The Cure-All

Amber 2 Comments

I have a simple non-medicinal solution for when I am feeling uncomfortable, thinking I am having more than one contraction, or just can’t relax.  BUBBLE BATH!!!! I make a nice lavender vanilla bubble bath, light a candle (or ten), and grab a magazine, which I read cover to cover before getting out of the tub.  I have amassed a stack magazines from various friends so they aren’t in short supply.  It always seems to do the trick.  I have done this dozens of times in the past month, sometimes even in the wee hours of the morning.  There have been days that I have taken two or three baths!  I don’t use particularly hot water as I’ve apparently become heat sensitive.  It’s pretty much lukewarm bath water, but it always does the trick.  Our water bill this month has spiked quite drastically….I’m sure my bath-taking has contributed to that.  However, I won’t take full credit since George also started running the sprinkler again.

notice the jump in water usage from April to May…

Hugs!

Amber

Bed Rest with Companions

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Yesterday being left to my own devices was a little bit more difficult than I expected.  I wasn’t bored I have plenty to do.  I wasn’t lonely (at least not yet).  It was being alone in my own thoughts was the hardest part.  I noticed every twinge and wondered if it was normal or worth worrying about.  Thank goodness Sasha and Lily take bed rest VERY seriously!  They snuggle up with me most of the day and pretty much just rest or sleep so naturally they encourage me to do the same.  It’s an added bonus that they don’t care what I look like.  I don’t know how I would manage without them. 

The highlight of my day was going for my weekly date with Dr. Tabor.  It was the first time since Saturday that I needed to get dressed, fix my hair, and put on make up.  I do get dressed everyday, but I don’t bother getting totally ready.  I mean, that takes a lot of energy for me.   After I take a shower, I need a nap!  The appointment went well and there were no concerns.  I just need to stay on bed rest at home, which really isn’t too bad.  I just need to start reading more to get out of my own head.  The first chapter of the Hunger Games was pretty good so I think I will spend more time with it tomorrow. 

 

hugs!

 

Amber

Making the Most of It

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Bed rest to this point hasn’t been completely terrible (all six days of it).  Fortunately, most of the time either George has been home or my mom’s been here so I haven’t had to be alone too much.  That really helps.  I have a hard time asking them to constantly do things I feel like I could do myself.   It’s little things like refilling water, getting the phone, putting my dishes away, and doing laundry.  However, it’s so important that I don’t get up any more than necessary since too much activity is what triggers contractions.  George is generally not the best nurse when I’m sick, but he’s been great with this bed rest stuff.  He usually gets onto me if he thinks I’m up too much and never lets my Tervis tumblers go empty.  Being so sedentary has me a little freaked out about muscle atrophy.  A while back, I asked Dr. Tabor about “bed exercises” and he just shook his head so I guess that is out of the question.  I am soooo glad that I worked out a lot pre pregnancy at least.  That has to help, right?

Today, George took me to his Dad’s house so I could relax in the pool.  I have a maternity swimsuit from my cousin, but the top is way too tiny so I put  what used to be a baggy yoga tank over it.  Two weeks ago when I tried it on, it fit perfectly, but now the tank rides up a bit.  It didn’t matter though, being in the water was GREAT!  Not only did I get to see the light of day, but the water relieved the pressure of all the extra baby weight I am carrying.  Obviously I didn’t swim, I just totally relaxed in the hot tub part of the pool.  For those of you inclined to worry we had the temperature set in the low 90’s (e.g. lukewarm bath water), I had tons of spf 50 on myself, and I drank approximately 72 ounces of water in less than two hours.  When we got home I took a nice two-hour nap!  I am hoping we can get in the pool again soon.  It was really nice.

Poolside lunch served by the Cabana Boy (aka FIL)

Living it up in the pool!

Tomorrow I am left to my own devices until my Father-in-Law drops me off at Dr. Tabor’s office.  I have a decent list of sedentary things to do while I am parked on the couch: write thank you notes, read The Hunger Games, fill out disability insurance forms, catch up with blogging, start digital scrapbooks for the babies, and go through the cards we’ve received.  I will probably do some of that tomorrow, and watch some daytime TV trash too.   George stocked the fridge with prepared snacks to reduce my getting up and standing time.  Let’s just hope I don’t start getting cabin fever anytime soon.

hugs!

Amber

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Going Co-Ed

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My cousins, Jennifer & Lindsay, hosted a co-ed shower for us this past weekend.  Since we are having quads, we wanted to include all of our friends and family in preparation for the babies so we thought it would be fun to make one shower co-ed.   Unfortunately by the time this shower rolled around, I was already on bed rest.  UGH!!!  Just hours prior to the shower, Lindsay’s air conditioner went out!  She called an HVAC company through Home Warranty and tried to use me as an excuse, but to no avail.  They basically said since I didn’t live their it wasn’t a priority.  So much for getting some quad sympathy this time.  Luckily the weather was relatively mild and the shower was in the evening so I didn’t over heat.

