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	<title>The Spohrs Are Multiplying... &#187; bed rest isn&#8217;t restful</title>
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		<title>You Have To Squint To Tell Us Apart</title>
		<link>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2009/12/you-have-to-squint-to-tell-us-apart/</link>
		<comments>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2009/12/you-have-to-squint-to-tell-us-apart/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Dec 2009 08:53:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Binky]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Doctor Schmoctor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heather]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rigby the Dog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bed rest isn't restful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pregnancy is...fun?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[someone's in the hospital]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/?p=1839</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I woke up on Tuesday and the first thing that came to mind was, &#8220;ugh, I got my period.&#8221; And then I woke up a little more and remembered that I was pregnant so there were no periods coming that day. And then I woke up a little more and thought, crap. The irritability is [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I woke up on Tuesday and the first thing that came to mind was, &#8220;ugh, I got my period.&#8221; And then I woke up a little more and remembered that I was pregnant so there were no periods coming that day. And then I woke up a little <em>more</em> and thought, crap. The irritability is back. I took both of my anti-contraction meds and tried to focus on the day.</p>
<p>Mike and I went to pick up Rigby and ended up waiting more than an hour to retrieve her because all the vets and techs were in an emergency (doggy hit by car). While we sat in the waiting room, my cramping started to get worse. Just as I was about to tell Mike that I needed to leave, the vet brought out Rigby! She was so happy to see us. She had a little bandage wrapped around her right front leg from where the IV had been, and a huuuuge scar on her belly from the surgery. The vet went over everything with us (the stones were struvite, diet should keep them away, more antibiotics), and then she was free!</p>
<p>Rigby is clearly very happy to be home, but she&#8217;s definitely still recovering.</p>
<p><a title="just pathetic by The Spohrs Are Multiplying..., on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plasticcandy/4173968158/"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2585/4173968158_75413e4361.jpg" alt="just pathetic" width="375" height="500" /></a></p>
<p>We also caught her trying to lick her scar on several occasions, so she now has a lovely new accessory:</p>
<p><a title="this inflatable keeps me from licking my vagina! by The Spohrs Are Multiplying..., on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plasticcandy/4173212021/"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2527/4173212021_218b33c46f.jpg" alt="this inflatable keeps me from licking my vagina!" width="375" height="500" /></a><br />
<em>pretty sure she&#8217;s gonna run away from home for this one.</em></p>
<p>The cramping, unfortunately, sent me to Labor and Delivery <a href="http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2009/12/two-hospital-trips/" target="_blank">again</a>. Dr. Risky&#8217;s nurse practitioner sent me there before I even saw Dr. Risky for my usual appointment. I wasn&#8217;t really happy about that &#8211; I felt like it was the golden opportunity where the car is actually making the funny noise for the mechanic, you know? But off I went to labor and delivery. I was lucky enough to avoid a sterile speculum exam this time, but I still got all the other goodies &#8211; two different ultrasounds (you know, one outside, one <em>inside), </em>and a cervix check.</p>
<p>Seriously now&#8230;how the HELL do you women in labor stand a cervix check? Holy crap.</p>
<p>The resident that checked my cervix pronounced it closed, but soft. When she told me that, I sighed, because I knew Dr. Risky wouldn&#8217;t like that. After the residents and nurse left my room, I made myself comfortable and tried not to think about how many people had been all up in my vagina since Saturday.</p>
<p>After what felt like forever, my nurse came back in the room to tell me what Dr. Risky had decided. The contraction monitor had showed more irritability, even after the nifedipine dose I&#8217;d taken. Dr. Risky realized I was playing catch up with my contraction meds, so now instead of taking them as-needed, I am to take the anti-contraction meds around the clock.</p>
<p>The nurse then said, &#8220;Dr. Risky also wants you to lay down as much as possible, and really only get up to go to the bathroom.&#8221;</p>
<p>Me: *silence* *pause* *beat*  You mean, bed rest?</p>
<p>Nurse: No&#8230;I asked her that, and she said not to say &#8220;bed rest&#8221; to you.</p>
<p>I had to laugh at that, like my brain would explode if I was put on bed rest again. Although, maybe it would, I don&#8217;t know. But basically, I have to &#8220;lay down as much as possible&#8221; until I see Dr. Risky next Tuesday. I really wish I could have seen her on Tuesday but I guess Dr. Risky figured the 87 residents who had their hands in my vagina were enough for one day.</p>
<p>So, let&#8217;s go over the similarities between me and Rigby &#8211; we&#8217;re both on special diets, we&#8217;re both on meds, we both have scars near our lady parts, we both have to lay down all the time, and we&#8217;re both only allowed to get up to pee. It&#8217;s practically impossible to tell us apart.</p>
<p>UPDATED:</p>
<p>By popular demand<br />
<img class="alignnone" title="and now neither of us can lick...anything." src="http://img.skitch.com/20091210-8nkganfgryxm8kpafbdtnt6c9q.jpg" alt="" width="585" height="440" /></p>
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		<slash:comments>198</slash:comments>
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		<title>My Fire Season</title>
		<link>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2008/10/my-fire-season/</link>
