A screeching halt...

I am just over 30 weeks pregnant now and while it's hard to believe we are in the homestretch...the homestretch arrived with a vengeance! I have been doing so well during this pregnancy, I have lived every moment of life just as I normally would, a far cry from how I felt with Blake. I have walked, traveled, taken both kids to Disney World at 25 weeks, gone out with friends, worked, shopped, played, etc. so I can't begin to complain about where I am now but last week things came to a screeching halt for me! I wasn't feeling as well as I had been when I went into my routine appointment last week at exactly 29 weeks. I was seeing Dr. G and I mentioned that I have been doing awesome but that just recently I wasn't feeling as well. She decided to check things and I was one centimeter dilated under my stitch so she decided to put me on the contraction monitor for a little while, just to be safe. I laughed and told her I actually wasn't contracting at all but we could do it for a few minutes and see what showed up...I was so wrong, I was contracting every few minutes. After about 20 minutes of this, she sent me over to the perinatal offices. Dr. K wasn't there so I saw someone else who said my stitch was still high in place and looked good so they gave me the contraction medicine and sent me home on complete bed rest through the weekend with orders to call if things didn't slow down or picked up in the meantime. I wasn't totally shocked but I was totally shocked...I mean I know how my body handles pregnancy and I know that I needed to slow down and I knew if I sat down long enough to think about it, I was contracting a lot BUT I didn't want to slow down, I didn't want to be laid up and I didn't want to be scared again, even for a minute. About 24 hours later, I wasn't better, in fact I had a pretty bad morning the next morning and both the number of contractions and the fear had me all worked up. I called the doctor and of course they decided I had to be admitted for observation...so we headed to labor and delivery where we did IV fluids, procardia and shots of terbutiline. The doctor was shockingly the same doctor that was on call when I went in fully in labor with the triplets and who stayed with us that night and the same doctor who was there when I went in with Blake so he was amazing. He reassured us that even if Emily was born that night, she would be OK, she would live...but I couldn't find peace in that, I know she needs many more weeks! The next day the perinatal looked at everything, my stitch still looked great and I felt so much better so he sent us home, letting us know the next 6 weeks are so important and every week really matters now. I was so glad to be going home and able to do the meds at home and I knew I had to take slowing down seriously, they reminded me that the reason I did so well with Blake was that I laid around from 20 weeks on:)! I had a good few days at home but Monday night I started having extreme pressure and pain, very similar to how my labor started with the triplets and at first I was trying to let it go and stay off my feet but Tuesday night I was up all night with this pain and pressure and I felt like something wasn't right so I went right to Dr. K Wednesday morning (I needed to see him anyways as he is my lifeline to my babies:)!). My cervix still looked good but he was concerned about the pressure and pain due to my last early labor starting this same way. He put me back on the monitor to determine if it was the contractions causing the pressure/pain or the baby moving and sure enough every time I contracted I had that intense pain. They gave me another shot of terb and watched things for a little while. He sent me home on a 48 hour dose of a stronger contraction medicine that you can only take for 48 hours along with the Procardia and to increase the procardia when this other medicine is done. Exhausting I know, it has been an exhausting week - both emotionally and physically! I took my last dose of that medicine this morning and I have had so much relief it has been amazing, I pray all stays calm for a few more weeks now! Jeff, my family and my girlfriends have been amazingly helpful so that I have actually been able to stay off my feet as much as possible, it has helped so much! This is such a busy and fun time of the year, I just want to be able to do it all, I am praying if I can lay low as much as possible, things will stay calm and I will still be able to participate and enjoy the Christmas season coming up, my kids are at the best age and I just want to soak up every moment with them. They have been so good, so helpful and so understanding of mommy suddenly laying around...luckily we are in the homestretch and worse case it's less then 5 weeks of this since they let me get off all bed rest, meds and shots at 35 weeks with Blake! Praying sweet Emily stays put and grows strong over the upcoming weeks, we all can't wait to meet her but not too soon!!

That's my update on the pregnancy, I am laying around all weekend and letting daddy be on duty before we get back into the school, work, activity and Blake's bday busyness of next week!

We did have a wonderful thanksgiving this year, I was exempt from cooking but I sure enjoyed eating all the awesome food!

My top things I am most thankful for this year:

My amazing husband and best friend who has and is taking such care of me, the kids & our life!

My babies - Kate and Blake, the girlies for what they have taught me & this amazing blessing growing inside of me!

My family, that we are all able to be so close, that my dad and Nancy finally live here and that I have amazing in-laws who add to the closeness we feel with my family!

My friends - my neighborhood girls who have brought me meals, come to visit, come to play and made this transition to laying around that much easier!

My home - this time last year I was wanting nothing more then to be back in my home, with my family settled!

There are just a few of my top ones...Happy Thanksgiving!