Day 11...doing well

I can't believe it is already Friday and I've almost been here two weeks already. Guess it doesn't seem like it when you are drugged and out of it the first week, huh? :) Well, today is starting off being another good one to add to the books and mark off my calendar (Countdown calendar for baby's arrival). This is good news. Each day she continues to incubate is supposedly 3 less days in the NICU. So we are literally taking it day by day. But we are starting a positive trend in the right direction now. :)
Brett was up here for a few hours last night to have dinner with me and hang out. He got to hear the baby on the monitor again. It is always reassuring to hear her strong heartbeat. And he got a free dinner. My favorite nurses gave us some "Splash of Sunshine" gift cards for hospital cafe's etc. That was nice of them. I guess new mothers get to order a special dinner after they deliver (ie, lobster tail, cheesecake, etc.). The nurses were going to mention to the CEO of the hospital to come talk to me so I could see if we could have a celebratory dinner each week we hit another milestone. Goal now is week 29 on Tuesday. :) That sounds like a fair trade don't you think, since we will be paying them plenty as it is. :)
Brett has been busy taking his nephew to preschool, doing my laundry, holding the fort down at home, and taking care of me. He'll probably be up later to have dinner with me.
For those of you that want to visit, I just ask that you call and let me know when you want to visit, so that I can space out visitors.
More tomorrow...

Day 10 in hospital

Today is starting out to be another stable day which is great!! I am only having 1-2 contractions per hour. Baby is doing well on the non-stress tests (NST) with regular heartbeat and appropriate escalations in heartrate. I think they might have figured out the right doses to keep the contractions under control. :) At least I hope. Dr. came in already today and is ordering an ultrasound next Tuesday with the perinatalogist (high risk doctor that sent me to the hospital) to check my cervical length and measure the growth of the baby. That excites me because it will be a longer ultrasound again when they do measurements...and I love to see this baby girl on the ultrasounds. It is just so reassuring to me.
Friends have been to visit and made a "countdown calendar" that I mark off each day we keep this baby incubating, delivered flowers, gave me an adorable "Moses Basket", brought treats, dinner, guardian angels, etc. They have all brightened my room. Every nurse or doctor that comes in comments on all the pictures, goodies, and how good it smells in here. :) So a big thanks to all of you...and especially my mother and husband!!
Today I've got some great, hilarious nurses in charge of me and come to visit often to tell me jokes and just check on me. Some of these nurses are going to become like family to me...I can tell already. I have had multiple nurses come back to visit me, despite not being assigned to me which has been great! (I really am a funny person...not the trouble patient...when I'm not all drugged and mag'd out.) :)
That's about all going on this morning. I'll update more later.
Love...Shawna

Day 9 in hospital

Well, we have made it through another night, to Week 28, and I'm hoping for a couple "stable" days in a row. Monday was my first stable day. I was hoping yesterday was going to be also, but they ended up sending me back to labor and delivery b/c I was having contractions again. We think it was due to a change in meds and needing a higher dose. So after the close monitoring and increased meds, i'm back to my room on Women's Care.
My mom was here for a few days and helped get me settled in with what I need and calmed me down after a roughweek. But I was exhausted when she left...lots of talking, pedicures, laughing, watching the Bachelor...can wear one out. (smile) Mom headed back yesterday exhausted herself.
Brett has been busy gtting me tings I need, taking his nephew to presho and chasing our dogs. We are going to work on falling into some sort of routine. It has been hard to do when we haven't had 2 stable days.
The great news is that our baby girl is doing well and still incubating...every day helps!
Shawna and Brett

My Mother-inlaw is here

Today is Sunday. My wonderful mother-in law is here all the way from Bowling Green KY.
She has decorated shawnas room with photos of our family all over the room. Shawn has received a pedicure from her mother and plucked Chin hairs. My mom and Jim are coming to visit. My Brother and Jen and the boys are going to bring bbq for dinner. We will post soon

hospital update

it has been a tough week in general. Our baby is still in womb and doing well, but i have had some real ups and downs. Let me just say that bedrest is NOT restful!!! I have had some rapid heart rates and cardiologist has been involved. No sure if med reated, bu it continues to be monitored and medicated. Side effects of meds have been horrible...debilitating...so I asked for no visitors until we figure some things out. Sorry. Thank you for your prayers, calls, and wanting to visit, but please give me time to stabilize. I have been moved to another room and baby and contractions are monitored but not 24 hours a day. This is good news! Now I just need my body to adjust to meds and trauma. I'll update asI feel up to it. My mom is comig to visit for a couple days. Hugs, love, and faith! Shawna

Day 2 in hospital

Well, as Brett posted last night, I have been admitted to the hospital due cervix length being full thinned out and having contractions. I did not realize I was having them until the specialist pointed them out on the ultrasound. Luckily, it was all caught in time. I have taken steroid shots to help the baby develop. those should start helping by tomorrow. I am on an IV w/ magnesium med to stop/calm my uterus. things have calmed, but not stopped completely. I am considered stable at this point though.
Funny story (now anyway)...themagnesium meds make me feel horrible (headaches, hot flashes, blurred vision, sleeplessness, vomitting...kind of like a bad drunk or flu). Anyway, I was talking to my friend Anne this morning about all of this. She has experienced it and asked if I was vomiting yet? No...then I dry heaved...then told her I had to go throw up...which I did immediately. The funny part was meeting my doctor for the day (the rotate daily on-call) as I was sitting in a chair (because I was not able to stand like I thought I could)...having already been stripped of my lovely hospital gown due to all the vomit...the doctor walks in and asks how i'm doing. Hee hee! and I even recycled my pills I had thrown up. They stayed down the 2nd time. (Hope you were not eating hen you read this.)
Due to those side effects they reduced my ma dose...and I'm having some more contractions, but they are being controlled and closely monitored at this point.
Today was a day to just recoop. I've answered the phone when I feel up to it, but no visitors except Brett to bring me some goodies and drinks for my dry mouth. Thanks to my nephew, Jacob, I made it throughlst night on the pepermint he left me
If you want to call, the hospital # is 970-495-8300 and ask for me.
Write more tomorrow. Hugs, love, and hope! :)
Shawna

Inaugeration Day,

With history being made, Our lives have changed also. Shawna has takin up residency at Poudre Valley Hospital. When to our bi-weekley check up and shawna's cevix has thined out to much and the doctor sent her to the hospital for a longer period of time. She will be monitored until our baby shows up.

