Celebrating Amelia and Stella: The Official Scoop on My Overnight Stay in the Hospital in the DR

2 weeks leading up to Thanksgiving:

Ok, so many of you know this pregnancy hasn't exactly been super easy. Pretty much since we found out we were pregnant (6 weeks) I have been throwing up like crazy. Sometimes I can predict what food will make me throw up and sometimes the food (my staple item) that has been a life saver (PB toast) will make me hurl. A few weeks ago I couldn't keep anything down... all day long and a friend had told me about the effects of dehydration on the babies (http://www.tummywear.org/dehydration-during-pregnancy.php) which led us to call the Dr. who works in our ministry (Dr. Vladamir Canela). He came over and after one look determined I needed an IV. So he and Alan went to a pharmacy and bought all the supplies and an hour later I was in my bed hooked up to an IV hanging from my window pumped full of anti-vomitting meds. Alan was instructed on how to change the IV bag at 4am and the Doc was outta there! The next day around 3 or so my IV was out and I felt great. A whole day without throwing up, but sure enough it returned and the following week (this past Tuesday) we found ourselves in the same predicament, 9pm and I was wretching every 30 minutes with absolutely nothing at all to wretch. Another call to the Doc and again the IV extravaganzaa began.

Trying not to take things too seriously during my first "at-home" IV

The Day Before Thanksgiving:
On Wednesday I had an appt. with my OB. (Dr. Checo) We awoke early but I was still feeling nauseaus, even after the previous night's IV. Checo informed me at my appt. that I had lost 9 lbs. in one month but not to worry the babies were growing and doing fine. She did an U/S and everything looked great. When we told her everything that had been going on she ordered me to go upstairs to the Labor Wing to get another IV this time filled with vitamins and more anti-vomitting meds. We thanked her and headed upstairs for what we thought would be a simple 4 hr. IV.

11:30am: Alan was not allowed inside the Labor wing (not sure why) but they said he couldn't enter so I went in and a very friendly nurse hooked me up with my IV and I layed on what appeared to be an examining chair but cut in half, or maybe it was an examining chair for a really little person. They took some blood and after that I fell alseep and had some really wierd dreams only to be woken up an hour later and moved to an actual "laboring room" to rest. This room was supposed to be just a temporary room that was about 6 ft. wide by 10 feet long. It had a metal bed with a matress pad, a very loud ticking clock and 4 brightly painted semi-gloss white walls. (yikes) However, I turned the lights off and set in to take a nice uniterupted nap!

3pm: My Dr. came in with the results from my blood work. High white blood cells, low red blood cells and the nurses were having a problem taking my very low blood pressure... A result from major dehydration and anemia from not eating and getting enough iron. Solution? Over night stay and monitoring! They were going to take me to a private room later once one was prepared (complete with a TV!!) Alan was allowed in for a little bit at this point to know what was going on and what the game plan was. Soon after another Dr. came in to whisk me off to have a sonogram done on all of my insides to make sure everything looked ok. She checked all of my organs and then spent some time on the babies! Baby A was moving like crazy- paddling its little arms and legs and even did a somersault. Alan and I were laughing so hard! Baby B was a little more relaxed and layed back though she moved around some. I think Baby A is a boy and Baby B is a girl! After that we heard their heart beats and the Sonogram Dr. said everything looked great!

5pm: Back in the room on my second IV and Alan had to go home because he had class that night. He wasn't going to be able to come back because his class was over at 10 and visiting hours were over at 9. He packed a little overnight bag for me with some PJ's and sent it to the hospital with his mom around 8pm. I slept and slept.

6pm: My Dr. came back and checked on me, said they would monitor me over night and hopefully I would be going home in the morning in time for Thanksgiving!

7pm: Dinner came- boiled potato and 2 blocks of squeeky white cheese.

8pm: Alan's mom came with my bag and we chatted for half an hour before she had to leave.

9pm: Word came- there are no more private rooms. I am staying in the labor room overnight. It's just me and the nurses who came in every 4 hours to change my IV and pump me full of vitamins.

1:30am: woke up to the nurse changing the garbage (very loudly:) and finally dozed off until 6:30am.

Thanksgiving Day:
7:30am: Alan arrived at the hospital and the nurses let him in for 30 minutes to see me.

8:30am: Dr. Checo arrived and said the Hemotologist would be in shortly but if everything continues I can go home in just a few hours.

9pm: breakfast- mashed sweet plantains, more squeeky cheese, jello and hot chocolate.

10am: The Hemotologist arrives and asks me a million questions. He tells me he ordering a full blood workup and he'd be back to check on me later. I asked what time and he said "4pm." Uh-oh.... yep, tears welled up, I was not going home in time for Thanksgiving dinner.

11am: Nurse comes in and takes 4 viles of blood.

12pm: Lunch comes- rice, chicken, & soup

1pm: They tell me my private room is ready, Alan also arrives back at the hospital and finally we can be together in my private room.

1-5pm: watched House and America's Next Top Model

5pm: Hemotologist arrives and releases me from his care with an order to come back Monday for more blood work and to take it easy until then.

5:30pm: Dr. Checo releases me and says she'll see me next month unless I continue to have severe vomitting. She also suggests I may need to come in once a week for an IV.

6pm: We leave the hospital and I go home. With the IV's out I start to feel a little nauseaus but thankfully don't throw up!!

So we missed Thanksgiving and celebrating with our friends in the DR but they were so kind to send us 3 plates of food! Alan and I put up the tree on Friday, ate our Thanksgiving meal and watched The Family Stone! We were so thankful that our babies are healthy and doing great despite mom's on-going battle!