Tomorrow is a big day! I get to have another cervical length exam and if all is well (the length hasn't shortened more), I get to go home! The thing is, I can't decide how I feel about this whole situation. Probably 35% excitement and 65% apprehension.
After being here for almost 4 weeks, I feel comfortable and safe here. If anything were to happen to me or the babies, I know that the nurses and the doctors are right here to help us. I get 3 meals a day, and 3 snacks a day if I desire. I get to hear the babies' heartbeat twice a day and get monitored for contractions if I feel my uterus tightening. At home I get the comfort of home cooked meals, my visitors wouldn't have to come ALL THE WAY to Cedars to visit me, and the coziness of sleeping in my own bed with my husband. The problem is, I kind of enjoy the isolation at the hospital (don't get me wrong, I am very outgoing, but when my parents are here with my sister...the excitement is just too much to handle sometimes). Also, the people that come in and out of my room here are all professionals, whether they are nurses, food service, or housekeepers. Being at home and being waited on (by my parents) would probably get more complicated because it would be all personal...and if I don't feel like eating something, my mom may get offended and I would feel bad. Oh well, we'll see how it goes :)
Friday, May 23, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Wide Open Spaces
I went outside today. My OB said that since the babies are growing so well (and my cervix hasn't changed), I can go outside for 30 minutes a day to get some sun. This is very exciting news!!
The first trip was accompanied by my parents. My clinical partner brought me my wheel chair and I stepped outside of my room for the first time in over 2 weeks. Being in the wheel chair was quite strange since I've never been in one before. I also felt a little out of control because I am pretty much at the mercy of whoever's pushing me. But off we went, pass the nurses' station, pass the room with all the monitors, pass the double doors of the maternity ward, pass the waiting room, and into the elevator. The free fall motion of the elevator was strange too. Probably because I've been laying on my bed for so long...any motion besides laying down felt strange to me. We went down one floor, snaked through another waiting area, and exited the double door of the building.
Brightness. Blinding brightness. Warmth from the sunshine. People hurrying to go places. The trees, the flowers, the metal benches, the statues...there were so much to see. I'm feeling a bit anxious. It's strange how even being couped up for a little over 3 weeks can have such a profound effect on how I view the outside world. I kept looking at my cellphone to remind myself of the time. Not that I was wanting to make sure that I get back to my room without delay, but almost wondering how much longer until I go back to the safety of my confined space. My feeling shocked me. A couple of days ago, I was gently twisting my doctor's arm to get wheel chair priviledges...and now that I'm out, I feel like Morgan Freeman from Shawshank Redemption when he was finally let out to join the civilian world...I felt LOST!
To be okay with being "trapped" in my hospital room meant having to adjust to the lack of freedom, like giving up the thought of going outside and being okay with only finding things to do on the inside. Once that threshold is crossed, I found it much easier to be laying on the bed and letting the time pass by. Being on the inside meant leading a passive life instead of a proactive one. But once that threshold IS crossed, going back to the other side might be just as hard as coming over to this side. It might take me a couple of trips in the wheel chair to get used to going outside again. However, there's nothing like feeling the wind blow through my hair and the sun shining on my face.
The first trip was accompanied by my parents. My clinical partner brought me my wheel chair and I stepped outside of my room for the first time in over 2 weeks. Being in the wheel chair was quite strange since I've never been in one before. I also felt a little out of control because I am pretty much at the mercy of whoever's pushing me. But off we went, pass the nurses' station, pass the room with all the monitors, pass the double doors of the maternity ward, pass the waiting room, and into the elevator. The free fall motion of the elevator was strange too. Probably because I've been laying on my bed for so long...any motion besides laying down felt strange to me. We went down one floor, snaked through another waiting area, and exited the double door of the building.
Brightness. Blinding brightness. Warmth from the sunshine. People hurrying to go places. The trees, the flowers, the metal benches, the statues...there were so much to see. I'm feeling a bit anxious. It's strange how even being couped up for a little over 3 weeks can have such a profound effect on how I view the outside world. I kept looking at my cellphone to remind myself of the time. Not that I was wanting to make sure that I get back to my room without delay, but almost wondering how much longer until I go back to the safety of my confined space. My feeling shocked me. A couple of days ago, I was gently twisting my doctor's arm to get wheel chair priviledges...and now that I'm out, I feel like Morgan Freeman from Shawshank Redemption when he was finally let out to join the civilian world...I felt LOST!
