The Making of Our Family - Part III

I spent a fairly sleepless night on the Peri-natal Special Care Unit (PSCU) of Tacoma General Hospital.  I was up most of the night with worry.  Anytime I would fall asleep, I'd move in some way where they'd lose a good connection to Zoe's heart beat. 

It didn't bother me that they came in to adjust the monitor.  Her heartbeat was my assurance that she was okay.  That we had survived one more night with her safely in my tummy.

That morning marked a changing point for my pregnancy.  No longer was it measured in weeks, but in days.  I was 29 weeks, 5 days pregnant that was longer than I thought I'd be when I was 29 weeks, 4 days pregnant.

My doctor came to check on me that morning.  She was pleased to inform me that the contractions had stopped.  It appeared that the medication was working.  I could go home that afternoon.  On two conditions: 

1) If my blood work came back normal. Then
2) I would be on moderate bed rest.  I could shower for 10 minutes a day, make myself food three times a day, etc, but I had to be in bed or laying down the rest of the time.  I would also be on medication around the clock and my appointments with her would be weekly going forward.

I was willing to do whatever it took to keep Zoe inside for as long as possible.  While I used to worry about stretch marks and past due discomfort, none of that mattered now.  Keeping her inside was my sole job now.

N picked me up, we stopped by the pharmacy to pick up my anti-contraction medication and went home to begin my bed rest.

That's when the panic set in.