Heather went in for monitoring yesterday. We’d hoped to make it until Friday (today), so the time between her appointments wouldn’t be as long, but Heather said she was feeling “off” yesterday. She was having contractions in her back, plus she said the normally very active Acrobat was sluggish. I remembered that she’d felt similarly on the day Annabel was born, and when we were put in the same room in Labor & Delivery that Heather had been prepped (and passed out) in on that January 22nd, I had déjà vu.

Heather and I were happy to have her sorority sister Staci as her nurse. Staci had been planning to be one of Heather’s nurses if the C-section had gone on as scheduled (as she’d been for Annabel’s delivery), but since it hadn’t it was still nice to see her. Staci assessed the situation and quickly got to work making sure Heather had immediate attention. She talked to the attending and had the chief OB resident give Heather an exam. It’s nice to have “someone on the inside.”

Staci also got to the bottom of the whole heparin vs Lovenox thing, because all the residents and the attending asked why Heather wasn’t on heparin. Dr. Risky said that, for Heather, she didn’t think it would be as effective as Lovenox, and that it’s harder to control. Heather and I were still uneasy about it, but Staci and the chief resident did a lot to make us feel better. The resident told us that should Heather go into labor, they’d likely slow it down long enough to let the Lovenox leave her system, assuming it was safe to do so.

The Acrobat’s heart rate was excellent, and while Heather’s monitor showed some contractions, the baby responded well. The ultrasound showed good blood flow and “perfect” amounts of fluid. I was very relieved that The Acrobat looked so good. Heather was relieved, too, but I could tell she is totally emotionally and physically exhausted. She’s being a trooper but I know she can’t wait until the baby is here. I can’t wait either, but am happy to have him stay in a few more days if it means his lungs will be more mature.

Annabel was thrilled to see her mommy when we got home, and it was nice to see her and Heather snuggling on the couch. I forced Heather to go to bed early after she mentioned her vision was bothering her. It was a long day and I’m going to make sure she gets an abundance of rest this long weekend. It’s going to be busy next week.

Thank you everyone for checking in on us – Heather (and I) really get a lot of strength from all of your kindness.