Insufficient

I'm BAAAAAAAAA-aaaaaaack.....

WARNING: This post might contain a little TMI for the average reader. It's about pregnancy, K?

It's amazing what can happen literally overnight. :) So.... I have an insufficient cervix. Now I know.

Today I am just overwhelmed that as I sit here I can still feel the babies moving quietly and that they are safe. Last week Kevin and I had quite the scare. I went in for my routine OB check and for my 20 week ultrasound appointment and they were shocked to discover that my cervix was thinning quickly and that my babies were in trouble. Not that THEY would have known it. They were just as feisty as ever on the ultrasound. :) But had we not been watched over (by Heavenly Father) and taken care of very quickly by my wonderful OB and some amazing Perinatology specialists in Omaha, my sweet babies would have certainly found themselves coming too soon (possibly over last weekend) and not because they were ready. We almost lost them. The thought still chills me and I know that I was guided to my appointment that day for a reason.

For some reason Noah spiked a fever of 104 degrees the night before. Kevin had taken the day off of work so that he could come with me to my appointment. He hadn't been able to "see" the little ones since our initial ultrasound at 6 weeks when they just looked like little kidney beans. So I talked about just rescheduling for another time so that he could still come with me, but he was very adamant about me going and he stayed home with our sick little boy. I still get chills when I think about if I'd rescheduled.... So I went to my appointment by myself, feeling pretty good. After the ultrasound, I waited in the exam room to see my doctor and when she walked in I knew how serious it was just by the look on her face. I ended up in Omaha pretty quickly and they admitted me to the hospital right away. Yeah... I was in preterm labor and I didn't even know it!!! I was very dehydrated (we'd just gone through that awful heat index warning for the last month here in Nebraska) and my uterus was very irritable. They put me on meds to calm everything down, tipped my hospital bed back so that my head was lower than my feet, and there I stayed for 2 days, all the while praying that the babies were okay.

On the second day the doctors did a cervical cerclage and we all crossed our fingers that Baby Boy's bag of waters didn't break over the next few days, which according to doctor would not have surprised him given the state of things. NOT what a 21 week pregnant lady wants to hear. They gently informed Kevin and me of the ramifications if that were to happen and if my body went into labor. Basically, the babies are too little and they would not be able to intervene to help them. But as I listened to them and took in everything they were saying, I just felt calm. Almost like I knew that wouldn't happen. It was surreal. Kevin had given me a priesthood blessing before we went to Omaha and it was AMAZING. I know that the babies are here for a reason. Two failed IVF attempts testify to me that these two little spirits are meant to be here at this time and for a purpose. They are strong and thriving, despite what my weak body tried to do. And I just have this feeling that they have a lot to accomplish in this life. I know that, for whatever reason, they are being watched over constantly. Needless to say, we were very shaken and very prayerful as we left the hospital the next day after my procedure. AND, my eyes were full of popped blood vessels because of the position of my hospital bed. Not fun, but very worth it. :)

So I'm officially on BED REST..... Whoo-Hoo!!!!!!! It's been quite an adjustment for me. I'm not one to sit and take everything in while others work around me. I've been yelled at by Kevin, my mother (who hopped on a plane and got in just before midnight after I was discharged from the hospital... LOVE you, Mom.), and by my Noah. "Mommy! Get on the couch! The babies need you to rest." The next 7 weeks are very critical and we're taking it "baby steps" at a time. My follow up appointment with my doctor in Omaha went well this week. He says that I'm "still a woman to be worried about..." but that he's encouraged by the way things look right now. I wish he would just tell me that everything will be okay and that I will carry the babies to 34 weeks, no problem. And I know that he wishes he could tell me that, too! But for now my next big milestone is 24 weeks. I'll get steroid shots "just in case..." But again, I'm feeling very calm and VERY watched over from above... as well as from all corners of this house. Depending on where everyone is at the moment. :)

I'll leave you with these little treasures. First, some pictures of my little pirate.

And second, my little boy LOVES Primary and he's been learning to sing the hymn "Praise to the Man." Enjoy!

Love,

Someone who is may actually catch up on her SCRAPBOOKING this year....
@>->--