		<comments>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2008/10/my-fire-season/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 23 Oct 2008 07:45:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Heather]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bed rest isn't restful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[no one's in the hospital]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pregnancy is...fun?]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/?p=451</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[California Octobers have the kind of weather that our colder northern neighbors would most likely envy. Most days the temperature sits around 80 with a warm breeze. But those warm breezes can also bring disaster. This October, there have been wind-blown wildfires that have destroyed beautiful hills and homes. When I took this picture, I [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a title="Fire Sky by The Spohrs Are Multiplying..., on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plasticcandy/2946638778/"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3192/2946638778_26c1423f04.jpg" alt="Fire Sky" width="500" height="333" /></a></p>
<p>California Octobers have the kind of weather that our colder northern neighbors would most likely envy. Most days the temperature sits around 80 with a warm breeze. But those warm breezes can also bring disaster. This October, there have been wind-blown wildfires that have destroyed beautiful hills and homes. When I took this picture, I remembered the last time I saw the sky like this &#8211; it was last October, and I was being driven to the hospital while fires burned in the hills and valleys of LA. The smoke in the air and the setting sun made it look like the sky was on fire, too.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve been so busy lately that I haven&#8217;t thought much about the events of last October. I was still on bed rest, only allowed to stand up long enough to use the toilet or take a five-minute shower. I never knew what the days or nights would bring. Every time Maddie kicked in my belly, I had anxiety. Every time she didn&#8217;t kick, I had anxiety. I could only sleep for an hour or two at a time. I would watch fire coverage on TV at 3 am and I&#8217;d see the looks of fear and anxiety on the faces of the residents whose houses were dangerously close to being enveloped by flames. I knew that look. It was the same one I would carefully cover with a positive expression during the daylight hours.</p>
<p>I entered the hospital on October 24th, my mom&#8217;s birthday. I&#8217;d been throwing up and had stomach tenderness and a growing fever. I went to the hospital for overnight IV fluids, and I didn&#8217;t leave until 36 hours after Madeline was born. Some people would think entering the hospital would be the worst part of the pregnancy. It wasn&#8217;t. Every time I&#8217;d see my OB or specialists and they didn&#8217;t admit me to the hospital, THAT was the worst part. It was like being one of those residents with a house about to go up in flames. It&#8217;s scary, but if there&#8217;s a fire crew down the street you know they&#8217;ll be there with the hoses to put out any fires. I longed to have my emergency crew nearby &#8211; I wanted skilled doctors and nurses right outside my door.</p>
<p>Reading through the archives of my hospital stay, I surprised myself when tears came to my eyes. I was transported back to those days and all the things I didn&#8217;t say. The <a href="http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/10/i-almost-forgot/" target="_blank">seagull</a> that used to sit at my window reminded me of how it comforted me when I was alone with my thoughts. The three-day <a href="http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/day-thirteen/" target="_blank">massive migraine</a> that my nurses and doctors feared could be a sign of Pre-Eclampsia, something I kept to myself. That being diagnosed with <a href="http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/day-twelve/" target="_blank">gestational diabetes</a> scared me more than anything, because I honestly didn&#8217;t know how I would manage to eat my required 2,500 daily calories without ice cream and apples &#8211; literally the only things I could manage more than two bites of before I&#8217;d get nauseous. I didn&#8217;t write any of this stuff down, and I&#8217;m trying to remember WHY. Was I protecting my worried friends and family? Was I in denial? Or was I too afraid to document the volatile emotions that swirled inside me like sparks in a firestorm, unsure of the damage they could cause?</p>
<p>I&#8217;m supposed to see a therapist to help me with my <a href="http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2008/07/if-youre-happy-and-you-know-it/" target="_blank">postpartum issues</a>. I have the number of three Doctors who specialize in PPD, but I have yet to call any of them. I haven&#8217;t wanted to delve into my pregnancy. I haven&#8217;t wanted to relive all those feelings. Even though it&#8217;s been a year, I just need more distance before I can go back to the scarred terrain of October 2007. The grass and trees are starting to grow again, and I&#8217;m rebuilding, but it&#8217;s a slow process.</p>
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		<title>The Birth and Triumph of Madeline Alice</title>
		<link>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2008/05/birth-and-triumph-of-madeline-alice/</link>
