A bit of a surprise

We got back from our vacation around 5 PM on a Sunday night. We unpacked the car and then went for a walk along the river. That evening we relaxed and watched a movie with the boys, then we went to bed. Around midnight I woke up to a familiar sensation - It felt like my water broke. I wasn't exactly sure if that's what had happened (plus I was only 27 weeks), so I went back to bed for a little while. At around 4:30 am, I was definitely sure that my water had broken, so I woke Chad up and we called the hospital. I wasn't having any contractions, so when the hospital said to come and get checked out I drove myself to the hospital.  Plus, the kids all had to go to school in a couple of hours, so Chad stayed at home to help them get on the bus.

When I got to the hospital they confirmed that my water had indeed broken. They informed me that I would be admitted and could be there a little while. I later found out that I would be there until I had the baby. I thought I might have the baby fairly soon since that's what happens when your water breaks, but I was informed that I could be on bed rest for a while before anything happens. We were also told though, that most women who rupture at this point usually deliver within two weeks (90%). I wasn't having any contractions or showing any signs of labor, so we hoped I would be in the 10% of the population that stay pregnant longer.

I called Chad and told him I would be staying at the hospital and suddenly our parental roles changed.  Chad was going to be playing double duty for a while.  At least we hoped it would be for a while - it was too early to meet our little girl.

While I was sitting in triage waiting to be admitted I started calling family members - we needed the power of prayer and support.  I called Layne first because I knew she would be boarding a plane soon. She was heading home from DC.  I didn't mean to, but I totally freaked her out.  She was very worried about the baby coming this early.  We all were, but I actually felt very calm about the situation.  Some might say it was lack of knowledge, which I definitely had, but I know it was the Lord letting me know that everything would be okay.  I knew it probably wouldn't be without difficulty, but I knew it would be okay.  What an incredible blessing that was to me.

I also tried to get a hold of my parents who are serving a mission in Canada.  They were transitioning from one apartment to another, so I had to call the mission presidents wife and she was able to call my parents for me.  I thought I was pretty calm on the phone with her, but when my Dad called back me he told me that the mission president's wife told them they had to call me right away - that it was urgent!  My parents were worried, but comforted me and told me we were in their prayers.

A funny thing happened while I was calling family members.  My friend, who I trade babysitting with, texted me to make sure I was still on for this week.  I texted her back telling her sorry, but this week would be different because my water had broken overnight.  I had to laugh when she texted me back with the question, "Is this an April Fool's joke?"  I'm pretty sure I would never go that far for April Fools!  I assured her I was serious.  She offered to watch Austin and help out in any way she could.  I have such wonderful friends!

After I was admitted, they quickly took me down to get an ultrasound.  It was a relief to hear the baby's heartbeat and see her on the screen.  I was also very relieved to find out that I had a good amount of amniotic fluid left.  The baby had enough fluid to survive for a while, so we just had to play the waiting game. The goal was to make it to 34 weeks. At that point the doctors would go ahead and deliver the baby.

You might ask why they wouldn't wait longer if I wasn't doing anything and the baby was fine. The reason they would take the baby at 34 weeks is at that point the baby is almost like a full term baby. The biggest problem they have with 34 weekers is they don't know how to eat, so they have to go in the in NICU for about a week or two to learn how to eat. Plus the threat of infection also goes up around 34 weeks. They would rather deliver a healthy baby at 34 weeks than risk having the baby get an infection. We were hopeful that we would make it to 34 weeks.