Hospital bedrest (very long)

I've had problems with my cervix shortening, so when I went to my peri when I was 25.5 weeks, she found that my cervix had shortened even more. She decided to send me to the hospital to stay overnight so I could get my 2 doses of steroid shots. When I was taken to labor and delivery they hooked me up to the monitors and then a little while later asked me if I was feeling any contractions. I said no, but the monitor showed I was contracting regularly. So I was put on mag (that stuff is awful!). It took the nurses 3 tries to get the IV in. At my appt with the peri I had my 1 hour glucose test, which they paged the doctor in L&D and told them I flunked. So the nurses kept coming in EVERY hour to take blood out of my fingers to test, because the mag can make your sugar level go up. I was on mag for 48 hours and had every side affect you could possibly have with it (nausea, vomiting, hotter than blue blazes, blurry vision, muscle weakness, etc.) I didn't even eat anything the first 72 hours I was there. I was in the hospital for a total of 5 days and hooked up to the monitors the whole time. Everytime one of the twins moved and was off the monitor they would come in with the ultrasound machine to find them and put them back on. It was not a very pleasant stay, so when they told me on a Sunday I could go home, I was out of there like a shot. My next appt was on Wednesday and after my ultrasound my heart was racing and my cervix had shortened again, so back in the hospital again I go. This time I was put there for 5 weeks for hospital bedrest (I've been on bedrest since 20 weeks). When on hospital bedrest you really don't get really any rest. Somebody is always poking and prodding at you. The nurse woke me up on the first Friday I was there at 4:00 a.m. to do my 3 hour glucose test What were they thinking? She took my blood and then I drank the terrible stuff. An hour later she came back took my blood and then I proceeded to throw up and then the test was over for now. A week later the glucose test was ran again and I passed so no more restricted hospital food diet! The food there was bad enough without being restricted! I was doing NST everyday that would last between 1.5 - 3 hour. While in the hospital they found that I was anemic and I had to do IV iron 3 times while I was there between the anemia and the glucose testing they took 19 vials of blood. The reason I was in there for so long was the shortening of the cervix which kept shortening. I was at 1.8. So finally when I was able to go home last friday it measured at 2.5 and then I was sprung. I have never been so happy to be on bedrest at home. So if you are on bedrest at home consider yourself lucky, hospital bedrest is a drag! I was in the hospital for Thanksgiving and my husband told his family (who live 2.5 hours away) that he would not be there for the holiday. So they decided to do him a favor and come to our house for the holiday, all 22 of them. My poor husband had to do all the cooking and cleaning, I felt so bad for him. His mom berated him when he was a little stressed out about how they were all doing this for him and he should be a little more appreciative that they all came up. He is such a trooper! I can now see the finish line and am hanging in there, just 2 more weeks of bedrest

 

I've had problems with my cervix shortening, so when I went to my peri when I was 25.5 weeks, she found that my cervix had shortened even more. She decided to send me to the hospital to stay overnight so I could get my 2 doses of steroid shots. When I was taken to labor and delivery they hooked me up to the monitors and then a little while later asked me if I was feeling any contractions. I said no, but the monitor showed I was contracting regularly. So I was put on mag (that stuff is awful!). It took the nurses 3 tries to get the IV in. At my appt with the peri I had my 1 hour glucose test, which they paged the doctor in L&D and told them I flunked. So the nurses kept coming in EVERY hour to take blood out of my fingers to test, because the mag can make your sugar level go up. I was on mag for 48 hours and had every side affect you could possibly have with it (nausea, vomiting, hotter than blue blazes, blurry vision, muscle weakness, etc.) I didn't even eat anything the first 72 hours I was there. I was in the hospital for a total of 5 days and hooked up to the monitors the whole time. Everytime one of the twins moved and was off the monitor they would come in with the ultrasound machine to find them and put them back on. It was not a very pleasant stay, so when they told me on a Sunday I could go home, I was out of there like a shot. My next appt was on Wednesday and after my ultrasound my heart was racing and my cervix had shortened again, so back in the hospital again I go. This time I was put there for 5 weeks for hospital bedrest (I've been on bedrest since 20 weeks). When on hospital bedrest you really don't get really any rest. Somebody is always poking and prodding at you. The nurse woke me up on the first Friday I was there at 4:00 a.m. to do my 3 hour glucose test What were they thinking? She took my blood and then I drank the terrible stuff. An hour later she came back took my blood and then I proceeded to throw up and then the test was over for now. A week later the glucose test was ran again and I passed so no more restricted hospital food diet! The food there was bad enough without being restricted! I was doing NST everyday that would last between 1.5 - 3 hour. While in the hospital they found that I was anemic and I had to do IV iron 3 times while I was there between the anemia and the glucose testing they took 19 vials of blood. The reason I was in there for so long was the shortening of the cervix which kept shortening. I was at 1.8. So finally when I was able to go home last friday it measured at 2.5 and then I was sprung. I have never been so happy to be on bedrest at home. So if you are on bedrest at home consider yourself lucky, hospital bedrest is a drag! I was in the hospital for Thanksgiving and my husband told his family (who live 2.5 hours away) that he would not be there for the holiday. So they decided to do him a favor and come to our house for the holiday, all 22 of them. My poor husband had to do all the cooking and cleaning, I felt so bad for him. His mom berated him when he was a little stressed out about how they were all doing this for him and he should be a little more appreciative that they all came up. He is such a trooper! I can now see the finish line and am hanging in there, just 2 more weeks of bedrest