To be okay with being "trapped" in my hospital room meant having to adjust to the lack of freedom, like giving up the thought of going outside and being okay with only finding things to do on the inside. Once that threshold is crossed, I found it much easier to be laying on the bed and letting the time pass by. Being on the inside meant leading a passive life instead of a proactive one. But once that threshold IS crossed, going back to the other side might be just as hard as coming over to this side. It might take me a couple of trips in the wheel chair to get used to going outside again. However, there's nothing like feeling the wind blow through my hair and the sun shining on my face.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
The Morale Booster
The babies got measured today. They are a couple of days shy of 29 weeks. I have seen many ultrasound images of them since they were 5 wks old, but my heart still skips a beat when I see them on the monitor. In the Chinese culture, babies are counted as one year old when they are born. This started, of course, in the pre-ultrasound ages. I do have to say that my ancestors were so smart. I have been in love with my baby boys since I knew that they existed. Yes, they were little alien looking things with little heartbeats, and yes, they might have been smaller than a grain of rice, but my love for them was there non the less.
After being on bedrest for 3 wks, I started to wonder what good all this time spent lying sideways has done for me and the babies. Well, wonder no more. The doctors carefully measured the babies (their head sizes, belly sizes, arm lengths, thigh lengths...etc), and concluded that Baby A is just under 3 pounds and Baby B is just over 3 pounds. 3 POUNDS!!!!! This means they are above average even in the single pregnancy scenario! No wonder my belly looks so huge (which my mom just can't seem to get over...she giggles at the sight of my belly every time I stand up).
This is probably the single best news I have received. It really makes every uncomfortable minute of my sideways stint in the hospital that much more valuable. This really boosted my morale. I think I can go a couple of more rounds if I need to after hearing how well my baby boys are growing. Now if I can only get wheel chair priviledges...
After being on bedrest for 3 wks, I started to wonder what good all this time spent lying sideways has done for me and the babies. Well, wonder no more. The doctors carefully measured the babies (their head sizes, belly sizes, arm lengths, thigh lengths...etc), and concluded that Baby A is just under 3 pounds and Baby B is just over 3 pounds. 3 POUNDS!!!!! This means they are above average even in the single pregnancy scenario! No wonder my belly looks so huge (which my mom just can't seem to get over...she giggles at the sight of my belly every time I stand up).
This is probably the single best news I have received. It really makes every uncomfortable minute of my sideways stint in the hospital that much more valuable. This really boosted my morale. I think I can go a couple of more rounds if I need to after hearing how well my baby boys are growing. Now if I can only get wheel chair priviledges...
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Things that make me happy
Finding things that make me happy in this confined space is very important for my sanity and also important to make the time go by faster. This list, is not in any particular order...just looking around the room and things that jump out at me:
-Having a TV with a DVD player.
-My board of cards.
-My colorful gift bags that I've been using as decoration to spruce up the room.
-My sister's "Crockagator" magnet that I have on my white board...she had my mom bring it from Taiwan.
-My white board that has the babies' age and count down to 34 wks, which I change at midnight.
-Little messages some of my visitors leave on my white board.
-The fusia colored "Happy Day" (used to be Happy Mother's Day) sign I made with tissue paper from a gift, purple dry ease marker, and my cuticle scissors...took forever, but well worth it.
-Art work from my friend's daughter, Gabby (including cut out of her hands that says I LOVE YOU).
-Teddy Bear, "Huggie", from Gabby. She said so now I will always have a visitor.
-My flowers.
-The fact that my window is open...guess not all the rooms come with windows that open.
-Little step stools my sister-in-law, Bobbie, and her boyfriend, Leo, made for little Andrew and Little Nathan (they are very, very, very cute).
-The new chair John was able to get from "the people outside my room"...now I have 3 chairs!!
-My pillow, silk blanket, and silk slippers from home.
-My laptop, iPod, cellphone, PSP, and phone.
-My green notebook and my green frog pen (Thanks Brenda for the pen!)
-My new note cards :)
-My green 3 pound weights (my physical therapist told me not to use but I can use 1 pound ones) which I've started using as my phone holder.
