Twenty-Six Weeks and Hospital Update/Rant.

We made it to our 26th week marker!
Well, munchkin is now about the size of a head of lettuce and soon her eyes will start to open; her eyelashes are also now grown! She is getting her immune system ready for life on the outside by soaking up my antibodies and she is taking breaths of amniotic fluid to practice breathing! 

Boy has it been a rough ride! You never think that being admitted into the hospital for a possible preterm labor could ever happen to you until you find yourself laying in a bed strapped to all kinds of monitors. I can't say that I have completely come to terms with the fact that my baby girl could be here any day or that this has even happened to us, but I can say that I am beyond thankful for the fact that all of this did happen when it did.
We were moved from Labor and Delivery at the beginning of the week to Pre/Post Natal care. The room is a little smaller and a little less comfy; we don't have a refrigerator anymore, the bathroom is smaller, and Brian now has to sleep in a recliner instead of on a couch; at least the t.v is nicer in here and Brian is closer (just an arm's length away).
I must say though, that being hospitalized for nine days now has been rather difficult for me. I have had my good days and my bad days, but recently what has been the most difficult for me is being forced to lay in a bed in a room that you can't leave. I have been told numerous times not to sit up because it puts pressure on my cervix and I don't know how many times I have nearly snapped on my nurses. A person simply can't remain in a bed on their back 24/7; it is just not possible.
I am starting to feel that being here isn't the best thing possible for this little girl growing inside of me; yes, I understand that with my being here she will be in the best care unit in Jacksonville if she were to be delivered, but in the mean time, my keeping her in utero while being forced to stay in a hospital is not what is best for me. I need to be able to be in the comfort of my own home, I need to be able to sit outside and get some fresh air, I need to be able to bury my face in my cat's fluffy bodies (one of my most favorite comforts), and I need to be able to actually sleep next to my husband at night.
In my opinion, being on bed rest in the hospital is the worst idea; in fact, it is a TERRIBLE idea for someone who has a family history of depression. I feel like I am just asking for depression to take a hold of me and I know that once I do fall into a depression, it will be extremely difficult pulling myself out of it. I refuse to be put on any type of medication related to depression and I refuse to take any sort of sleeping pills...don't get me started on all of these damn pills they have me on...I went from taking two pills a day (my Synthroid and Prenatal) to taking over five pills a day (Synthroid, Prenatal, Colace, Antibiotics, etc.). Half of the time I don't know what they are giving me anymore. I feel that I have put more crap into my body than is absolutely necessary.
The Prenatal isn't the same as my previous Prenatals and has way too much iron in it thus causing me to have bathroom issues; which is where the Colace comes into play. I have to take a stool softener two times a day now and it's not like it actually helps since my digestion is all screwed up with being in here anyways. Then there is the antibiotics that I have to take every six hours because my cervix is opened and they are afraid that the bacteria (although it is a good bacteria) in my vagina could cause an infection that could in turn lead to an infection in the amniotic fluid...blah, blah, blah...basically another precaution and a reason to keep me up at night. Oh and because of the antibiotics, I developed a yeast infection and had to be given a pill for that.
And on to my Synthroid! Initially I came into the hospital with a dosage of 150 mcg and then tests were run and I was told that my levels were once again elevated so they upped the dosage to 200 mcg. I have to have blood work done again in four weeks to check that that amount is leveling out everything.
OH AND THIS BED!! This bed is the most uncomfortable thing I have ever had to waste my life on! It is killing my back and whenever I say that my back is hurting, the nurses automatically assume it is contractions. -.- I would much rather sleep on the dang floor! Brian had to go and make a run to Walmart to get a foam pad because I was having a breakdown over the bed. I felt like a big baby for crying over the mattress of a bed and bless his heart for not saying a work about it; in fact I think he was laughing at me because of how ridiculous I sounded. I was just a wreck over it.
I suppose on the bright side of things I am allowed to get up to use the bathroom and still allowed to take a shower on my own; although it is recommended that Brian be here with me because heaven forbid I have to bend over to dry off my own legs. I am also on a regular diet which means I get to eat whatever I want; not that the hospital's food is that great anyways.
So, basically, this hospital stay is starting to break me down a little bit and it is taking every ounce of strength I have to maintain a positive outlook on all of this. It is just really hard when you hear about all of your friends out having a good time enjoying their lives while you sit here in a room with no idea of knowing when you will get to leave. Hmm, I wonder if this is what being a prisoner feels like?
I am very thankful to have Brian here with me and soon, my little sister. She is flying down here the 18th and then staying with us until I deliver the baby and we go home for Christmas. It will be incredibly nice to have her here, especially since Brian is going to have to go back to work at some point. I am so proud of my parents and everything that they have gone through to get my sister this plane ticket; it means so much, especially since I know that they are struggling with issues of their own. I wish that the both of them could have come down with her because having them here would be the best thing ever, considering I have not seen them since Christmas '11. I miss them so much!


I also "celebrated" my 23rd birthday on Wednesday, the first. I was pretty bummed about having to spend it in the hospital, but the nurses and Brian did their best to make it a little brighter for me. I got quite a bit of cake, several "Happy Birthdays", beautiful flowers from Brian, and a Willow Tree figurine to add to my little collection. <3

I absolutely love these figurines! My first one is "Home" (the pregnant couple) and was given to me by Brian as a Mother-to-be/Father-to-be gift. This one is called "Together" and it reminds me that no matter what, we will always be together, through thick and thin! 

Of course I also got several birthday wishes on Facebook and a phone call from my mom. <3 Nothing makes you feel better like a phone call from mom on your birthday. <3 

So as far as my hospital update goes, everything is the same. I am not having any contractions at all whatsoever, so I am no longer on 24 hour monitoring; only twice a day for a half hour. The baby is absolutely perfect; all of the nurses and doctors keep saying that she "acts" like a 32 week old (unborn) baby. Her heart rate is perfect, she is incredibly active, and growing. I am still getting put on the Fetal Heart Rate monitor every four hours; I personally don't think it is necessary, but I don't mind getting to hear her. 

Starting on Wednesday (August 8th) I will be going up to the Obstetrician to have weekly ultrasounds done to check that the baby is growing properly and that I am looking alright. I am still waiting to have my cervix checked to see if I have dilated any more or remained the same. You would assume if I have dilated more I would be having contractions, but considering I had already dilated to 3cm and had no contractions, you never know. 

Still no word on if they will send me home to be on bed rest; I have a feeling that they may come up with something on Wednesday after the ultrasound. But as of now, I am here until 28 weeks. 

Well, here is to trying to stay positive and strong and hoping that I make it through to another week! 

How far along? 26 weeks and 4 days.  

Total weight gain: 15 pounds. 

Maternity clothes?  Yes. 

Stretch marks? Yes. 

Sleep: Comes and goes; not so much since I have to have FHR every 4 hours...that means I get woken up at midnight (meds and FHR), 4 am (FHR), 6 am (for meds), 8 am (FHR) and 9 am (meds). 

Best moment of this week? Magan's surprise visit and the three of us playing Scattegories!

Miss anything? My own bed, the cats, outside, being at home in general.  

Movement: Plenty of movement. 

Food cravings? Varies. 

Anything making you queasy or sick? I get a little bit of uncomfortable queasiness due to bathroom issues. 

Gender: Girl!

Labor signs: Yes, dilated to 3-4cm but no signs of contractions.

Symptoms: Pre term labor symptoms.

Belly button in or out? In.

Wedding rings on or off? Everything is off while in the hospital in case anything makes me swell up. 

Mood? Annoyed, irritated, tired. 

Looking forward to: 28 weeks and my sister flying down here.