We ended up being discharged from the hospital at about 6:30 last night after my second round of steroids for Katherine's lungs and also a Pneumonia immunization to help prevent me from getting sick since I have a history of asthma and have been getting more and more short of breath as Katherine gets bigger (grow, baby, grow!) Katherine's heartbeat continued to look good on the moniter all night and all day (she was on 24 hour continuous.) The membrane does not seem to be bothering her at all. They also had a second moniter on me to check for contractions. Apparently, I have been having mild Braxton Hicks contractions without realizing it, which kind of scared me at first until they explained that they are perfectly normal at this stage in pregnancy and are just helping my body practice for when it is really time. The good thing is that, since I was hooked up to the moniter and was able to see when I was having one, I am better able to distinguish a Braxton Hicks contraction from fetal movement (especially since the ones I am having don't hurt at all yet and this is my first pregnancy so I didn't really know what they would feel like). They gave me some tips on how to cut down on them - drink lots of water, use the restroom frequently, and move around/change position if I feel one. Overall, I feel pretty good about the hospital visit. We were able to double check and make sure Katherine is doing good, give her medicine to help her lungs develop, and I now feel more educated about what is going on with my body and how to help her stay put longer. They also said it was still safe for me to excercise, drive, work, etc. as long as I am being careful to watch my health and not push too hard. They do want to start seeing me weekly now, to keep an eye out and make sure the membrane continues not to affect her and to continue to keep an eye on her growth, heartbeat,etc. Another upside to our stay was that Michael was able to explore and get more familiar with the different parts of the hospital, which will help later when we are there for the real thing and during Katherine's stay.
The only downside to being admitted to the hospital,is that I had to call and cancel my appointment with Eastover, which was supposed to be Friday morning, the day after the appointment with Dr. Stephenson. I called back Friday afternoon to reschedule for next week, but was not able to get anything definite yet. This is understandable, considering that a water main burst right next to the hosiptal (I think sometime Friday morning/afternoon?) and two of the nearby buildings had no water. As you can imagine, this was a nightmare on the staff, trying to get patients rescheduled and taken care of. Many procedures had to be done in the neighboring parts of the hospital that still had water. This slowed things down quite a bit, so I am surprised that we were still able to get discharged when we were. Also, Dr. Stephenson made sure to call us to answer all of the questions that we had for her and the care that was given to us by the nursing staff (Monica, Suzanne, Angie, and Gail to name a few) as well as Dr. Stover (the resident working in the high risk maternity ward) was exceptional. So, as of right now, I plan to call Eastover back again on Monday and will just have to pray they will be able to fit me in before the end of the week.
Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers. You have no idea how much the prayers of family and friends (even ones we may not know about) helps to strengthen our faith in the promises that God has given us and the plans that He has for us and for Katherine. We would also like to send a special thank you to the management and other employees at Jameson (http://www.jamesonllc.com/) for keeping us in your prayers and for your kindness. We were so blessed to hear about Jameson and the Christian principles it allows and encourages in its employees.
Sorry this post was a little more wordy, there was just so much to say! We will close by wishing you all a very Merry Christmas whoever and wherever you are this Sunday. We pray that God watches over you and your families as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, and all of the hope that His birth brings with it.
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Phillipians 4:4-7
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