		<comments>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2008/05/birth-and-triumph-of-madeline-alice/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 May 2008 06:50:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Heather]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mike]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NICU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bed rest isn't restful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pregnancy is...fun?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[someone's in the hospital]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the famous Madeline]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/?p=191</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Two mornings after Madeline was born, I was in a hospital room on the general patient floor, shivering. I&#8217;d checked out against medical advice the night before because my husband called to say our baby was dying. I&#8217;d only seen her for a second, and I couldn&#8217;t let her pass without me. She stabilized after [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img SRC="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2026/2058335079_6f0fea726a_m.jpg" ALIGN=LEFT ALT="The early days">Two mornings after Madeline was born, I was in a hospital room on the general patient floor, shivering. I&#8217;d checked out against medical advice the night before because my husband called to say our baby was dying. I&#8217;d only seen her for a second, and I couldn&#8217;t let her pass without me. She stabilized after I arrived at the hospital she&#8217;d been transferred to (the one I&#8217;d delivered at didn&#8217;t have the high-level NICU she required), and it was only then I let myself feel the physical pain that came with an emergency c-section after ten weeks of bed rest. I had to go back to the hospital for pain management and observation. Unfortunately, for reasons still unknown to me, I couldn&#8217;t return to the postpartum wing. </p>
<p>The nurses on the general level were not prepared for a woman in my condition. When I buzzed for pain medicine, it took them 45 minutes to respond. A nun who came to bless me (it&#8217;s a Catholic hospital) got more than she bargained for when I burst into tears and asked her to pray for my baby. Even if I hadn&#8217;t gotten the call, I knew I couldn&#8217;t stay on that floor any longer.</p>
<p>I was forcing myself to walk, so I could start the healing process and be well enough to go to Madeline&#8217;s hospital. My mom, who was with me, had left my room to find a nurse about those pain meds. My cell phone rang, and it was Mike: </p>
<p><em>Heather. When are you coming? The doctors said Madeline isn&#8217;t going to make it. Babies with her problems rarely come back. Are you coming?</em> </p>
<p>I hung up with him and said to the emptiness, today is the day my baby dies&#8230;soon I will no longer be a mother. I decided she would be buried with my grandmother, her namesake. I finalized her funeral in those moments I was alone, the moments that felt like hours. </p>
<p>My OB discharged me, and as I stumbled past her she said, &#8220;if you don&#8217;t need to breast feed, bind your chest and use ice packs.&#8221; Her words were ice cold, cutting through me. So thoughtless and uncaring, but they made me feel when I had been so numb. </p>
<p>My memory of the four mile car ride to the hospital is lost, but I remember arriving. My mom had to drop me off to park her car, so I had to make my way to the NICU alone. It was the most I&#8217;d walked in ten weeks, but I was determined to ignore the pulling of my incision and the bleeding in my uterus. I brushed by my in-laws and walked right into the NICU to my daughter&#8217;s isolette. I stood next to my husband and took his hand. I didn&#8217;t expect to see my little daughter alive. I felt heavy. I wondered if I would sob.</p>
<p>She didn&#8217;t look tiny. Her body was swollen from the medications pumped into her bloodstream through what remained of her umbilical cord. I stared at her cord and cursed my body for failing her. I prayed my husband would forgive me.</p>
<p>The nurses and doctors spoke to me, but all I could hear was the hum of the high frequency oscillator giving her 500 breaths per minute, and the alarms. The alarms that meant she was dying. I looked around, and all I saw were faces. All looking at us, but none making eye contact. They all knew she was going to die. The other parents were told leave the NICU. Never a good sign.</p>
<p>The night before, I&#8217;d been told not to speak to Madeline because preemies can&#8217;t handle too much stimulus. That morning, I didn&#8217;t care. I started whispering to her, even though I was far away. </p>
<p><em>Mommy&#8217;s here, Maddie. Please be strong. You can do this. You are the bravest person I know. Please be strong for your mommy. She needs you.</em></p>
<p>Mike and I stood there for moments, hours, minutes. Her vital numbers improved. The doctors and nurses heaved sighs and sat, exhausted. The other parents trickled back in. We didn&#8217;t dare hope, we kept holding our breath. Six months later, we still haven&#8217;t exhaled.</p>
<p>The internet is so amazing, the endless possibilities at your fingertips. Once I had a <a href="http://mommy411.wordpress.com/2008/04/04/pprom/">name</a> for the reason I was on <a href="http://mommy411.wordpress.com/2008/04/21/bed-rest/">bed rest</a>, I spent the remainder of my pregnancy with my hands on the keyboard. I sought answers, odds, and facts before Madeline was born. After her birth, I needed stories. I needed to know how people got through it. That&#8217;s when I found a whole community of women grappling with loss and the fear of the unknown. </p>
<p>Many of the sites I visit have experienced the loss that slipped through our fingers. I was commenting on one today, and I was struggling to find the right words. I sat back for a moment and tried to consider why I was compelled to comment in the first place. Her words were beautiful and moving, why did I think that I, as the mother of a survivor, could say anything that would make her feel better? Yet, her story was haunting. It was almost me. But it wasn&#8217;t. By some miracle, my baby survived. Why was I the lucky one? Why not her? I realized then I have major survivor guilt.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m writing all this because, as time stretches on, the details of those early days and weeks get dim. I never want to relive that fear, but I never want to forget it. Not that I ever could. I also hope that revisiting this will help me deal with the guilt I feel. The world is so random. I will never know why our baby survived where others don&#8217;t. I can&#8217;t change the outcome but I hope that I can comfort those who suffer. I ache for them. I touched their loss. I briefly let it envelop me when I walked into the NICU on the day my baby was supposed to die. </p>
<p>I will try not to feel guilty anymore.