-My Tummy Honey Butter.
-My DVDs.
-My Tom's Natural Toothpaste.
-My Dove body wash that smells of Cherry Blossom and Almonds.
-My Decleor face wash.
-My clothes from home...so I don't wear the same things day and night...believe it or not, but this is HUGE.
-My books.
-My visitors!!! (not that you guys & gals are things...but just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate you taking your time to come see me)
-Getting IMs, text messages, emails, and phone calls!
-My nurses and doctors.
-Juice cocktail of apple, orange, and cranberry juices :)
-Babies on the Fetal Monitor.
-My mom's home cooking which she packs in this pressure cooker to keep warm and hauls all the way to Cedars from Palos Verdes. YAY MOM!
-My mom's progesterone shots.
-My dad's fruit bowls. Yes, my dad is awesome too...he's always in charge of cutting the fruits :)
-Back rubs!
-John calling me a few times a day, even just to say "hi"!
-John talking to my belly and kissing my belly.
-John crawling in to my little hospital bed with me whenever he's here so we can get some snuggle time.
Yes, I am the person that sees the glass half full. This list turned out to be longer than I thought it would be. Being positive, at least most of time, is one of the most important thing I can do for myself, my babies, and my loved ones.
-Having a TV with a DVD player.
-My board of cards.
-My colorful gift bags that I've been using as decoration to spruce up the room.
-My sister's "Crockagator" magnet that I have on my white board...she had my mom bring it from Taiwan.
-My white board that has the babies' age and count down to 34 wks, which I change at midnight.
-Little messages some of my visitors leave on my white board.
-The fusia colored "Happy Day" (used to be Happy Mother's Day) sign I made with tissue paper from a gift, purple dry ease marker, and my cuticle scissors...took forever, but well worth it.
-Art work from my friend's daughter, Gabby (including cut out of her hands that says I LOVE YOU).
-Teddy Bear, "Huggie", from Gabby. She said so now I will always have a visitor.
-My flowers.
-The fact that my window is open...guess not all the rooms come with windows that open.
-Little step stools my sister-in-law, Bobbie, and her boyfriend, Leo, made for little Andrew and Little Nathan (they are very, very, very cute).
-The new chair John was able to get from "the people outside my room"...now I have 3 chairs!!
-My pillow, silk blanket, and silk slippers from home.
-My laptop, iPod, cellphone, PSP, and phone.
-My green notebook and my green frog pen (Thanks Brenda for the pen!)
-My new note cards :)
-My green 3 pound weights (my physical therapist told me not to use but I can use 1 pound ones) which I've started using as my phone holder.
-My Tummy Honey Butter.
-My DVDs.
-My Tom's Natural Toothpaste.
-My Dove body wash that smells of Cherry Blossom and Almonds.
-My Decleor face wash.
-My clothes from home...so I don't wear the same things day and night...believe it or not, but this is HUGE.
-My books.
-My visitors!!! (not that you guys & gals are things...but just wanted to let you know that I really appreciate you taking your time to come see me)
-Getting IMs, text messages, emails, and phone calls!
-My nurses and doctors.
-Juice cocktail of apple, orange, and cranberry juices :)
-Babies on the Fetal Monitor.
-My mom's home cooking which she packs in this pressure cooker to keep warm and hauls all the way to Cedars from Palos Verdes. YAY MOM!
-My mom's progesterone shots.
-My dad's fruit bowls. Yes, my dad is awesome too...he's always in charge of cutting the fruits :)
-Back rubs!
-John calling me a few times a day, even just to say "hi"!
-John talking to my belly and kissing my belly.
-John crawling in to my little hospital bed with me whenever he's here so we can get some snuggle time.
Yes, I am the person that sees the glass half full. This list turned out to be longer than I thought it would be. Being positive, at least most of time, is one of the most important thing I can do for myself, my babies, and my loved ones.
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Importance of An Open Window
I have been in on bedrest for almost 3 weeks now and been in this hospital without seeing the other side (of my door) for almost 2 weeks. The days are starting to run together but I do write down my nurses, my doctors, and my visitors everyday so at least there are some seperations. I had my first break down on Monday...it only lasted about 5 minutes, but I really needed to just let my emotions and frustrations out. My parents thought I was crying because they were late bringing me dinner and I was hungery (so silly), but I had to explain to them that it was because I feel so detached from the outside world (besides, I have plenty of food in my room).
