From the Beginning (Continued February)

Tuesday, February 1, 2011 1:23 PM
Well, here we are at 17 weeks and 1 day. The weather is terrible...snow and ice. I'm so glad that even though yesterday was my first day back to work, I called and got my doctor appt. moved. I have been having some cramping, so as always, they checked my cervix (everything was fine), checked the babies heartbeats (all were fine), and confirmed that we do have one little girl in there along with those three baby boys. The nurse practitioner came in to see me, and this time actually measured my stomach with a tape measure. I measured at 29 weeks, so they decided to hook me up to the machine to see if it could detect any contractions. I was really hoping that the cramping I've been having was only due to my belly growing so big, so fast, but sure enough, the machine picked up that I was already contracting. That means, no more work, and more medication. The medicine that the doctor wanted to put me on is a pump, and a nurse would come out twice a day to check it and me. Unfortunately, our insurance has a $2000 deductible, and then will cover 80% a day which will leave us paying $54 a day. This could go on for several weeks. I am willing to do what it takes to keep these babies in there for at least another 11 weeks, but I have to admit that this new set back does cause some stress. I was really hoping to get in at least another 7 weeks of work, and the financial part of all of this is weighing on me. We are really hoping that the doctor has another option as far as medicine goes. I know that it will all work out, but it is something that you can't get away from thinking about. I ask for prayers to help ease my mind through what is to come over the next few months. I know that God will get us through.


Lilya still talks daily about the babies in her belly. It is so cute when she lifts up her shirt and says, "You have to be very careful cause there's babies in there." The best is to see her face light up when I tell her that her baby sister is kicking me. She says, "Myyyy baby sister?" and then just grins really big. She is going to make such a good big sister, and be so much help for me...as long as she doesn't try putting them in the toilet like she has done with one of her baby dolls for the last 2 days.

I know I've said it before, but I feel like I can't say it enough, I'm so lucky to have so many great family and friends that call and come to check on us all of the time. Although things seem tough right now, I see daily how much God has blessed me with.
 
Thursday, February 3, 2011 1:33 PM
The nasty weather has finally passed, and the clean up has begun. Probably the only benefit to being on bed rest, I can't be a part of that clean up. After talking with the nurse, it was determined that the terbutaline pump is the only way to help stop the contractions that I'm having. The company has agreed to wave our daily copay, so we will just have to cover our deductible. They will be out later today to put in the pump (that ought to be fun). We are approaching that very scary time in the pregnancy, so I'm ready to have the medicine that is just one more reassurance that I'm going to be able to carry these babies. My next doctors appt. is Monday, and hopefully the cd burner will be fixed so that I can post some new pics of these little ones. I think it's amazing how much they change from week to week.

Friday, February 4, 2011 9:54 AM
I now have an extra piece of equipment attached to my body. A nurse came out yesterday to get the medicine started and to show me how to use all of the equipment. I will be hooked to a monitor for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening to check for contractions. The report is sent to a nurse who decides what to do with my medicine. I am on a very low dose right now, but that is expected to change over the weeks as I get bigger. It is very comforting to know that the nurses are available 24/7 in case I feel any type of change. It is going to be worth paying our deductible up front.


I am already very bored with staying home. Lilya spent the night with my mom last night, and is still there. Tony is at work, and the house seems very big and empty. I try to tell myself that I should enjoy this time alone. In a few months, I'm sure I will wish I had a little of it back.
 
Tuesday, February 8, 2011 10:21 AM
So, I've decided that my first book from this experience is going to be How to Survive Bed Rest with a Toddler. Luckily, I'm not on complete bed rest yet, so I'm making note of all of the things that need to change before I am. Yesterday, as I was getting ready for my doctors appt., Lilya did a little "getting herself ready" as well. My mother-in-law came in to pick her up while I was getting dressed. I heard her say, "Wow, how pretty, but aren't you supposed to do that on paper." I came out right away thinking I was going to have another mess to clean off the wall, but instead found that she had covered her lips and cheeks with red marker. That was just the first that you noticed. As I looked closer, I could see that she had also colored her legs and the bottoms of her feet. So, before complete bed rest, all regular markers and crayons must go. Only Color Wonders will be allowed at the Stewart household. One other that I can add right now is to move the potty chair to the living room. She is very good about going in and going by herself, but she is always so proud that I have to get up and go look at it with her.

