Life in the hospital is interesting when you are not sick...you just are super pregnant and things can get crazy fast!
A typical day in the hospital for a higher order multiples mom includes:
-3 meals (ordered like room service), 2 snacks (brought around 2x a day on a cart), 4+ protein shakes.
-Total daily calorie consumed at least 7000 calories a day. I was dropping weight at 5000 cal a day.
-Daily Ultrasound to see/hear heartbeats and movement (impossible to pickup all babies on NST in room).
-At least 3-hour naps a day ordered by doctors.
-Daily Shower, makeup/hair done, changing clothes, and changing bed linen to remain feeling "normal".
-Twice a day toco monitoring of contractions (if I have more than 4 an hour I get a Terbutaline injection).
-Every 3 day blood draws of Type and Screen encase you suddenly need an emergency c-section (luckily my Dr. stopped these from weeks 26-30 so I can have a little break).
-I am on Motrin 4x a day, and Nifedipine 6x a day to help maintain contractions at 4 or less an hour.
-Vital signs taken frequently.
-Meeting lots of awesome CNA's, nurses, ultrasound techs, housekeepers, transporters, etc. Everybody
eventually knows you around the hospital lol.
-Random visitors of hospital personal such as pet therapy, prenatal yoga, Chaplain, nutritionist, and many others.
Other things to look forward too:
-Cerclage (thankfully mine is holding firm!)
-Biophysical profile ultrasound (2x a week to watch the babies practice breath, check heart beat, check amniotic fluid levels, and look for movement. The top score is an 8/8 and test is started at 28 weeks). All the quints have been getting 8/8 on the twice weekly tests! Little Rockstars!
-Cervical length check (checks for funneling-dilation of cervix and shortening of cervix)
-Every three weeks, growth scans to find out how much the babies' weigh and check their anatomy. (All of the babies, have been bigger than singletons which is very unusual for multiple babies). Grow Sumo Babies, Grow!
-Steroid injections to help mature lungs of babies at 24 weeks and 28 weeks! Doesn't feel great since they inject in your hip/buttock area but it wasn't too bad! Totally worth it so they can breath a lot better if born early.
Latest Update from yesterdays Biophysical Profile Ultrasound (BPP) and cervical length check:
Gestation 29w4d: Days in hospital: 60 days!
BPP- all babies received an 8/8!
Cervical length was shortening and more importantly internal os of cervix started dilating all the way down to the cerclage :(.
New plan of attack from the doctors:
Same meds as before, toco monitoring of more than 3 contractions now equals a Terbutaline injection), and strict bedrest (only bathroom or laying flat in bed on my sides) At least there is only 31 days until scheduled c-section! Not bad considering how far we've come!
Love reading the updates! It's been awhile since the last update so I hope you and the babies are doing great.
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