And so it begins...

This morning I was busying myself around the house, packing, going up and down stairs, finishing laundry, taking things back to the library...you know, normal stuff. Tonight I am in bed...and am only allowed to get up to go to the bathroom.

Andy drove down this morning and met me at Zach and Mindy's house. He loaded the stuff I had packed up ("just in case") and we headed to the hospital for my appointment with the specialist. I know many were praying for me today and I certainly felt those prayers as we waited. I felt peace. The ultrasound tech took two different ultrasounds to view my placenta, cervix, the blood vessels, and the umbilical cord. Then the specialist came in and looked at the pictures the tech took. Then she decided she wanted to see a "live" view, so she went through the same steps again. She determined that there are baby's blood vessels present, plus the umbilical cord "happens" to be implanted directly over my cervix. She described it as the roots of a tree trunk...they kind of fan out and implant all over my cervical area. I kinda laughed out loud and said, "What are the chances of that?!" She laughed too and said, "Uh, slim. Slim." Basically I have two very rare conditions. So, we waited a few minutes, and a nurse came to escort us across the hall to my new home. I was more or less prepared for that possibility...but what came next I was unprepared for. I sorta thought I would just have to camp out here. Well, as I soon learned it is much more than that.

I am officially on bedrest. Oh, sorry, bedrest WITH bathroom privileges! :) I can't even wander the halls in my boredom. I had an IV put in...it is currently not hooked up to anything but has to remain in for the duration. If I start to bleed they will try to deliver the baby within 10 minutes...that seems amazingly fast! Therefore they need to have everything possible prepped and ready to go in case that happens. Now the seriousness is starting to set in! My doc came in and talked awhile with Andy and I. She explained that baby could lose its full volume of blood within 10 minutes of the onset of bleeding. Thus all the precautions. I was hooked up to two monitors for about 2 hours...one on the baby counting movements and heart rate, and the second measuring uterine activity/contractions. I will be doing this monitoring twice a day. I also received what felt like a horse bite on my bum...a steroid shot to start maturing the baby's lungs. Thankfully I only have to get one more of those! All of this took nearly 3 hours.

Andy unfortunately left around 5:45...that was sad. But I was so thankful it worked out for him to take the day off...and a big thank you to our babysitters who made this possible too! I ordered my first hospital dinner...and they put the carb count on the menu so that will really help me know exactly what I can or can't have at each meal. Bummer thing is that the steroid shots are supposed to mess with my sugars...so I may have to have insulin shots for awhile. At this point, nothing surprises me! Oh, and my dinner was pretty good if you were wondering. I had salmon, mashed potatoes, and green beans.

I'd post a pic of my room, but its basically white walls. Not too interesting. I do have a TV, internet access, DVD/VCR player, and I brought my stereo. I have a cool bed which moves about any way I'd like it too. It also randomly moves air in and out of different places (to prevent bed sores I'm told)...not sure if I like that yet or not. I'm sure some of you are wondering how I'm actually doing, and the truth is I feel pretty good. I really have felt peaceful all day. Its all new and sinking in, but I know God has watched over me today and I sure have felt His presence. I do feel some relief that medical help is simply a call button away. I know the baby and I are well taken care of...by the staff and doctors here at the hospital, and most of all by our loving heavenly Father...who has known all about this from the start.