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright The Spohrs 2007 &#8211; 2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED &#8211; that means NO STEALING!</div>
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		<item>
		<title>The Hospital at Night</title>
		<link>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2008/03/hospital-at-night/</link>
		<comments>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2008/03/hospital-at-night/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 30 Mar 2008 06:59:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Doctor Schmoctor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Heather]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mike]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bed rest isn't restful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[someone's in the hospital]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[the famous Madeline]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/?p=152</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When the hectic hospital day gives way to night, most normal people succumb to the fatigue they&#8217;ve been fighting off for hours. I have that fatigue, but I find it almost impossible to fall asleep. When I was in the hospital on bed rest only five months ago, I would turn up the monitor on [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>When the hectic hospital day gives way to night, most normal people succumb to the fatigue they&#8217;ve been fighting off for hours. I have that fatigue, but I find it almost impossible to fall asleep. When I was in the hospital on bed rest only five months ago, I would turn up the monitor on Maddie&#8217;s heartbeat with the hope it would drown out my thoughts. I had so much fear then, I would have to block out everything to manage a mere 40 minutes of sleep &#8211; I would try to ignore the squirming baby in my belly and let the swishing of her heartbeat lull me into a trance. Just when I&#8217;d be nodding off, Maddie would shift and her heartbeat would fall off the monitor, and the silence would jar me into a state of panic. &#8220;She&#8217;s laying on her cord!&#8221; I&#8217;d think, &#8220;the doctors&#8217; predictions have finally come true, and something has happened and my baby has died.&#8221; A nurse would almost always come in at that point and find Maddie on the monitor again, but the terror that would grip me during those moments of silence will never leave me.</p>
<p>There isn&#8217;t ever silence in the pediatric unit. A few nights ago, a baby was laughing with unrestrained glee into the wee hours. The night before that, a child was crying out in pain and frustration. Right now, I am listening to the familiar gurgle of Maddie&#8217;s humidified oxygen, but I&#8217;m also hearing the gurgle in her chest with each breath. Occasionally, an alarm goes off on her monitor, her blood oxygen saturation has dropped below acceptable levels. I can also hear another monitor going off down the hall, and the commotion in the nurses&#8217; station as they rush to that room. We&#8217;ve been around hospitals long enough to know that sound &#8211; someone&#8217;s heart has stopped. Hopefully it&#8217;s a false alarm, but I find myself reflexively looking at Maddie&#8217;s monitor every few seconds to assure myself that it is not, in fact, <em>her</em> heart that has stopped. I can&#8217;t help but think about the parents of the child attached to that monitor. They&#8217;re feeling frightened, like the room has run out of air, and time is spiraling out of control. When I close my eyes, I&#8217;m transported back to first night I saw Maddie. I had checked out of the hospital against medical advise only 26 hours after my C-Section because I was told my daughter was going to die at a hospital three miles away. The alarms going off were overwhelming, the pitch of their beeps piercing. I won&#8217;t ever forget whispering to her, &#8220;be strong baby, mommy is here,&#8221; only to be told, &#8220;don&#8217;t talk to her right now, her senses are overloaded and she needs to focus all her energy on living.&#8221; I never want anyone else to feel like I did at that moment.</p>
<p>The hospital at night can really mess with you. I wish I could turn up a heart monitor on Maddie again, and drown out everything but the sound of her life.</p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright The Spohrs 2007 &#8211; 2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED &#8211; that means NO STEALING!</div>