Thursday, February 10, 2011 9:35 AM
How does a "belly sleeper" ever get any sleep when there are four little ones in there? When I was pregnant with Lilya, I slept on my belly until the very day that I had her. Towards the end, I would just rig a couple pillows, and it never seemed very difficult. Now, I am about that size again, and each night is getting harder and harder to sleep. I toss and turn from side to side, trying my hardest to get as close as I can to laying on my stomach. I'm wondering if Tony would mind if I cut a big hole in just my side of the mattress.

Saturday, February 12, 2011 1:18 PM
Coming up on 19 weeks now. My contractions are very up and down. Thursday night, I had 9 in an hour, but never really felt like it. Since yesterday morning, I've been really crampy, but the monitor doesn't show much as far as contractions. I'm trying to drink a lot of fluids and stay off my feet as much as possible. So glad that Dave and Suzy kept Lilya all night last night, so it has given me a chance to rest up a little. I have to admit that I am very worried about the next few weeks ahead. I was 19 weeks and 6 days when my water broke with the twins. I know that I am being taken care of much better than I was at that time, but I am still so nervous to reach that same point with these babies.


Lately, I've been feeling them move more and more. I have to say that it is the most wonderful feeling in the world. I wasn't sure that I would be able to tell which baby was moving, but I can. They each have their own little spot in there, so it is easy to tell. It is a feeling I never got to enjoy with the twins, and I am so blessed to feel it now.
Anyway, I'm hoping that bed rest is not in the near future, but I did get a bit of a scare yesterday. My nurse called in the morning and said that I had 8 contractions in that hour (they don't want me to have more than 4). The night before, they had given me an extra dose of meds because while I only had 3 contractions, I was showing a lot of irritability. I had another extra dose yesterday, and didn't monitor again since I had a doctors appt. Everything looked great at the doctor. Cervix is still really long, and not funneling with pressure, and all babies looked good and had good heartbeats. They monitored me for a while, and there were no more contractions, just irritability (that causes the cramping) again. They are going to check my urine just to be on the safe side that there are no infections, but chances are, it's just the number of babies that's causing the cramping. I still find the technology that they use to be absolutely amazing. The new pictures that I'm posting make it all seem so real. Now, if they could only invent some way to monitor my 2 1/2 year old when she leaves the living room, we'd be worry free!
 
Tuesday, February 15, 2011 9:41 AM
What a great Valentine's Day! Usually Tony is working during our Dr. visits, so he can't go along. Yesterday, he took the afternoon off, and made the trip to Indy with me. I was a little nervous because my Alere nurse had called in the morning and said that I had 12 contractions on Sunday night. I hadn't felt the best all weekend, but was not having more than 2 or 3 contractions, so I didn't even send the strip on Sunday night. It just meant and extra dose of meds and an extra monitor before I went to the doctor yesterday. Contractions were down to 4 and 3, but they still seemed worried about the 12 from the night before.

It was the same routine at the doctor. Checked my cervix, and it was longer than last week (who knew it could grow). Then, the fun part, checking the babies. All were doing well, and Baby C (our little girl) had the hiccups. So cute to see on the screen. The doctor said that everything looks really good, but they want Alere to check for contractions in the morning and in the evening to make sure the contractions aren't showing a need to up my dose of medicine. I have a lot of room to work with the pump since I am on such a low dose right now, but we don't want to increase yet if we don't have to. Last was to measure the belly. Keep in mind, I was only 19 weeks exactly yesterday...measuring.......36 weeks! Wow, a little nervous about what the next few weeks have in store for us.

Friday, February 18, 2011 10:04 AM
Another day at home resting. I have not slept well the last couple of nights. I can't stop thinking about a friend/coworker who had to be induced yesterday at just 22 weeks because of so many problems with the baby. I feel so sad for her and the family. I know all to well the feeling of a loss like this. I hope God will surround her and her family with the love and strength to move forward.