I am usually a happy person, but I understand the importance of letting my emotions out rather than keeping it bottled. I also think it's important to acknowledge the situation I am in and be realistic about what being couped up in a room for two weeks will do to my psyche. However, I am good at shedding my brave side for 5 minutes, letting the tears out, and feeling much better afterwards instead of dwelling in my own sorrow (I think this is a gift).
After having a good cry for 5 minutes, I wiped away my tears and moved on to eating dinner. John asked if I wanted to have my window opened (I didn't even know that was an option since in my last room the window was locked!). I said if that's possible I would love to hear the noises from the other side of the world! He does, and the sounds of car engines and people moving about in the distance was like music to my ears. Funny how we take those things for granted when they happen every day. I even enjoyed listening to cars honking at each other and car alarms going off from one of the parking lots.
The babies are getting scanned tomorrow. Hopefully, if all goes well, I might be able to get 30 minutes of wheel chair time to go outside and breathe some fresh air.
I am usually a happy person, but I understand the importance of letting my emotions out rather than keeping it bottled. I also think it's important to acknowledge the situation I am in and be realistic about what being couped up in a room for two weeks will do to my psyche. However, I am good at shedding my brave side for 5 minutes, letting the tears out, and feeling much better afterwards instead of dwelling in my own sorrow (I think this is a gift).
After having a good cry for 5 minutes, I wiped away my tears and moved on to eating dinner. John asked if I wanted to have my window opened (I didn't even know that was an option since in my last room the window was locked!). I said if that's possible I would love to hear the noises from the other side of the world! He does, and the sounds of car engines and people moving about in the distance was like music to my ears. Funny how we take those things for granted when they happen every day. I even enjoyed listening to cars honking at each other and car alarms going off from one of the parking lots.
The babies are getting scanned tomorrow. Hopefully, if all goes well, I might be able to get 30 minutes of wheel chair time to go outside and breathe some fresh air.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Happy MAMA Day!
This is a short blog. Just reflecting on the fact that this is the last mother's day that I am not a mom (with children outside my womb, that is). Once a mom, always a mom. Can't wait to meet my babies!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Motherhood...
Mothers make everything better. As the day of my impending motherhood draws closer, I feel a pride, like never before, about the role I will play in two innocent little lives and how I will find a way to make everything better for them. As it is, with being on bedrest, I am already trying to make their lives better. And the love I have for these little ones that are still in my womb (head budding my bladder) is so overwhelming sometimes that I'm not sure how I can love them even more when they come out.
My mom flew back from Taiwan on Saturday and got in at 8:36pm. John went to pick her up and came straight to the hospital to see me. Seeing her here was very emotional for me. Here my mom was, taking care of me, who's about to become a mother. For the first time since I checked in the hospital, I cried (only for a little bit though...I was so happy to see her). She, although jet lagged, decided to give me a leg massage. Being that I've been laying in bed for almost 10 straight days, the massage felt extra special. No matter how old I get, I know I will always be her baby, and she will always be here when I need her. I am lucky to be able to share this moment with her and am lucky also have my own babies to love.
P.S. My mom, who used to be a labor & delivery / Operation Room / Anesthisia nurse, gave me my progeterone shot on Wednesday. The shot is oil based and hard to push into the muscles. I've read countless women posting that it hurts like crazy. I've received one from the nurse and didn't think it was too bad (but I am also NOT afraid of needles and donate blood on a regular basis). When it came time to do the shot, I really wanted to see just how good my mom is still (she's been out of practice for 2 decades now). So...mom prepared the shot, cleaned the skin and stretched the injection site between her fingers (that, so she said, is the trick of having a painless injection), tells me that it's gonna hurt a little...I'm waiting, waiting, waiting...then she said she's done. I was like WHAT?? I didn't feel a thing!! What a mom!! She definitely exceeded my expectations. She should teach a class on injections!
