Shannon's Post

I am in the hospital again! But this time not related to the chronic problems, I'd been having severe pain right beneath my sternum on and off with certain movements for a couple of weeks, and it started lasting longer, and because we thought it might be pancreatitis we went ahead to the hospital. They've speculated that I tore or strained an abdominal muscle, one of the ones that is supposed to stretch with the baby. I've been here for almost a week now, and just last night they took me off iv narcotics and gave me a lidocaine patch. I was skeptical at first, but while the pain wasn't eliminated completely, I felt so much better than on the pain meds. They are going to let me go home tomorrow so I can follow up with specialists as an out-patient.

Everyone here has been really great. All of nurses have been fantastic. Today was craft day, which one of the charge nurses hosts. I made a lovely pillow. It was actually really easy. And it turns out my mom knows a lot about sewing, so I might be able to convince her to pull out the sewing machine she hasn't used in twenty years and do some projects with me.

Hunter is doing well, though I've been having a lot of contractions. I'm on non-official partial bed rest while I'm here. My nurse doesn't want me doing too much walking around so I don't stimulate more. I'm also on Procardia for the same reason. He is kicking up a storm! My dad got to feel him yesterday, and you can see him moving through my shirt for sure. He's going to be a wild one! I can't wait to meet him. He is so funny, he aims for the stethoscope or monitor whenever either is put on my belly. I'm pretty sure he's more breech now, but I can't really feel where he is through my belly yet to be sure. I wonder how much I'll have popped in another 8 weeks. I'm still pretty small now. He weighs over 3lbs though, so he's right on track, and so are my measurements. Only another two months! It feels like forever, but it will fly by. It's hard to believe that I'm having a baby of my very own. Maybe when he's in my arms it will feel real.

30 weeks!