We will keep posting
Thanks
Brett and Shawna

Change of scenery...

On Saturday, Brett, his brother and nephew went to Denver to a boat show. I rode over to my sister and brother-in-laws house and camped out on their couch all day and evening. It was a nice change of scenery. And their couch is much more comfortable than our cot out by the TV. So Jen and I watched movies, played with Kameron, my nephew, and I crocheted some. It was a good distraction, yet still following doctors orders.
Today Brett will be busy cleaning the house. I'm ... guess what? Laying flat. (smile) I am looking forward to the next doctor appointment on Tuesday with the specialists. Several of my friends have been by to visit, which has been nice too.
Until Tuesday then...

Ultrasound pictures

Here are a couple of ultrasound pictures from week 26 (Monday, Jan. 12th). She has her toes almost touching her nose. And notice the pointed nose in the one picture. Brett's comment right away was..."Oh my gosh! Her nose looks just like your mothers." (We love ya, Mom!) Anyway, we think she is adorable.
Day 3 of bedrest is coming to an end. I did lots of work stuff to keep me busy the last few days. So I am happy to be able to do some things from home. Brett and I are settling into a little bit of a routine.

26 Weeks and Bedrest

Yesterday Brett and I went to my scheduled ultrasound appointment. Our baby girl had moved her feet and was doing a little swimmers "pike". Her bottom was down and her head and feet were up. Her toes were actually touching her nose. It was too cute. She is still breech, but doctors are still not worried about that at this point. She had time to turn. I hope to post some of the ultrasound pictures to share with you.
The other news was that I was placed on bedrest due to my cervix continuing to thin out. So it is time to lay flat and not be on my feet much at all. I was mentally prepared for that decision and was not too upset about it...but it will be an adjustment. So I'm going to take it one day at a time. Brett was having a harder time with the news due to fears about the baby, etc. But we are doing okay and adjusting. Thank goodness we have such supportive friends and family. And luckily, I will still be able to do some work from bed as well to help out my colleagues. (If you didn't know there are 4 psychologists in my office pregnant and all due this spring...so we will be hurting for coverage.)
Today we are at 26 weeks gestation though. Every day that goes by gives this little girl more time to develop. So we are very hopeful. We have scheduled another appointment with the perinatalogists or high risk doctor again. So I will go back to being under the care of both doctors to cover all the bases. We will not see him for another ultrasound until next Tuesday. So until then, you will be getting exciting "bedrest" updates. :)
Shawna

Nuggets in the suite

Last night we went to the Denver Nuggets game against the Pistons with my in-laws. It was my first time to a professional basketball game and we got to sit in a suite. It was sweet! Loved it. Except the Nuggets lead the whole game and lost it in the last minute. Bummer. We thought it was pretty awesome that Jim got the tickets and invited us to go with them. It was fun!
Because we got back so late last night, I'm laying low today and resting with my feet up. Need to give baby and me our rest. Later we will head to Grandma's for a family birthday dinner.

Another Milestone

Well, we are 25 weeks gestation now and feeling better each week about this baby girl. Also, Brett has had time to work on the bathroom he has been remodeling. So we will not only have a new baby, but a new bathroom before she arrives also. :) I'm very happy about that.
Next doctor appointment is on Monday...so I will update more after that appointment.

More bloodwork

Today the doctor's nurse called to tell me my glucose levels came back and were fine. So no gestational diabetes which is great news. I joked with the doctor last visit saying, "Watch, I'll probably have glucose problems." He joked back and just said he'd have to add another shot to my regiment. But we do not have to do that thankfully.
When the nurse called, she also asked me to track down some records of initial blood screenings to check for RH negative, etc. So when I did that, I found out that none of that bloodwork had been done. So I went today to get my blood drawn to do all the initial screenings that are usually done at your initial visit once you find out your pregnant. Morale of the story: keep track of your records, what tests are being done, and follow up on your own...especially when you have multiple doctors. We have to be our own advocates.
I also started back to work today after the holiday break. Things pick up quickly too. But I am having to ask people to carry my stuff in to the buildings for me. If any of you know me, I have trouble asking for help too. But I am learning and trying to follow doctor's orders.
Brett was not called back in to work today. He has been layed off for the last couple of weeks. So he is just waiting to find out when he will go back. ?? But our bathroom is finally getting completed that we/he has been working on for a while. :) That makes me happy.
That's all for now.
Shawna

Happy New Year 2009

Welcome to the Gilbert's Big Adventure...new blog website. Our hopes are to keep family and friends updated with things going on in our lives. 2009 will be bringing many changes for us as we are expecting the arrival of our baby girl this spring...due date is April 21, 2009...yet don't be surprised if she arrives early. She is at 24 weeks gestation and doing well. I continue to have my ultrasounds every two weeks to check my cervical length and blood levels, etc. I do anticipate having to be on bedrest toward the end of this pregnancy, but we are prepared for that.
We want to thank all of our family and friends for their support and prayers thus far. We will keep you all posted.
Love,
Brett and Shawna