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		<item>
		<title>Day Sixteen</title>
		<link>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/day-sixteen/</link>
		<comments>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/day-sixteen/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Nov 2007 05:07:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Doctor Schmoctor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bed rest isn't restful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pregnancy is...fun?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[someone's in the hospital]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/?p=44</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Another day, another scare. I woke up around 6 am to some serious belly sensitivity. I went to bathroom, and after I got back in bed a nurse came in to see how I was. I told her about my belly and she said, &#8220;we&#8217;ve been waiting for you to call us about that.&#8221; I [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Another day, another scare. I woke up around 6 am to some serious belly sensitivity. I went to bathroom, and after I got back in bed a nurse came in to see how I was. I told her about my belly and she said, &#8220;we&#8217;ve been waiting for you to call us about that.&#8221; I am on a couple different monitors at all times &#8211; one is for the baby&#8217;s heart rate, and the other is monitoring contractions and uterine irritability. The nurses can watch my monitors at their station down the hall. Apparently, they&#8217;d watched me have contractions while I slept, which was how they knew I was going to wake up not feeling great. The nurse checked my vitals and then felt around on my belly &#8211; it did not feel good. So she told me to make sure I let them know if there were any changes with how I felt, and let me try to sleep for a little while longer. With the stomach pain and the dark pink/light red amniotic fluid, I wasn&#8217;t able to get any meaningful sleep. I called Mike later in the morning and told him to come down so he&#8217;d be here when my doctors arrived. </p>
<p>My specialist arrived first. He did an ultrasound and found right away that my stomach was tender when he tried to push down with the sonogram wand. My wince of pain concerned him enough that he, too, decided to push around on my stomach with his hands to see if he could feel anything. He&#8217;s worried that I&#8217;m starting to show the early signs of infection. Luckily, everything on the ultrasound looked good as far as Madeline goes, and her heart rate is strong and steady. He ordered daily blood tests (OH GOODY) to check my white blood cell count. If the white cells are up, that is an indicator of infection. He then said that if I don&#8217;t have an infection, my body is making the transition towards labor. The hope is that the transition will take a little while and I can hold off labor for a little while longer. He said that it will be pretty obvious in the next few days how soon labor will be here. My OB came not long after my specialist left, and she echoed his diagnosis and went over a few scenarios with us about Madeline&#8217;s birth. After SHE left, my nurse came in to tell my that my white count wasn&#8217;t elevated. So, the good news is that I&#8217;m not infected yet. The bad news is that everything is still totally unknown. So frustrating.</p>
<p>Today was also the day of parent visits. Kathy and Tony came by again, as did my parents. We all hung out together for a little while, then Mike and his parents left to go back to our house (a new washing machine was being delivered), and my parents went to a football watching party and to pick up my brother at the airport. My parents eventually came back to watch the second half of the USC football game with me before they picked up Rigby and went back to their house. Rigby will be staying with them for the next few days, chasing rabbits and squirrels in their backyard. It&#8217;s like doggy summer camp!</p>
<p>HOSPITAL FOOD<br />
Breakfast: Cream of Wheat, biscuit sandwich with eggs and sausage, decaf coffee, milk<br />
Lunch: Macaroni and cheese, broccoli, milk<br />
Snack: Graham crackers, milk<br />
OUTSIDE FOOD<br />
More carnitas tacos from Baja Fresh! YUM!!!