My mom flew back from Taiwan on Saturday and got in at 8:36pm. John went to pick her up and came straight to the hospital to see me. Seeing her here was very emotional for me. Here my mom was, taking care of me, who's about to become a mother. For the first time since I checked in the hospital, I cried (only for a little bit though...I was so happy to see her). She, although jet lagged, decided to give me a leg massage. Being that I've been laying in bed for almost 10 straight days, the massage felt extra special. No matter how old I get, I know I will always be her baby, and she will always be here when I need her. I am lucky to be able to share this moment with her and am lucky also have my own babies to love.
P.S. My mom, who used to be a labor & delivery / Operation Room / Anesthisia nurse, gave me my progeterone shot on Wednesday. The shot is oil based and hard to push into the muscles. I've read countless women posting that it hurts like crazy. I've received one from the nurse and didn't think it was too bad (but I am also NOT afraid of needles and donate blood on a regular basis). When it came time to do the shot, I really wanted to see just how good my mom is still (she's been out of practice for 2 decades now). So...mom prepared the shot, cleaned the skin and stretched the injection site between her fingers (that, so she said, is the trick of having a painless injection), tells me that it's gonna hurt a little...I'm waiting, waiting, waiting...then she said she's done. I was like WHAT?? I didn't feel a thing!! What a mom!! She definitely exceeded my expectations. She should teach a class on injections!
Monday, May 5, 2008
Elisa's random poem or just randomness, in general
So I get on Skype and my webcam to chat with my sister almost everyday. She keeps me entertained (thanks sis!!) for a good hour or 2... Well, since she's in Taiwan, she is 15 hrs ahead, and when I do chat with her, it's usually 2 or 3 in the morning there. In today's case, we were on Skype until about 5:30am her time. And I think she was starting to get a little delirious from lack of sleep... We were talking about shit hitting the fan, so she came up with this little poem. Gotta love her.
shits and reindeers
by Elisa Lin
where's the sky that was once clear
i can't see where i should steer
i used to be the commandeer
but can't find my landing gear
maybe i just need an ice cold beer
to stop feeling so wierd
wait i don't even drink beer
it won't erase my fears
maybe i should find a guy with a beard
who rides purple reindeers
holy wait is that santa claus?!
man i've had too many beers
walking way out on the pier
i see him from the rear
why is he holding a big ol' spear
perhaps he needs a new career
maybe a spokesperson for cheer
maybe a cavelier
or even better an engineer
who makes shit disappear!
he'll be the man of the year
problems no longer severe
so when the horrid fan is near
i'll have nothing to fear!
After writing her poem, she phonetically used Chinese characters to write out Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" I couldn't stop laughing...it was hilarious (she even did it to the word "biotch", and yes, I know that word is NOT in Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up"). Holy cow, it almost made me pee in my pants/ break my water....Gotta love her!
shits and reindeers
by Elisa Lin
where's the sky that was once clear
i can't see where i should steer
i used to be the commandeer
but can't find my landing gear
maybe i just need an ice cold beer
to stop feeling so wierd
wait i don't even drink beer
it won't erase my fears
maybe i should find a guy with a beard
who rides purple reindeers
holy wait is that santa claus?!
man i've had too many beers
walking way out on the pier
i see him from the rear
why is he holding a big ol' spear
perhaps he needs a new career
maybe a spokesperson for cheer
maybe a cavelier
or even better an engineer
who makes shit disappear!
he'll be the man of the year
problems no longer severe
so when the horrid fan is near
i'll have nothing to fear!
After writing her poem, she phonetically used Chinese characters to write out Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up" I couldn't stop laughing...it was hilarious (she even did it to the word "biotch", and yes, I know that word is NOT in Josh Groban's "You Raise Me Up"). Holy cow, it almost made me pee in my pants/ break my water....Gotta love her!
Friday, May 2, 2008
Simple things entertain simple...
When life happens only between the walls of a 10ft by 20ft pastel colored room with a simple 3/4 bath, entertaining oneself becomes as essential as it is a highly creative process...or should I say "finding" things to entertain oneself with becomes a very creative process.
It's simple, really. There are 24 hrs. a day...and there are certain things that I know for sure happens during the day at a certain time. So the only times I have to fill are the in between moments.
