Thursday, March 30, 2017

Growing a boy: Baby Sprinkle and the Decision

On Saturday, Mar. 25, I had the most beautiful baby sprinkle. It could not have come at a more perfect time especially given the news of the past week and the still many unknowns about the recent discovery of my pregnancy complications. Having real, meaningful conversations with those I love lifted me up so much and encouraged my spirit!

Emotionally, I felt like I was doing okay...handling everything in stride, quoting, "It is what it is." Physically, on the other hand, the extra fluid started to take a toll on my body...requiring me to sit down more than I like, causing pain in my ribs and back... as well as JUST SIT...not lifting, carrying, or helping out in any way. If you know anything about my nature, this is no easy task. I love to jump in and help out. I practiced great restraint and focused on enjoying fellowship and fully embracing the warm wishes of those in attendance. Once the guests had left and my car was loaded, I was on my way back home to see my two other littles.

About 2 weeks ago, we made the decision to hire a mother's helper 5-days a week to support me, our kids and household as it was beginning to become too much for me to do all of that on top of work full-time. Little did I know I would have to rely on her help due to the future recommendation of my medical team of bed rest. (God is so good!) When I got home the kids were still asleep (thankful for afternoon naps!) and the house was spotless. Our helper unloaded the gifts and diapers from the van as we settled into the nightly routine.

I started to have a few contractions after our helper had left and once our kids were in bed (about 7pm). By the time my husband got home from work around 12:30am, some contractions were so bad that I found myself leaning forward, rocking back-and-forth, and breathing heavily through them. After having two babies, I knew these were different contractions than the typical Braxton Hicks, like the contractions I had with the other two and even in this pregnancy starting around 21-weeks.

The contractions finally settled down and I was able to "sleep" for the night. And when I say sleep, I mean my normal 1-2 hour "naps" at a time which result in about maybe 4 hours of sleep per night due to the great amount of physical discomfort I am in.

Sunday. The following day we opted out of attending church. It had been a crazy, emotional, and busy week. We had home church instead: reading the Bible together, having a yummy breakfast and lots of snuggles. The morning went by quickly as my husband had to be at work at 11am downtown. Our helper showed up right on-time at 11am, walking straight to the kitchen to clean up our breakfast dishes. At this point, my contractions started to pick-up again. I was having about 4-5 per hour with many of them feeling like they did the night before...big, tight, painful and having to breath through them. Listening to my body, I knew in my gut I had to go to the hospital and get checked out...if anything just for my sanity...

So I went.

Please stay tuned for the next portion of my story. More to come!

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