And The Award Goes To...

...My husband!  Throughout all of this bed rest, he had to become Mr. Mom!  It was especially hard while I was in the hospital because I couldn't help entertain Alena at all.  He was responsible for a lot of things that I always did, which included getting her ready in the morning (he got good at picking out her clothes and combing her hair), her baths, her meals (luckily, he didn't have to do much cooking), and picking her up and dropping her off at daycare each day.  He was also in charge of the housework-thankfully he likes things as nice and tidy as I do!

One of the hardest things about being on bed rest was not being able to enjoy the summer with Alena. I wanted to do a number of special things with her because her world would turn upside down with the addition of two babies, but I couldn't.  Justin and her would visit me in the hospital about every other day after work/daycare.  They were usually short visits and there were many times I wished I hadn't seen her at all because it just made it that much more difficult.  I worried about what our relationship would be like when this was all over-would I still be her mommy? 

Alena enjoying the fair with her dad

When I was admitted to the hospital, I really didn't know how long I would be staying.  I knew there was a possibility I would stay until I delivered but I was hoping things would stabilize enough for me to go home.  After three days on the magnesium sulfate, I started having chest pain in the middle of the night.  The magnesium was decreased, but my contractions picked up. I remember asking my nurse if I should call my husband because I thought I was going to deliver that night.  The physician decided to stop the magnesium drip and start me on an oral medication called Procardia (a blood pressure medication that is also used to stop contractions).  This was my last resort so I prayed that it would work.  And it did!  A couple hours after stopping the magnesium, I felt normal again and the Procardia kept my contractions to a minimum-4 an hour, which I would continue to have until delivery.