One More Day

I don't need any reminders of how fast life can change.
At 25 weeks, 1 week further than my last pregnancy, I knew how lucky I was to have each day with my baby.

I woke up on Sunday morning with terrible stomach pain. I was sick from 3am-9am. I never get sick to my stomach so I was worried. Whether it was a bug or something I ate, it made me very ill. I couldn't keep anything down and lost a lot of water. It was stomach pain that took me to Victoria hospital in London at 11am. I was rushed up to the triage center where I was hooked up, probed, examined, and given an ultrasound. The baby was moving and happy but the extreme dehydration started my contractions. I was terrified and was trying to pull it together and be brave but I couldn't help crying and imagining the worse was happening- again.

I was so thankful that Nathan was there. He is such a great man and I don't know how I would have got through the day without him. I know he didn't expect anything like this on his surprise trip home but it was a huge blessing that he was here.

After a couple hours of IV my contractions began to slow and eventually stop, never leading to labour. However, just because the contractions stopped doesn't mean he did.On the printout of contractions/movement the nurse said that there is often a few recorded black dots to note a baby's movement- on my strip there were long blocks of black because he wouldn't stop moving.

I was admitted for the night to the antenatal care wing of the hospital. This is where several pregnant women live on bed-rest waiting for their babies to be born. I went crazy being there for 2 days. I couldn't imagine being there for longer. I decided that it was time for me to stop working and really slow down (if I ever got out of there!)

On Monday afternoon I had an intensive ultrasound where a biophysical profile was done on the baby. This is where the baby scores (out of 2) in 4 different categories.

• Amniotic Fluid Index: two pockets must measure 2cm or more for a score of 2
• Fetal Breathing: fetus must practice breathing for 30 seconds or more
• Fetal Tone: full extension of a limb ie. clenching a hand
• Gross Body Movements: two or three episodes of movement

He scored an 8! The tech said it was rare for babies of 25 weeks to already be practicing breathing but he was- the only problem was it had to be for 30 seconds and at 25 seconds he booted the wand away and she had to start again. She measured my movements for 1 minute and he kicked 14 times. The ultrasound was so clear I could count all his fingers and toes and couldn't believe how different he looks from Michael.

Because he was doing so well and I was feeling better and hadn't been ill since arriving in the hospital my doctor gave me the OK to return home. I see him again on Friday so I'll know more then but for now I'm going to take it easy and enjoy each day.