Messages

1

What's Your Story? Tell us. / Re: New here, 34 weeks and preterm labor

« on: April 14, 2009 at 09:23 AM »

I am sorry for all you are going through, but my daughter was born at 35 weeks, and she was just fine, she had little problems, spent some time in NICU, but she is perfectly healthy now.  You, your family and your unborn baby will be in my thoughts and prayers as well.

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What's Your Story? Tell us. / Re: 20 weeks, premature labor since 17 weeks, scared!!

« on: April 14, 2009 at 09:21 AM »

Thank you, I really appreciate that.  Losing my first one almost destroyed me but somehow I got through it.  I know she is with me, and she watches over me and both my babies, even though one of them is not so much a baby anymore, well not a baby at all, she is 11 and as tall as me.
With this baby, I think I would have lost my mind a while ago if it wasn't for my husband who is so supportive through all of this, he has been my rock through all of this, and I don't know what I would do without him.

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What's Your Story? Tell us. / Re: 20 weeks, premature labor since 17 weeks, scared!!

« on: April 11, 2009 at 10:13 AM »

Hi,

I am doing a bit better.  I hit 23 weeks on Monday.  My contractions have stopped, and the cramping is not as bad as it has been in the past.  I was on bedrest from 17 weeks til 22 weeks, but since the contractions stopped, my OB lifted my bedrest.  They are starting to think the cause of my contractions was from the bladder infection, since they have stopped since I was a couple days into taking my antibiotics.  I am just so thankful that it really did have nothing to do with the pregnancy with the contractions.    So I am guessing by what you have said, that you are maybe 1 week ahead of me?  Do you know what you are having?  My husband is so excited since this is his 1st, and he is taking great care of me.  I actually work from home and my husband is my boss, and if I am ever having an off day and I try to get some work done, he yells at me, well not yells but tells me to rest.  He has been very protective of me, and I start steroid shots on April 20.  My 11 yr old was born at 35 weeks, with little problems, she got a slight case of pneumonia but that was because she got stuck during delivery and she inhaled some amniotic fluid, well once she got rid of that, she got jaundice, she spent 2 weeks in the hospital, but no breathing problems, which was always my biggest concern, but I had a real rough time after I had her, and those 2 weeks she was in the hospital, so was I.  I ended up getting uterine sepsis a few days after she was born.  I told my OB (different one from the last 2 pregnancies) that if she made it to 35 weeks and had the little problems my daughter had, I would be thrilled.  He wants to try to get me to 38 weeks if possible, he thinks I have a shot at it, we'll just have to see how things go. I will go at 38 weeks at the very latest, due to scheduled c-section.  I am not going through what I went through to have my daughter, 23 hours of labor, 3 1/2 hours of pushing, only to find out she is stuck in my pelvic bone and cannot progress any further, and ending up with a c-section.

Keeping everything crossed for us both too!

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What's Your Story? Tell us. / Re: 20 weeks, premature labor since 17 weeks, scared...UPDATE

« on: April 05, 2009 at 01:44 AM »

Just a little update, as this is something I didn't know could happen until I had it happen to me.

Last Sunday, I was in a ton of pain, and had contractions about 3 minutes apart (I was just about to hit 21 weeks the next day), I went to the L&D floor of my hospital per my OB's instructions.  The OB on call thought I was in labor so he checked me, and he didn't feel any tension on the cerclage, so he didn't think it was trying to open, and no effacing, so he knew something else had to be going on.  They had me give an urine sample, and the nurse said it was very cloudy, which a lot of times means an infection.  They tested it with the dipstick test, came back negative, but they wanted to test it more thoroughly so they sent it down to the lab, where they found I had a very nasty bladder infection.  I got an IV put in with fluids and 2 doses of antibiotics to load me up on them, and as long as the contractions stopped, they would let me go home, after spending about 2 hours there, the contractions had tapered off to nothing, so an hour later they let me go home on oral antibiotics.  I actually had a friend go in to the hospital a couple days later, with the same symptoms as me, about 4 weeks ahead of me in her pregnancy and she ended up having a bladder infection as well.  I didn't know a bladder infection can cause contractions like that, but I truly thought I was in labor, so if you have any symptoms of one, please see your doctor as soon as possible.

