was great and told us what the plan was and what she expected for us. She gave us a goal to make it 48 hours and then with the help of that steroid shot for the baby we could deliver him if my body went that way or if things steady and stayed that way I could be pregnant for days or weeks to come! But that I would be on bed rest and be in the hospital the whole time because of me being only 32 weeks and losing so much water from the broken bags. We had an ultrasound down and we found out that our little man weight about 5.75 (and he's only 32 weeks and they kept calling him preemie) and his head/stomach measurements were in the range of a 35 week old baby! I have to laugh because he's always been so big but when they throw the word premier out there I'm like "isn't he going to be the biggest preemie in the nicu?". That's exactly what the head nurse from NICU said when she came to visit us. Plus at this ultrasound they found out that he had enough still low for 32 weeks but still enough with how much water I lost (usually a 32 week pregnant womb would have 10-20 bags of water but I had about 5-6). Also found out that my "door was still closed" or my cervix wasn't opened at all, which is good because that means the baby wasn't coming just then!

Later that night we met with the head nurse of the NICU and she couldn't have been better. She described things so easy for us, dumbed it down without making us feel stupid. We basically chatted about two areas to be focused on when delivering a preemie: lung development and sucking. But when she read how big our little guy was she told us that basically he would be dictating to them on what to do medical wise. She said that they would see how well his breathing would be and also see how well his sucking would be. It calmed us down when she said that at 32 weeks the success rate is amazing and that we were in a much better situation than if I was in weeks 24-28 weeks. And she mentioned that if we able to make it to 34 weeks then things were even better: every day inside of the womb is one day less in NICU. But she did inform us that if he came early he would have to most likely stay in the NICU until he reached 36 weeks.

Had some amazing friends come by and see us! It really helps having people come by and chat because it takes your mind off of things and keeps you connected to the outside world.

Friday, December 24 Christmas Eve

Got all of my meds and finished up the IV part so now I'm only on oral meds. Got through the 48 hour mark and my contractions which still aren't hurting are coming about every hour but nothing major enough to cause labor. Had some amazing friends come by and see us. Then we were able to Skyp with my family and it was good for them to see me and see that I was fine but great for me to see them and feel their love.

We've seen and heard too many people having babies and I have to say when you hear a new little baby cry it makes your heart melt and tears come to your eyes. I have to keep telling myself that I don't want to have this baby JUST YET! he needs to cook a little longer inside of me. Plus, I have to tell myself that TODAY IS THE DAY because if I don't prepare myself and I do go into labor I might not be 100% ready. But every night I say a little prayer of thanks for keeping him in me.

Saturday, December 25

Santa found us at the hospital! Romulo got a Xbox game and some pj bottoms. Santa brought me a red robe and Tiffany Sterling Silver Bow-Tie earrings! It couldn't have been a better Christmas morning.

Saw the doctor and informed us that our new goal was to make it to 34 weeks. Baby was looking really good and they told me I could take off the baby heartbeat monitor but keep the contraction monitor on. But if I missed hearing him I could put it back on anytime. But they will monitor me every change of nurses shift for 30 minutes just to keep a record of things.

So that's were we are right now! Making house at the hopsital and staying positive. I have to say this whole thing has been very calming and not an ounce of fear as creeped in. Sure I've felt a little blue here and there but nothing major.

Here's my 32 week pregnant belly picture a few hours before the whole excitement. Hopefully this isn't my last weekly picture but if it is here you go: