1/16/2010

For starters, this is going to be a long post. And I share all the details of our day, not to be depressing or ultra graphic, but because you are close friends. Those of you that knew what was going on were so sweet to call, text and send emails. And honestly, it's a much easier story to tell because there was a happy ending. As a family Currey and I have made a conscious decision to tell our stories of God's goodness. We believe this is one of those stories.

Yesterday was a very eventful day at the Blandford House! I was going on a home visit yesterday morning and begin having cramps. I continued driving thinking that they would go away but they continued to persist. I was headed to Southern Illinois and decided that I should turn around and call my doctor. I called Currey first and gave him a head's up because I didn't think I should go on the youth retreat that we were planning for this weekend. I was feeling very tired and thought a weekend away might not be the best idea. I then called my doctor expecting that I would be told to go home and rest (I'm convinced that's the resolution to all pregnancy issues!). I became much more concerned when she told me that I should go to the hospital. Thankfully, Currey was home and the house is only 10 minutes from the hospital. The nurse agreed that being with Currey was my best bet so I came home and we headed out. Honestly, I was expecting to get an exam and then be on my merry way. I was shocked when I was admitted to Labor and Delivery as a patient!

They began monitoring me as well as Blythe's heartbeat. It was quickly confirmed that I was having contractions. They explained all the things that could be causing this and began trying to isolate which issue it might be. It was unnerving to lay in a hospital bed and wait. They were concerned that I was dehydrated and starting pumping me with fluids. We were also told that it could be a lingering infection from my recent bought of bronchitis. I went in at 11 am and by 4 pm I was having consistent contractions. That was the scariest part of the day as we knew deleivery at this point was less than ideal. It was decided that I was not dehydrated but the contractions began to subside some. We had to make the sad decision to cancel our youth retreat that was planned for the weekend. It was a tough call to make as we had planned a lot of great activities and the kids were SO excited about our adventure! But we had no idea when or if I would be leaving the hospital so it was the wisest decision for us to make.

As I continued to have contractions, the staff began to discuss additional options with us. They decided the next action was a shot of medicine that would hopefully stop the contractions. I was given the shot and it took awhile to see improvement. I had to be contraction free for an hour before I could be discharged. We were thrilled to have the contractions slow and were hoping to get home to sleep in our own bed. We had to wait awhile as when I got close to an hour I would have a contraction. Finally, around 10 pm I was contraction free. We were discharged shortly thereafter and got to sleep in our own bed last night.

We are so relieved that Blythe decided not to make her debut! She will be full term in 3 weeks so any time AFTER that she can enter the world. They have no idea what caused the contractions so I will be monitored more closely until I deliver. We were also thrilled to hear that the contractions were only preterm contractions and there were no signs that I was going into labor. Another HUGE blessing!

By canceling the retreat, all the youth parents quickly found out about what was going on. Currey had to find someone to cover his shift so Starbucks people quickly knew as well. I had to leave work as well so my coworkers were aware. We were so incredibly blessed by all the people in our lives! We received so many sweet words of encouragement and felt incredibly loved through the entire ordeal. Thank you all for your thoughtfulness! We will keep you posted and hopefully Blythe will stay put a while longer.