Thursday morning Lydie Bitty went in for her 9 month checkup. She now comes in at a whopping 21 pounds, a height of 28 inches, and a head circumference that I can't remember that fell in the 98th percentile of baby girls her age (which obviously means that she's smarter than 98 percent of the other babies - or ya know, that her parent's both have sort of large heads). She was so brave getting her shots and just had one little tear and that pitiful "Why would you let that woman stab me three times, Mommy?" look on her face. Before the nurse even left the room my sweet girl was back to her normal smiling, waving self.
That night we went to our small group, came home, went to bed -- and everything was totally normal.
Till just before 3 am.
That's when I woke up feeling strange and like my back was being crushed by a two ton elephant. Lydie woke up around the same time so I went to feed her. While I was rocking her I noticed that it wasn't just a regular pregnant back ache, but that I was feeling contractions about every two minutes. So I did all the things they tell you to do to make them stop. I stood, I walked, I sat, I laid on my left side, I drank my weight in water. And then I woke Joe up because it was officially scary now. He prayed with me right away and tried to calm my nerves and then went straight to Super Dad mode timing things so I wouldn't have to, running a warm bath and finally getting Lydie ready to go while I called the doctor.
We got to Brookwood just after 4. They hooked me up to the tocodynamometer (read "thingy that tells them when my uterus contracts") and eventually started me on my old "friend" Terbutaline to stop the contractions. I also got a big shot of Demerol/Phenergan so I was all kinds of out of it - but thankful for the relief. (Don't get me wrong, I applaud those who choose to go all natural, and perhaps sometime in the future I may go that route, but probably not at 25 weeks 2 days. The stress of wondering what's wrong was more than enough for me at that time.)Anyways, the Terb didn't do much so they started me on Procardia protocol. I can not tell you how ridiculously glad I am that it worked, and that I'm not on Terb right now.
Joe went to work while a friend and my Mom stayed with me during the day. Lydie spent the day with Joe's family. They ended up keeping me all day & overnight for observation. Apparently I had ridiculously low blood pressure even before they started me on the Procardia (which is usually used treat high blood pressure/angina), so there were several times we had to wait a little longer than 6 hours for a dose and they wanted to be sure that I could handle taking this at home. Throughout the whole stay our little Jojo did SO GREAT. He kept up his acrobatics and his little heart kept on thumping away. God knew we needed be kept sure that our little man was ok.
Joe was able to come back and stay with me that night and we went home Saturday morning. Lydie stayed with Joe's fam another day while my Mom and little sister hung out with me so I could just rest and get used to being at home on this new medicine.
Our nurses were all SO wonderful. If you're ever spending much time in Brookwood's L&D - hope for Meredith. She's the Wonder Nurse. And if you're in the Perinatal unit - hope for Ada and Nicole. They're the Wonder Nurse Twins (I mean.. not really, but there were two of them and they're awesome).
Also, can I just say how thankful we are for our families, friends and small group? You are all so precious to us - even before this, but doubly so now. Between taking care of Lydie, staying with me so Joe didn't have to miss work, bringing Chapstick and food to the hospital, just hanging out and praying with and for us, keeping me sane via text message explanations of what all the medical gobbledygook meant, cleaning our kitchen, stocking our pantry and fridge with so much food, mysterious cash and gift cards and the pretty sunflowers sitting on my counter it's hard to keep track of all the wonderful things that God has provided through you guys. So this is yet another THANK YOU to everyone who has helped out in so many different ways. Thank you for your encouragement, prayers and everything else... Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you...I can't say it enough... Thank you!
So here we are on Sunday and it's so good to be home with Joe and Lydie! The medicine is making me feel a little woozy, but that's to be expected. We're just taking it a day at a time. I'm not officially on bed rest, but resting as much as I can. Joe's been so sweet taking care of Lydie and making sure I'm not doing too much.
We have so much to be thankful for. We have sweet families and amazing friends. Our little girl is happy and healthy. Our little boy is growing right where he ought to be. I'm on the way to normalcy. We have a roof over our heads, food in the fridge, water, power, and heat. Joe has a job and a paycheck every two weeks.
God is so good.
Romans 8:18-39
18For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because[f] intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[g] for those who are called according to his purpose. 29For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. 31What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[h] against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised— who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.[i]35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36As it is written,
"For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thank-you, Lydia, for sharing this. I'll keep you in prayer and your family. It is such a blessing to continually be encouraged by Martha's girls.
ReplyDeleteMuch Love in Christ,
Sarah Saturday