Things have been really calm here. There have been a couple of nights that I had 5 contractions, so I had to take an extra dose of meds and remonitor, and the contractions were reduced to 1 or 2 an hour. Yesterday it was so nice to finally get outside and "play" for a little bit. I got to sit and watch Tony push Lilya on her swing, and the sun felt so good on my face. I am definitely ready for nicer weather. It beats sitting inside watching Dora, Diego, and Bubble Guppies (one of Lilya's new favorites).

I am so excited for my appointment on Monday. Not only do I reach that very scary 20 week mark, but they will also measure babies and give me more pictures. I am anxious to see how much they have grown...my belly can only tell so much. :)

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 11:07 AM
It may sound silly to some, but I have reached another milestone in this pregnancy. I have now carried the quads exactly one day further than the twins. I know that we still have a long way to go, but it is a litlle relief to know that so far things are going better. I had another great visit to the doctor yesterday. I was so happy that Nannie (my grandma) was able to go with me and see the babies for the first time. I love being able to share this experience with those that I love. The babies all looked great. They each weigh almost exactly the same, 12 oz...right where they should be. My cervix still looks good, and my belly measured between 37 and 38 weeks. With all of that growing, I still lost 3 lbs. The dr didn't seem concerned. I guess the babies are just fetting everything right now. I don't think I could thank everyone enough for all of the concern, thoughts prayers, phone calls, visits, and FOOD! I feel very blessed to have so many caring people in my life. I recently felt my first taste of being judged for our situation, but the love I have felt from so many others has made their opinions seem obsolete.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011 10:37 AM
So, I thought I was feeling better today than I was yesterday, but it looks like I'm having a few more contractions. The nurse called this morning and said she saw 5 contractions on my strip. This usually just means an extra dose of medicine and another hour on the monitor, but this morning the nurse informed me that they are going to have to take me off of the terbutaline pump due to findings by the FDA yesterday. She said that my doctor was going to phone me out procardia, the medicine he didn't put me on to begin with because it would lower my blood pressure, and mine has already been running low. I'm not sure where we're headed from here, but I'm hoping it's not a long hospital stay. We still need AT LEAST 8 more weeks of carrying these babies!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 1:33 PM
Looks like the doctor wants to take extra precaution while looking for a new medicine. I will be spending at least the next day in the hospital so that they can monitor me while they try out a couple of different kinds. I know I am very well taken care of, but I am really worried that I will have to stay longer than planned. When I called to tell my in-laws that I was going to have to stay at the hospital, Lilya came running over to me and cried, "No, no Mommy, don't leave me!" It broke my heart. I know I have to take care of myself and these babies right now, but it is so hard to have a little one that doesn't understand that. I will be sure to update as soon as I know what is going on. I have already been overwhelmed with the number of friends and family that have asked what could be done to help us through this next hurdle. I would say the best thing right now would be lots of prayers!



Friday, February 25, 2011 5:20 PM

We got lucky, and it turned out to be a short stay at the hospital. I am home now, but the doctor wants me on bedrest with no driving until he okay's it. I am now on an oral medicine called Procardia to help stop contractions. So far, it seems to be doing the trick as long as I remember to take it. I'm so spacy these days, and I have to remember the medicine every six hours. I am trying my hardest to follow his direcitions since I would much rather be on the couch here than in the hospital. It's easier said than done when you have a little one to take care of already.

We have been blessed again by friends and members of the communtiy. The Gallichans, Aaron and Rachel, who I've known for years, recently let me know that their church had a set of quad cribs that they were wanting to get rid of. When we went to look at them, they said that they had decided as a church to donate them to us. They are in great condition, and will work perfect when we get to bring these little miracles home. I am so grateful that they thought of us, and would like to thank all of the members at Kelly Crossing in Frankfort.

I'm so glad that it's Friday, and Tony will be home to entertain Lilya for a couple of days. Kaleb is even coming tomorrow, so that means more fun for her! We have another dr. appt. on Monday, so more updates on the babies and the size of my belly to come soon! Hope everyone has a great weekend! :)