Surprise!

Let me start off by saying this is not what I expected. At all. Most times are accurate. There were a few I had to guess on. Two days down, hopefully 68 more to go!

*I will finish posting the rest a little later.*

January 21 & 22, 2011

10:10 am - I wake up to my brother leaving a message on my answering machine. I jump as quickly as I can out of bed (keep in mind I am 30 weeks pregnant - Jan. 21) and I make it in time to answer the phone. Success! Just to let you know my brother is in Iraq. So when he calls it is always a treat to talk to him.

10:30 am - I am having a great conversation with him (as I lay lazily in bed), when I decide to get my lazy self up. That's when it happens. My water breaks. I finish the conversation with him then tell him I think my water broke and I think I need to call the doctor. He says, "Um, OK." He's 23 and unmarried. I'm sure this 2 second exchange is more than a little uncomfortable for him.

10:44 am - Yes, it was exactly 10:44 am. Ryan remembers it very clearly. I get off the phone with Andrew and call Ryan in tears. when he gets me calmed down a little I tell him my water broke and if I have to go to the hospital I want him with me. I tell him I will call him right back.

10:47 am - I walk down the stairs to call the doctor. My sister Elisa is in the kitchen making breakfast. (Thank goodness we all got a good nap that morning. It was a busy week!) She looks frightened at the sight of me. I'm sure she will tell you it is because I have been sobbing, but I am pretty sure it is because I have the worst bedhead ever, and I think I still had (half) my makeup on from the night before. Either way I tell her my water broke and I need to call the doctor. She helps me calm down enough to call them.

10:48 - I called to talk to the nurse and they tell me they will give the message to her and have her call me right back.

10:50 - The nurse calls back and tells me to go down to the hospital. Ryan is calling in on the other line.

10:52 - I answer Ryan's phone call and he tells me he is on his way and is already a few miles down the road from his work. His manager told him to leave and not worry about anything. Have I mentioned yet how much I have loved Ryan working at Marketstar. They are very much family first. And I appreciate it. Very much.

I then hurry and shower. Yes, it is the one day that week I did not get dressed and shower right away. I try to hurry, while remaining calm, and pack up everything I think I'll need for a normal hospital stay? An extended hospital stay? My mind can't even process what will happen at this point. Will I be having a baby today? Will they think I am making it up and choose to believe my water didn't break? And then will they send me home? Will the nurses be nice? Up to this point I have only heard horror stories from moms who gave birth at Timpanogos Hospital. I could go on and on. But I won't.

I finally get showered, packed, Ryan makes it home, and get one picture of my prego self, the only one that you can actually see that I'm pregnant in the picture. It might seem like a silly thing, but if I was going to have a baby today I wanted to feel like my mind had been able to process it a little. It makes sense to me.

12:00 pm - I go over everything with Elisa in case I am not able to talk to her the rest of the day. I call and arrange for Julie to pick up carpool. (FYI - I am officially the worst person to carpool with. Ask Sandy or Julie. Sigh.)

1:00 pm - We arrive at the hospital after a nerve wracking drive there. We walk in and stand looking at the map for a moment (I am only 30 weeks - we hadn't taken the tour yet or registered) when a sweet worker on fer way out asks if she can help us find anything. Definitely. She walks us down the hall to the Labor and Delivery wing and asks, "You're not in labor are you?" We tell her no but that my water broke. "Oh," she says. Exactly. You can clearly see I am too small to be full term.

1:10 pm - We get checked in and I am now in lovely hospital gown ready for almost anything. They do the first test to see if there is amniotic fluid. Inconclusive. They do the fern test. Negative. Keep in mind we wait forever in between each test or consult. The nurse does the third test which is new and not everyone does. Thank goodness she does, because it comes back positive. No surprise here - my water broke with both of my boys, so I knew exactly what it was.

3:00 pm - They get me started on an IV of saline and one of magnesium sulfate, give me a steroid shot, and do an ultrasound to measure the fluid around the baby to make sure there is still enough there. It measures 8.9 which is good.

5:00 pm - I finally get dinner and I am starving! All I've had to eat was a slice of homemade apple pie and whipped cream, two granola bars, and a pack of Lorna Doone cookies.

8:00 pm - The Neonatologist came in and talked to us about what we can expect when our baby girl is born, whether it's now or weeks down the road. He was very helpful. He mentioned it might be frightening to hear all of these things, but we told him it was actually reassuring to know what to expect.

8:30 pm - We make some phone calls to let people know what is going on.

10:30 pm - We took a tour of the NICU which was both comforting and terrifying at the same time. It was nice to meet more of the wonderful staff here at Timpanogos.

12:00 am - Ryan goes to bed after realizing he was so focused on helping me get everything packed and ready that he completely forgot to pack anything for himself. No contact solution, toothbrush, or pajamas. He doesn't seem to care much and collapses face first on the bed. He is snoring within minutes.

1:30 am - I still cannot fall asleep. I get up and go to the bathroom for the twelfth time. I try laying a different way. I really don't want to take the sleeping pill they've offered even thought the magnesium sulfate can keep you awake, make you jittery, and gives you a nasty metal taste in your mouth among other things.

3:15 am - I realize I am not going to fall asleep on my own and ask for the sleeping pill. I ask if I can take half a pill because I am a lightweight. She gets me a baby dose of it and the last time I remember looking at the clock it was 4:10 am.

8:00 am - I wake up to the nurses checking me and I see Ryan awake. I probably would have gone back to sleep, but I knew there was bacon under that maroon lid. Mmm. It was definitely worth it to wake up.

afternoon - Elisa, Ethan, and Trevan come and visit. It was the best part of the day. :) The boys wolfed down the pink frosted cookie I had saved them from my lunch. I'm sure they expect a treat every time now.

12:00 am - I am smarter tonight and realize I will not be able to fall asleep on my own - I am still on the magnesium sulfate. I ask for a sleeping pill again and am able to fall asleep.