It All Started at Costco

I don't want anyone to worry while I tell my {doubtlessly long-winded} story: Baby Girl and I are both just fine.  

And now, for our last few days: It all started at Costco, where I was collecting beautiful, inexpensive {beautifully inexpensive?} berries and cases of yogurt cups for the tiny mouths I feed.  I'd made my purchases and I'd made my second trip to the ladies' room, for I go nowhere these days without visiting the facilities at least twice. I had reached the front of the exit line and handed my receipt to the clerk, who was scanning my cart for the possibility of stolen goods, when a woman ran her full cart into me from behind.  It hurt a good bit, enough to make me the tears well up, but I really wasn't worried about the baby, since the hit was from behind.  

That night, though, I had a bit of spotting, so I immediately called the doctor, who asked whether I had felt the baby moving around.  I just did not know.  The boys and I had taken an evening stroll and visited the library and come home to get them ready for bed.  I had been so busy for the last few hours that I just couldn't recall any particular movements, which, quite frankly, horrified me.  How could I not know?  And why could I not feel her now?  The doctor told me to come into the hospital to get checked out, so the Mister and I and two sleepy children loaded up for Labor and Delivery.  On the way to the hospital, my mind was racing, and I kept thinking, please let our baby be okay, please don't let this be our time to go through that terrible grief.  And if it is, please guard me, Lord.  About halfway to the hospital, I felt Baby Girl shift and then kick.  I was so thankful for her movement, for her life.

At the hospital, I was hooked up to fetal monitors and Baby Girl's heartbeat looked good.  I was sent for an ultrasound.  I got to see my sweet Baby Girl opening her mouth and clutching her hand to her face, a face which looks remarkably like Buddy Boy's.  However, they made a probably unrelated discovery that my amniotic fluid was low, so the doctor admitted me for the night to receive IV fluids.  My amniotic fluid level doubled overnight and two tests for leaking came back negative, so these were good signs.  During one contraction, though, Baby Girl had a "stubborn" heart rate deceleration, so the doctor decided to keep me for further observation.  The rest of my stay, her heart rate looked great and she bounced around my tummy.

I was released last night and am following doctor's orders for bed rest and lots of fluids.  I'll go in again on Monday to have the amniotic fluid level re-checked.  There's still a possibility of a leak, but, thankfully, it seems unlikely.

Last night, I had dinner in bed, prepared by my sweet Mister, who had juggled work demands and childcare all day long.  Buddy Boy snuggled peacefully with me while he had his nighttime sippy of milk.  Little Guy brought me my Kindle and two of his favorite stuffed animals, and tucked me in with a fuzzy blue blanket.  This morning, the boys pulled out their toolbox and set to work on me with chainsaws, hammers, and a screwdriver to make me "alllllll bedder."  I'm currently sporting a Cowboy Woody Band-Aid on my IV site, applied by Dr. Little Guy.  These three are taking wonderful care of me, and I'm doing my best to take care of our Baby Girl.