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright The Spohrs 2007 &#8211; 2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED &#8211; that means NO STEALING!</div>
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		<title>A Few Things For The Room</title>
		<link>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/few-things-for-room/</link>
		<comments>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/few-things-for-room/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 10 Nov 2007 06:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Friends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bed rest isn't restful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[someone's in the hospital]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/?p=42</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I&#8217;ve been the happy recipient of a few more gifts here that I wanted to post pictures of. Beautiful flowers from Bella and Steve: Trojan spirit from Jackie and Christy: A cookie bouquet from Brian and Sheila&#8230;that unfortunately arrived literally three minutes after I was told I have The Diabetes. Mike enjoyed the cookies! I [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I&#8217;ve been the happy recipient of a few more gifts here that I wanted to post pictures of.</p>
<p>Beautiful flowers from Bella and Steve:<br />
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2361/1907673009_7e5fed9962.jpg" alt="" width="360" height="270" /></p>
<p>Trojan spirit from Jackie and Christy:<br />
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2392/1908510836_6094c7fe48.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>A cookie bouquet from Brian and Sheila&#8230;that unfortunately arrived literally three minutes after I was told I have The Diabetes. Mike enjoyed the cookies! I watched.<br />
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2071/1907674279_b74261801c.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>My Aunt Kathy &amp; Uncle Bill sent up Spunky. Spunky is to keep me company in the hospital until the baby arrives, then she is all Maddie&#8217;s.<br />
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2019/1941633761_07d8f6e101.jpg" alt="" width="360" height="270" /></p>
<p>Thanks to everyone!!!</p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright The Spohrs 2007 &#8211; 2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED &#8211; that means NO STEALING!</div>
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		<title>Day Fifteen</title>
		<link>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/day-fifteen/</link>
		<comments>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/day-fifteen/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 10 Nov 2007 05:19:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Doctor Schmoctor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Friends]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bed rest isn't restful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pregnancy is...fun?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[someone's in the hospital]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/?p=41</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It appears, thank goodness, that The Diabetes can be controlled by diet. YAY. By removing the few things that tasted good from my diet, my blood sugar is hovering between 90 and 110 (it needs to be below 120). So my OB said today that I only have to test my blood sugar twice a [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img SRC="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2270/1942474316_4428126ab2_m.jpg" ALIGN=LEFT>It appears, thank goodness, that The Diabetes can be controlled by diet. YAY. By removing the few things that tasted good from my diet, my blood sugar is hovering between 90 and 110 (it needs to be below 120). So my OB said today that I only have to test my blood sugar twice a day. Double yay! The finger pricking isn&#8217;t too painful &#8211; it&#8217;s all about where on your finger you stick yourself. The nurses have shown me that the side of the end of the finger is best because the nerves aren&#8217;t right there, and it still bleeds enough to get a proper reading. Still, I&#8217;m glad I only have to go through it twice a day. The nutritionist also taught me how to count carbs and all that, so I can finally eat outside food. Physical therapy STILL didn&#8217;t come. My doctor was pretty pissed about that, so hopefully she busted some ass and I&#8217;ll get my therapy next week. My specialists should be coming by this weekend, so we&#8217;ll get another measurement of Madeline&#8217;s growth.</p>
<p><img SRC="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2106/1941643154_aac690396a_m.jpg" ALIGN=LEFT>I had some fun visitors today!!! Diane and her adorable daughter Meghan came by to see me this morning. Meghan was born at the end of August. Because of work and other things, I wasn&#8217;t able to go visit Diane and Meghan right away, and then I was put on bed rest! So today was the first time I met Meghan. She is such a little cutie! It was so great to visit with Diane and cuddle her little baby &#8211; it helped remind me what I&#8217;m doing this all for! Soon, Maddie and Meghan will be crawling around, playing and cooing. But hopefully not TOO soon, Maddie needs to stay in and cook a little while longer. Diane also brought Madeline the adorable little &#8220;Worth The Wait&#8221; onesie that is at the beginning of the entry. I have it hanging at the top of the bed near my head, reminding me that as much as I want to get out of this damn hospital bed, there is someone at the end of this worth waiting for! Good motivational work there, Diane! Mike and his parents also came by today. Mike is feeling better, although still not great, but he was up to visiting for a few hours with me and his parents. I feel so lucky that so many people have come to visit me. Mike&#8217;s parents came all the way from Northern California!!! It makes me realize how lucky I am. So many people care about our little family, I am so grateful.</p>
<p><strong>HOSPITAL FOOD</strong><br />
<em>Breakfast</em>: 1/2 portion Cream of Wheat, 1/2 biscuit sandwich with eggs and sausage, decaf coffee<br />
<em>Snack</em>: low calorie no sugar yogurt<br />
<em>Lunch</em>: Chicken salad that looked like barf, sugar free chocolate cake<br />
<em>Snack</em>: Graham crackers, milk<br />
<strong>OUTSIDE FOOD</strong><br />
Carnitas tacos from Baja Fresh! YUM!!!
