Our Journey Part #6

I started having contractions around week 18, but I didn’t know what they were until about 23 weeks. I remember sitting on the couch and a strange feeling coming over me. It was a little stronger than normal and made me wonder if it could be a contraction. I can’t explain what it was like, but it didn’t hurt. Once I realized that it was probably a contraction I got nervous, which made for a bad combination. I couldn’t sleep and laid in bed until about midnight. When I was too scared to lie there anymore I got up and called Tanya. She told me that they were contractions and I should call the doctor. Why didn’t I think of that? Dr. Turnquest told me that I shouldn’t have more than 6 an hour. If they got more frequent I should call her back. To my dismay, I ended up calling her back at about 4: oo a.m. She told us to go in to labor and delivery. I was checked in and they started monitoring me. My nerves calmed down once I got to the hospital and the contractions slowed down. They were frequent enough to require a Terbulatine shot. The medicine made my heart race and I hated that feeling. I felt like I had swallowed a gallon of coffee. Eventually, I got back in balance and went back home two days later.

The day we made it to 24 weeks was huge. We had accomplished our first goal. We didn’t want to deliver yet, but we breathed a sigh of relief because we knew our babies could be viable and were developed at 24 weeks. If worse came to worse, 24 weeks is the minimum age for survival. However, if they were to deliver that early, they could possibly have some severe problems.

I also received my first steroid shot at this time. Around 24 weeks gestation, steroids help develop the lungs more quickly in preparation for a preterm delivery. I had to be monitored for an hour post-shot to be sure I didn’t start contracting. Everything was fine and I went home the same day.

I hadn’t allowed myself to shop or daydream about tiny clothes or baby items before then. I didn’t do any preparing until this landmark, and as I slowed down, I began to nest. I had decided that I wanted the kid’s room to be decorated with polka dots. I was really anxious to get their room ready. My mom came over and did most of it for me. I couldn’t do much at that time and it took us a few weeks to get it accomplished. We also managed to sort through many boxes of donated baby clothes. I can’t begin to list all the people who gave us baby clothes. In the end I had 30 tubs filled with clothes made to fit from preemie to 9 months. Painting the nursery was all we were able to do before the babies were born. I couldn’t bear the thought of a finished nursery and with no babies to bring home in the end. So, I didn’t prepare much more ahead of time. I knew if they were born that they would be in the NICU long enough for us to get things done at home.