The first day I was there I was hooked up to the monitor for the baby's heart rate and for contractions. I was given a steroid shot to help the baby's lungs develop faster (just in case I went into labor soon) and they put me on Magnesium to help slow labor. This would give the steroid enough time to take effect. The medication wasn't bad, but I am not a fan of the magnesium. I was told that it could cause some uncomfortable side effects. My side effect dealt with my eyes. It made my pupils dilate back and forth - not continuously, but enough to make me uncomfortable. Needless to say, when they took me off the magnesium a couple of days later I was very happy!
Most people dread being on bed rest, but it was my goal to stay in bed as long as possible. It seemed a daunting task because I was hoping to be in bed for seven weeks. This goal actually helped me not go crazy. Whenever I felt lonely, or sad, or homesick I would stop and think about what I was trying to do - having a healthy baby girl was all the motivation I needed to bring me back into good spirits.
The truth is, I was truly blessed with a spirit of calmness and patience. From the moment this whole experience started I was blessed with theses spirits. It is something I cannot deny and I am truly grateful that the Lord was mindful of me. I was also given two priesthood blessings, early on, that brought me much comfort. One was from Chad before I left for the hospital and the second was later that night when our home teacher came to the hospital. We couldn't find the consecrated oil when Chad gave me a blessing, so when our home teacher came to the hospital he brought the oil with him. We were both very grateful to him for his kindness.
To keep myself busy, Chad suggested that I make a schedule. I tried it for the first couple of days, but the truth is, I had a hard time sticking to the schedule. I was too rigid, plus I was blessed with visitors so often that the schedule wouldn't have really worked anyway. I did have certain things I did everyday though.
I woke up every morning around 7 - 7:30am. I didn't have an alarm, I was just uncomfortable by that time and decided to get up. I ordered my breakfast and then used the handy mirror in the hospital table to get myself ready for the day.
Afterwords I would read the scriptures until Chad came. Chad was able to come almost every morning. He got the boys off to school, took Austin to a friend's house and then stopped by to say hello for a couple of minutes. He was usually on the phone, or in between calls, but it always made my morning to see him! Chad was always very concerned about me being lonely or bored, so he made every effort to make sure I was doing well. I don't think he will every really know how much that meant to me! Thank you Chad, I love you!
Another thing that was very important to Chad and me was seeing the boys as much as possible. The first night I was admitted to the hospital the boys came to see how I was doing. I was nervous they would be scared or nervous about the baby or seeing me in a hospital bed. I was pleasantly surprised that they were all doing well. They were, of course, a little nervous about the baby, but they didn't seem overly concerned. Chad did a good job of explaining to the boys what was happening, so they were comforted. It was interesting to see how the kids reacted to me. They all came in and said hello and gave me a kiss and asked how I was doing. Austin has always been my snuggler, but he didn't want to get very close to the hospital bed at first. Devon was the one who always came in and sat down right next to me on the bed and snuggled right up to me. During my time in the hospital that is one thing I really looked forward to!
I hoped that I would see Chad and the boys every night, but I knew how busy this time of the year was. Kaden and Trevor had just begun a new soccer season, Kaden had also just started track at school, Tanner had tons of homework and it was nearing the end of the school year. Somehow Chad made it work. They didn't make it every night, but they only missed a couple - pretty amazing! Even when Chad told me they weren't going to make it, they would often surprise me and come for fifteen minutes - those were great days for me! I know they were hard on Chad though. He would often bring the boys and then sit down and fall asleep or write thank you notes. He said he had to use every minute he had. Chad did a tremendous job holding everything together. I am so thankful for everything he took on while I was in the hospital. He is awesome!
The last thing I did everyday was send an email to our extended family. I knew that I would want to know what was going on if this happened to a family member who was far away, so I made it a priority to write an email everyday - even though some days were pretty short and boring. I want to keep a record of this experience, so I am going to post all those emails on my blog. I will also add some other insights and experiences. For the sake of those who already read the emails, I will put my insights in a different color than the rest of the post. This way you will be able to quickly pass over the passages you have already read.
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