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright The Spohrs 2007 &#8211; 2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED &#8211; that means NO STEALING!</div>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Day Fourteen</title>
		<link>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/day-fourteen/</link>
		<comments>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/day-fourteen/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Nov 2007 05:46:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Doctor Schmoctor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rigby the Dog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bed rest isn't restful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pregnancy is...fun?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[someone's in the hospital]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/?p=40</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Thank goodness, my migraine was pretty much gone when I woke up this morning. That was just too many days of headache for me. My nurses were very relieved that my migraine was gone, along with my low blood pressure. My night nurse told me last night that if those things didn&#8217;t go away, I [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thank goodness, my migraine was pretty much gone when I woke up this morning. That was just too many days of headache for me. My nurses were very relieved that my migraine was gone, along with my low blood pressure. My night nurse told me last night that if those things didn&#8217;t go away, I was probably going to have to go back on IV fluids. If only a nurse had told me that sooner! I swear as soon as I heard that my headache went away.</p>
<p>My OB came by and was happy to hear that my blood sugar levels were under control. She told my nurse that if my levels stay low, I won&#8217;t have to test multiple times per day. YAY! My fingers look like pin cushions already. Good thing I&#8217;m not a hand model. My doctor also scheduled a massage from physical therapy for me. It was supposed to happen today (actually, it was supposed to happen yesterday, but with the headache it was pushed back), but no one showed. What a bunch of crap, right? So I&#8217;m going to complain tomorrow. I know, wah wah, no massage today, but I seriously NEED IT. I have never needed anything more in my life!!!</p>
<p>My mom was here with me today, and she gave me a great shoulder, head, and face rub to help ease my discomfort. We had a nice day visiting and relaxing. She also took a quick trip to Whole Foods to get me some Diabetes Approved snacks. Poor Mike, he is still feeling pretty sick, so he only came by for a quick visit. He spent most of the day either working on our house with his parents or resting. He looked and sounded much better than he did yesterday, so I&#8217;m hopeful that he&#8217;ll be even better tomorrow.</p>
<p>I also had one other visitor today. Seeing her was great!<br />
<img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2329/1927644448_180ff7521f.jpg" alt="" width="360" height="270" /><br />
Yep, it&#8217;s Rigby (ignore her creepy red eye)!!! My mom and Mike smuggled her in to see me by putting her in a back pack and zipping it up! I was sooo happy to see my little puppy. It&#8217;s been a long two weeks without her.</p>
<p><strong>HOSPITAL FOOD</strong><br />
<em>Breakfast</em>: Cream of Wheat, 1/2 biscuit sandwich with eggs and sausage, milk<br />
<em>Snack</em>: low calorie, no sugar yogurt<br />
<em>Lunch</em>: 1/2 portion baked ziti, diet gelatin<br />
<em>Snack</em>: Graham crackers, milk<br />
<em>Dinner</em>: Honey glazed chicken, fresh fruit, milk<br />
<strong>OUTSIDE FOOD</strong><br />
edamame</p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright The Spohrs 2007 &#8211; 2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED &#8211; that means NO STEALING!</div>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>Day Thirteen</title>
		<link>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/day-thirteen/</link>
		<comments>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/day-thirteen/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 09 Nov 2007 02:46:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Doctor Schmoctor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bed rest isn't restful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pregnancy is...fun?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[someone's in the hospital]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/?p=39</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I could sum up my day in five words: Had migraine, slept all day. I had the worst headache, I pretty much laid low all day. I closed the curtains on my windows and pressed my hands into my eyes, hoping that when I&#8217;d wake up my headache would be gone. I have a feeling [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I could sum up my day in five words: Had migraine, slept all day. I had the worst headache, I pretty much laid low all day. I closed the curtains on my windows and pressed my hands into my eyes, hoping that when I&#8217;d wake up my headache would be gone. I have a feeling that would have worked if I&#8217;d actually gotten a solid stretch of sleep. Getting more than 45 minutes of sleep at a time is pretty much impossible around here. If it isn&#8217;t my doctor coming in, it&#8217;s a nurse, or a specialist, or the mail, you name it. The one welcome interruption came at the end of the day when Mike and his parents came. Kathy and Tony are in town to visit me and help Mike get our place ready for Maddie. It was nice to visit with them for a while, although I don&#8217;t think I was much company thanks to my headache. Mike wasn&#8217;t much company either as he has a terrible cold. He had to stay away from me today, only stopping in for a brief visit. He looked terrible, poor guy!!! Hopefully a good night&#8217;s sleep will help him.</p>