Between 5:30 and 6:30am, a resident comes in to do her rounds. She checks on my contraction record for the night, listens to my heart and lungs, ask if I have any questions, then wishes me to have a good day. Sometimes around 7:30am, the night nurse and the day nurse switch shifts...so before that happens, the night nurse comes in to bid me farewell (not all the nurses do this, especially since most of us bedrest mommies are still sleeping). About 7:45, breakfast is served. Now, meal times can be entertaining. I pretty much know what I am getting to eat since the hospitality people comes in the day before to take orders for the next day. What gets fun, though, is to figure out how to drag the eating process out longer. It often involves cutting things up into little pieces, arranging the combination of foods on the plate (playing with food is therapeutic...who knew!!), and taking extra time chewing, which is a good thing in itself. Creative eating usually lasts me about 1hr. Shortly after breakfast, the day nurse comes in to say hi, puts her information on my white board, and takes my vitals. She comes back at 10, when I get my meds (okay, don't get excited...I get calcium pills, Zantac 150mg, and Colace...not any mood altering happy pills), to monitor the babies' hearbeats. I love this time. Since there are two babies in there, the nurse places 2 fetal heart monitor on my belly. Baby A (the one on the bottom) is usually pretty cooperative since he is stuck down by my pelvis. Usually the nurse takes no time to find his little heartbeat. Baby B (the one on the top), however, has more room to move around, having him settle down enough to get a consistent heart monitor is a little more tricky. He also dislikes the pressure from the monitors, so he tries to bump it away (which, of course, he can't do). So in addition to his heartbeats, we hear loud thumps a lot. So fun. The nurse usually leaves the monitors on for 1 hr, but would have to come back and check up on the babies often because they are so active and we often would lose the connections. When the babies are being monitored, since I can't move around much, I get on Skype/webcam to see if my sister, who's in Taiwan, is on there. We talk for about 1 hr. or so about random stuff. If she isn't, I would either watch TV, listen to my iPod, or watch a show on the web (thank you ABC, CBS, & NBC for putting full episodes of my favorite shows on your websites!!). The ultrasound gel that goes on the monitors contains salt so if it's left on my belly for too long, it could cause irritation. So, instead of just wiping it off with a wet cloth, I take a shower which I am so glad I have the priviledge to do. This is the only time I get to really stand on my feet for more than 2 minutes. I look forward to the showers since its pretty much the only time I don't have to spend in bed. Besides, I'm a water baby...can't keep me away from water for too long!! The nurse also changes my sheets at this time. After the shower, I put on my Tummy Honey Butter and lotion and give myself a light leg rub to increase circulation. I wear these air hose thingies around my legs all day that squeeze my legs intermittenly to prevent blood clots from forming.
Lunch time is served around 12:15pm. Like breakfast, I try to eat lunch slowly. For the rest of the afternoon, I get on the internet for some online browsing, reading, and working on my blog. Internet time is sometimes pleasantly interrupted by phone calls, text messages, IMs, or visits from friend and family. Afternoons are more free form since the day nurse had done what she needs to do and night nurse doesn't get in until 7:30. I sometimes take a short nap in the afternoon just before dinner if nobody's visiting.
Dinner is served around 5:45pm. During dinner I try to find sometime to watch on TV, and, of course, play with my food and chew a lot. John usually gets here around dinner time and spend some time with me. If he's here, he'll pop in a DVD and we watch the DVD with a couple of interruptions. At 8ish, after the nurses change shifts, my night nurse comes in to say hi and puts her info on the white board. She puts the babies on the monitors which sometimes takes much longer then the day nurse since the babies are more active during the evenings. The nurse leaves and we continue with our DVD. The babies move and the monitors can't get their heartbeats so the nurse would come back. We pause the DVD. The nurse finds the babies again, and leave, we finish watching the DVD. The nurse unhooks all the babies monitors and leaves. At 10pm, the nurse brings me my night meds and makes sure I have enough drinking water to last me throughout the night. She tells me good night (even though she comes in the room in the middle of the night to make sure my machine's doing it's job, monitoring my contractions). John leaves sometimes after that, but calls me to say good night before he goes to sleep. Then I watch my webisodes until I fall asleep.
The next morning, it starts all over again. Yay!!
It's simple, really. There are 24 hrs. a day...and there are certain things that I know for sure happens during the day at a certain time. So the only times I have to fill are the in between moments.