5

Making the Best of Bed Rest / Re: Staying sane while on strict bedrest

« on: March 28, 2009 at 04:03 PM »

I am on home bedrest right now, but I know that can change on a weekly basis, as I am being checked by ultrasound every week to see if my cervix is thinning, and if it does, I am stuck in the hospital for the duration.  Its nice to hear stories, especially yours paudrey, because it looks like I may end up in the hospital for as long as you if not longer.  I am doing my best to try to limit the hospital being my home.  My husband bought me a laptop, is probably going to buy me a ton of movies, even though he jokes around that he bought me my laptop so I can still do my work (we own our own business, computer consulting, work from home), I know he truly got it for me, so he has a sane wife at the end of all this.  I dread going into the hospital, but I know it will be what is best for my baby, and the most important thing is ensuring her safety and her being as healthy as can be.

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Making the Best of Bed Rest / Re: 5 Ways Prison Is Better than Bed Rest

« on: March 28, 2009 at 03:57 PM »

I love this, I thought my husband was going to cry when my OB told us no intimacy for the remainder of the pregnancy due to my cerclage, so I definitely agree with #5

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Preterm Labor: Anything and Everything / Re: Paging Taryn: info on steroid shots (corticosteroid injections)

« on: March 28, 2009 at 03:45 PM »

Thank you Angela for the welcome.  Even though its difficult circumstances that brought me here, its a comforting place to come to.

I can't remember if I mentioned this on my post but it took me almost 4 years to get pregnant and I joined an infertility support group on Facebook, and I have found a lot of great friends on there, and if it wasn't for them, I would have lost my mind, and that group is not one you want to especially join either.

I will check out the links, thank you, I did have the steroid shots before, but all I was ever told about them was it was to mature the babys lungs, didn't really know much more about it, so thank you for that.

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What's Your Story? Tell us. / Re: 20 weeks, premature labor since 17 weeks, scared!!

« on: March 27, 2009 at 09:30 PM »

One thing I forgot to mention is I dealt with secondary infertility, took us almost 4 years to get pregnant with this baby, and 4 IUI's later.

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What's Your Story? Tell us. / 20 weeks, premature labor since 17 weeks, scared!!

« on: March 27, 2009 at 09:28 PM »

I found this group after I believe Angela posted it on a board I just recently joined on Facebook, so thank you Angela, for posting this link.

This is my history as of this far:

August 1996 - lost firstborn daughter when water broke at 21 weeks, due to amnioitis, with no symptoms, she was born stillborn

February 1998 - have my 2nd daughter born at 35 weeks, started premature labor at 22 weeks, in and out of the hospital, at 27 weeks, they found my cervix was torn, and we feel it happened when I was in labor with my first that she came down and I wasn't fully dilated.  In and out of the hospital from 27-31 weeks, at 31 weeks, put in hospital for the duration, delivered at 35 weeks

Now - my 3rd daughter, my husband's first.  At 17 weeks, after a great deal of pain, was found to be 2cm dilated, admitted to the hospital immediately, had cerclage put in, spent 2 more days in the hospital.  Been having some pain, contractions anywhere between 6-12 hours apart, and I was just put on weekly ultrasounds to check my cervix, and if it starts to thin out at all, I am put in the hospital for the duration.

I am just so scared to lose this baby, I do my best to stay positive as I know positive thoughts is what is best right now, but sometimes its just so hard.  My husband has been amazing through all of this, he has been my rock but only he understands so much.  So I am glad I found this group, I need all the support I can get right now, and lend as much support as I can to everyone else too.