 

Oh my ......... what an ordeal!!!! Huge 's to you for being such a trooper!!!!!!!! You must be so happy to finally be at home, in your own bed.

Here's wishing you an easygoing rest of the pregnancy!!! And your poor husband ... he sounds terrific.

 

OH, honey, I feel your pain! I did 6 wks hospital bedrest for DD and it was awful! You are so right about people coming in and out at all hours, the bed's too small and hard, never enough pillows and blankies, hooked up to all kinds of monitors and IVs - ugh! It's hard to stay positive.
Now I'm on br at home, 3 wks and counting, and it's SO much better! The things we do for our kids, right? It's of course worth it in the end. But I like to remind my DD what I "went through" for her - she groans of course, but I know that SHE knows how much I loved her before she was even born...

 

Wow, this does sound miserable! I will continue to hope and pray that I am not put on bedrest of any kind, but esp. not at the hospital. It sounds like, in your case, it was well worth it because you have given your babies the very best opportunity possible! So be proud of yourself for all that you have accomplished!

 

I am soo sorry to hear all you have gone through. Alot of your story sounds similar to mine although I had no ill effects from the mag. Nurses who weren't even mine kept coming in to see me because they had never seen anyone so 'normal' while on the drug for that time period (it was 8 days at the highest level possible).

I am glad you are home! Try to stay focused and know it will all seem like a tiny memory once you hold your precious babes! I remember telling my friends that once I had the babies I was never going to lay on my couch again. I think that lasted about a week until I was very content laying on the couch with a baby or two on my chest !

Keep your chin up! You are doing a great job and have conquered some major milestones along the way with some more coming real soon!

 

You poor girl! Thanks for reminding those of us who are housebound how truly bad it can really be.

What a rotten Thanksgiving for you and your husband. I thought for sure you'd say they all cooked and cleaned for him, even brought you your meal in the hospital!

I'm glad you're home and still cooking those babies.

 

oh my what a horrible ordeal....i'm so glad you are home and still cooking those babies...I think we are due around the same time.

as frustrated as I am with home br, i know i'm pretty lucky as it's not the strict and i'm so grateful after every appointment that i don't get admitted!!!

keep us posted.
miriam

 

You are awesome!!! I soooo feel for you. Bedrest in the hospital is the pits...you are right that everyone is always in there to do SOMETHING! I had to laugh about your 4am glucose test. The SAME exact thing happened to me!!!!

I missed Christmas, New Years, Valentines Day, and my DH's birthday thanks to hospital bedrest. BUT delivering two healthy babies at the end of it all made it so worthwhile!!!

You are almost done. Hang in there. And your DH sounds wonderful. Gotta love the family for "helping out!"

 

I'm so glad that you're back at home now. Hospital bedrest is so hard and I was only on it for 1.5 days! Let's not even talk about mag... Congratulations on making it to 32 weeks!