Between 5:30 and 6:30am, a resident comes in to do her rounds. She checks on my contraction record for the night, listens to my heart and lungs, ask if I have any questions, then wishes me to have a good day. Sometimes around 7:30am, the night nurse and the day nurse switch shifts...so before that happens, the night nurse comes in to bid me farewell (not all the nurses do this, especially since most of us bedrest mommies are still sleeping). About 7:45, breakfast is served. Now, meal times can be entertaining. I pretty much know what I am getting to eat since the hospitality people comes in the day before to take orders for the next day. What gets fun, though, is to figure out how to drag the eating process out longer. It often involves cutting things up into little pieces, arranging the combination of foods on the plate (playing with food is therapeutic...who knew!!), and taking extra time chewing, which is a good thing in itself. Creative eating usually lasts me about 1hr. Shortly after breakfast, the day nurse comes in to say hi, puts her information on my white board, and takes my vitals. She comes back at 10, when I get my meds (okay, don't get excited...I get calcium pills, Zantac 150mg, and Colace...not any mood altering happy pills), to monitor the babies' hearbeats. I love this time. Since there are two babies in there, the nurse places 2 fetal heart monitor on my belly. Baby A (the one on the bottom) is usually pretty cooperative since he is stuck down by my pelvis. Usually the nurse takes no time to find his little heartbeat. Baby B (the one on the top), however, has more room to move around, having him settle down enough to get a consistent heart monitor is a little more tricky. He also dislikes the pressure from the monitors, so he tries to bump it away (which, of course, he can't do). So in addition to his heartbeats, we hear loud thumps a lot. So fun. The nurse usually leaves the monitors on for 1 hr, but would have to come back and check up on the babies often because they are so active and we often would lose the connections. When the babies are being monitored, since I can't move around much, I get on Skype/webcam to see if my sister, who's in Taiwan, is on there. We talk for about 1 hr. or so about random stuff. If she isn't, I would either watch TV, listen to my iPod, or watch a show on the web (thank you ABC, CBS, & NBC for putting full episodes of my favorite shows on your websites!!). The ultrasound gel that goes on the monitors contains salt so if it's left on my belly for too long, it could cause irritation. So, instead of just wiping it off with a wet cloth, I take a shower which I am so glad I have the priviledge to do. This is the only time I get to really stand on my feet for more than 2 minutes. I look forward to the showers since its pretty much the only time I don't have to spend in bed. Besides, I'm a water baby...can't keep me away from water for too long!! The nurse also changes my sheets at this time. After the shower, I put on my Tummy Honey Butter and lotion and give myself a light leg rub to increase circulation. I wear these air hose thingies around my legs all day that squeeze my legs intermittenly to prevent blood clots from forming.
Lunch time is served around 12:15pm. Like breakfast, I try to eat lunch slowly. For the rest of the afternoon, I get on the internet for some online browsing, reading, and working on my blog. Internet time is sometimes pleasantly interrupted by phone calls, text messages, IMs, or visits from friend and family. Afternoons are more free form since the day nurse had done what she needs to do and night nurse doesn't get in until 7:30. I sometimes take a short nap in the afternoon just before dinner if nobody's visiting.
Dinner is served around 5:45pm. During dinner I try to find sometime to watch on TV, and, of course, play with my food and chew a lot. John usually gets here around dinner time and spend some time with me. If he's here, he'll pop in a DVD and we watch the DVD with a couple of interruptions. At 8ish, after the nurses change shifts, my night nurse comes in to say hi and puts her info on the white board. She puts the babies on the monitors which sometimes takes much longer then the day nurse since the babies are more active during the evenings. The nurse leaves and we continue with our DVD. The babies move and the monitors can't get their heartbeats so the nurse would come back. We pause the DVD. The nurse finds the babies again, and leave, we finish watching the DVD. The nurse unhooks all the babies monitors and leaves. At 10pm, the nurse brings me my night meds and makes sure I have enough drinking water to last me throughout the night. She tells me good night (even though she comes in the room in the middle of the night to make sure my machine's doing it's job, monitoring my contractions). John leaves sometimes after that, but calls me to say good night before he goes to sleep. Then I watch my webisodes until I fall asleep.
The next morning, it starts all over again. Yay!!
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