<p>Today, in addition to my headache, was my first day dealing with The Diabetes. I was woken at 5 am for a vital check and fasting blood sugar test (which means it&#8217;s checked before I eat). My nurse took my blood pressure and temperature, then asked me which finger I wanted her to test. After offering my middle finger (ha), she pressed this little device against the side of my finger, then pushed a little button. The device popped and pricked my finger, causing it to bleed. She then took that blood and put it on a test strip, then ran the strip through the machine. This whole process was repeated after every meal. My blood sugar came back normal after every test, yay. It gives me great hope that The Diabetes will be controllable by diet. Sure, it might be the grossest, milk heavy diet ever, but it&#8217;s better than daily shots!</p>
<p>However, when there is good news, there is always something random wrong. In the morning, my blood pressure was really low. My nurse took it again on my other arm and got the same results &#8211; 89 over 53. So, of course, that doomed me to blood pressure checks ALL DAY. Throughout yesterday my blood pressure was extremely low. I kept joking with the nurses, &#8220;am I dead?&#8221; Luckily, it was never as low as it was in the morning, but I could actually tell the nurses were a bit concerned by it. They had me drink approximately 1,000 gallons of water, which seemed to make a difference. Not to my headache, mind you, but to my blood pressure. Nothing helps my migraines except the sweet release of death&#8230;which really isn&#8217;t an option.</p>
<p><strong>HOSPITAL FOOD</strong><br />
<em>Breakfast</em>: Cream of Wheat, biscuit sandwich with eggs and sausage, milk<br />
<em>snack</em>: low calorie, no sugar yogurt<br />
<em>Lunch</em>: Tuna Salad plate, diet gelatin, milk<br />
<em>Dinner</em>: Chicken, milk<br />
<strong>OUTSIDE FOOD</strong><br />
Chicken dinner from Koo Koo Roo</p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright The Spohrs 2007 &#8211; 2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED &#8211; that means NO STEALING!</div>
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		<title>Day Twelve</title>
		<link>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/day-twelve/</link>
		<comments>http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/2007/11/day-twelve/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:35:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Doctor Schmoctor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bed rest isn't restful]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pregnancy is...fun?]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[someone's in the hospital]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://thespohrsaremultiplying.com/?p=38</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I was woken up at 6:30 to start my three-hour glucose tolerance test. I hadn&#8217;t been allowed food for twelve hours (no biggie) but I hadn&#8217;t been allowed any liquids since 11 pm last night. My mouth was sooooo dry by the time my nurse brought my sugar drink. First, she took a vial of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2222/1908511180_dac1cc919a_m.jpg" alt="" align="LEFT" />I was woken up at 6:30 to start my three-hour glucose tolerance test. I hadn&#8217;t been allowed food for twelve hours (no biggie) but I hadn&#8217;t been allowed any liquids since 11 pm last night. My mouth was sooooo dry by the time my nurse brought my sugar drink. First, she took a vial of blood so they could test my fasting blood sugar levels. Then I pounded the drink, which tasted like sprite, but warmer, thicker, and with less carbonation. At 7:30, 8:30, and 9:30, my nurses came back and drew more vials of blood. I ended up with four lovely puncture marks on my right arm, flanking the bruise that I got almost two weeks ago from a different blood draw. Good thing I&#8217;m not an arm model. The SECOND the last vial of blood was taken, I tore into my breakfast, which had been sitting there since 7:30, mocking me. I also drank an entire glass of water in about three seconds. Because I was so hungry and dehydrated, I was put on a contraction monitor. I had a few contractions but nothing major.</p>
<p>At 11:30 my nurse came back with the news. A normal blood sugar level is anything below 120. Mine were in the 160s and 170s. I failed again. I have The Gestational <img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2200/1908511978_2a339b2896_m.jpg" alt="" align="LEFT" />Diabetes. After that, it was a whirlwind of people in and out of my room &#8211; nurses, doctors, nutritionists, you name it. I have to adjust my diet &#8211; no sugar, very few carbs, and absolutely nothing fun. Mt blood sugar has to be tested four times a day &#8211; when I wake in the morning and an hour after every meal. A nurse comes and pricks one of my fingers, and then we put the blood on a little test strip and run it through a machine. My doctor isn&#8217;t that concerned. Because I&#8217;ve been in the hospital, we literally caught it right away. And, since it&#8217;s the kind of diabetes that comes with pregnancy, she is confident it will go away after Maddie is born. Still, it&#8217;s a pain. Eating during this pregnancy hasn&#8217;t been the easiest thing for me, but there were a few things I could always eat that could help me with my calories. All those things are pretty much out!!! No more ice cream, cookies, candy, etc. You know, the things that make life worth living, ha. The hope at the moment is that my diet will be able to control my blood sugar. If not, I&#8217;ll need insulin shots. Let&#8217;s hope it doesn&#8217;t come to that! My new diet starts tomorrow.</p>
<p>I&#8217;ve had a pretty bad headache all day&#8230;actually, I&#8217;ve had a headache for the last three days, but in the last few hours it&#8217;s gotten worse. So I am going to try to sleep, I promise to email everyone who emailed me today when I am feeling better.</p>
<p><strong>HOSPITAL FOOD</strong><br />
<em>Breakfast</em>: Raisin Bran, Cream of Wheat, Orange Juice, decaf coffee<br />
<em>Lunch</em>: Roast turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, cookies<br />
<em>Dinner</em>: Lasagna, fruit cup, water<br />
<strong>OUTSIDE FOOD</strong><br />
edamame</p>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Copyright The Spohrs 2007 &#8211; 2008. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED &#8211; that means NO STEALING!</div>
]]></content:encoded>
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