Tuesday/Wednesday Scare

As you may have read, mama and Emma were up visiting this week. We have had a wonderful time together! Mama helped me put away all the gifts from Saturday and set up the nursery. We moved an armoire from my childhood bedroom and washed all the clothes, blankets, etc. to place in the nursery room. Most of this was done on Monday.
On Tuesday, we ran errands before picking Shannon up for lunch. When we reached our lunch destination I noticed a sharp pain in my lower back and side. There has been a lot of pressure on my pelvic area but the doctors had said this was from twins and my uterus growing. I dismissed the pull in my side and back and we carried on. After lunch we hit Target but it was short lived. The pulling kept getting gradually worse so we decided to head home. I could sit and position myself to relieve the pain but as the evening progressed it worsened. By bedtime, I was in tears. Shannon wanted to got to the hospital but I said no. We had an appt already scheduled for the next morning so I thought I'd be strong. There was NO sleeping. I tried the recliner and the bed with tons of pillows. I cried all through my shower and could barely dress myself. By the time we reached the doctor I was in tears and could hardly move.
They skipped my appt and sent us on to Labor and Delivery via a wheelchair. Everyone was assuming pre-term delivery. I was hoping it was just gas. Shannon and I both were frightened! We arrived there around 9am. They hooked me up to fetal monitors for the babies and to a monitor for contractions. I was in shock when I saw that I was actually having some contractions! We had about 6-10 in all throughout the time we were there..they were mild and sporadic. I was later told that the contractions were not out of the norm and that I may experience some more at times. They can be brought on by stress, fatigue, dehydration, etc. While still trying to find out what was going on...they gave me fluids via IV. This was interesting. The doctor doing the IV was a student and missed the first attempt so I had to endure it all over again. Luckily I am known for my pain tolerance so it was all okay in the end. We had a great nurse there (Mrs. Paula) that kept a close watch. Another team of doctors did a test to check for baby enzymes. Supposedly if this test is negative you can be guaranteed %99 accuracy that you won't deliver for another 2 weeks....well mine came back positive but they assured me that this is not a problem. They would just look at other means. They said they really only take the negative result seriously and use the positive result to check other options. They later checked my cervix and the babies through ultrasound and said that I am in good shape and don't appear to be in pre-term labor. Supposedly we look very good at this stage and there is no need for alarm. They did give me the first of two steroid shots for the babies lungs. I had the 2nd shot this morning. The way they put it is that it is better to be safe than unprepared. We were released with orders of very light activity....just prior to being placed on bed rest....I must behave as Shannon puts it. According to him I am banned from the vacuum and any other house cleaning. If only I would listen to him more...maybe I won't frustrate him anymore than I already do :-). I can go to the store but must be quick and no heavy lifting. The back pain they assume is due to pressure on the sciatic nerve. I was given Tylenol with codeine to take at night for pain and told to use a heating pad. When I entered the hospital I felt the pain to be 10 or more...now I have to say it is at a 2-3. I can somewhat lift my left leg again and can sit somewhat comfortably. I did sleep last night so that was a BLESSING! Mama and Emma left out this morning also. They stayed one more night as we didn't know what to expect. Shannon and I were at the hospital until 5:30 or so. We got my prescription filled and grabbed some dinner (Shannon and I had barely had anything to eat during the day) and headed home for REST! Oh- I also received some good news. During all that, we did go ahead and take the glucose test for gestational diabetes....it was negative! No special diets or sugar watch. All in all it was a long but informative day. We went back this morning for a consultation and the 2nd steroid shot. Everything looks good. I will see my OB next Wednesday for another check and further orders and recommendations. I feel so blessed having all the doctors at MCG. I bet we had 10-15 different doctors in and out doing various checks yesterday. We feel good about all the hands and brains watching after our Thomas and Madelynn. Oh...for them it was like any other day. I think they felt a little stress from the pain I was in which may have added to the contractions but when they did the ultrasound they were playing like any other day. We found out that Thomas is at 2lbs and 11 ounces and Maddy is 2 lbs and 10 ounces. They also said the hearts look great and that they are at their desired percentile. I will put a photo of Thomas. The nurse got a 4D pic of Thomas, but Madelynn wouldn't look our way so we missed seeing her little face. Love you all and thank you for your prayers!