I found a post in Lindsay’s club chair and propped my feet up on an ottoman, which worked pretty well.  George made sure to keep my drink glass filled with H2O and brought me plates of the yummy Mexican food that was served.  Our guests played this cute little game where they had to guess what quad fact might go with a series of random numbers (scary ones for us like how much we will spend on formula this year and how many diapers we will change).   My bed-resting self gave George an opportunity to open gifts, which was cute.  I loved seeing him open packages and then trying to identify what he opened (he was surprisingly good at it).  He had a little trouble with bottle nipples, but identified pacifier clips!  By the end of the evening, I secretly wanted to load Lindsay’s chair into the van when we left, it was so much more comfy than our couch.

hugs!

Amber (& George)

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Pin this!

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I am pretty behind on my blogging because frankly on my last days of going to work, I was zapped of all energy.  Last weekend my dear friend, Melissa hosted the most precious shower at her house with the help of my friends Terra and Nekedria.  It was so cute in fact, I think some of Melissa’s  ideas should be pinned on Pinterest.   They used my sea turtle story as inspiration for the theme, which was so personal and touching.    Every time I would go into a new room I would find some extra special detail in the decor.   For example, on the coffee table was a set of books wrapped in brown craft paper that displayed the names of the babies.  Behind the fireplace hung a clothesline holding  little onsies with hand painted turtles.  Baby bottles were stashed about that were filled with sea shells.  The cake even featured our blog name and a set of sweet sea turtles.  I felt so loved seeing all of the hard work they put into my shower.  Current and former colleagues were all there showing their love and support as well.  Our department secretary who retired almost two years ago even came, which was a wonderful surprise for me.  One group found a Brighton sea turtle charm bracelet that I will wear as a reminder of our journey and a symbol to show others.  I couldn’t read the cards because I knew they would start the waterworks and I wouldn’t be able to turn them off.  Below is a slide show of pictures so you can see everything for yourself. 

hugs!

Amber

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Is that thing safe?

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I got a phone call from my uncle last night and it made me chuckle so I’ll share it.   He was having dinner with his parents and they started talking about our quad stroller, which requires a trailer hitch for transport.  Granny apparently got this puzzled/ worried look on her face and said, “Ive got to speak up about this right now, I just don’t know if that is safe.”  Sweet Granny thought the trailer hitch was meant to pull the stroller behind the van with babies inside!  Now that would be scary!  Since the babies only ride in the stroller when it is not attached to a trailer hitch, I can assure you it is quite safe.
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And then I jinxed myself!

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I’ve been working full-time and have been managing it day by day. Fatigue has been my primary nemesis, but otherwise I have felt decent. After work, I’ve been totally exhausted and have taken two-hour naps most nights. Someone came into my office on Tuesday and noted that there were only 11 more school days for the students. I thought to myself, “Hey, I think I can make it to the end of the school year. What’s 11 more days?” So, I opened my big mouth and announced that thought to my visitor and office mate, Gina. Immediately, Gina shot me a look and replied, “Oh no, I think you jinxed yourself!” Well, I went to work again on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sure I was tired, but again managed.

After work Wednesday, my weekly appointment with Dr. Tabor went great! The babies looked great regarding size and fluid levels. My vitals were good and no signs of dilating. He did dryly announce, “Well, I have good news and bad news.” We asked for the good news first. Dr. Tabor stated, “You don’t have placenta previa. The lowest placenta isn’t covering the cervix.” I said, “Okay, that’s great! Now….what’s the bad news?” Dr. Tabor repeated himself, “You don’t have placenta previa. The lowest placenta isn’t covering the cervix.” And he was right, it is good news and bad news all in one. Not having placenta previa means I won’t bleed and am not at risk of hemorrhaging (GREAT!!!!), however if I do dilate, there will not be a warning sign. For some reason Dr. Tabor didn’t realize I was working full-time and seemed surprised that I was still managing ok. He was concerned about me over-doing it though so he decided to put me on a 1/2 day work schedule. I was released for another week of freedom!

After my appointment we had to fight rush hour traffic yet again and I had quite a few Braxton Hicks contractions. UGH! That evening I had more contractions, but was able to keep them at bay by essentially resting and going to sleep at 9:30. I thought I fixed the problem, but when I woke up….more Braxton Hicks contractions, which started up with almost every movement I made. I felt my stomach contract when I tried to sit up let alone walk or do anything else. I rested on my side and drank water by the gallon, but none of it seemed to help so I had to call Dr. Tabor. He ordered me to the maternal observation unit at the hospital so George and I were off to the hospital. Gina was right, I totally jinxed myself!!!!

Maternal observation was fun….NOT! I got a very painful cervical exam before they hooked me up to a Toco monitor, which keeps track of contractions. Since I was at rest there weren’t any contractions, which was a good thing. That did mean, however that Dr. Tabor had to put me on bed rest since contractions were triggered by activity.

I knew bed rest was coming, but it was a nice dream to think I could make it those last 11 days. It’s okay though. I had been a little worried about over exerting myself and causing trouble, so bed rest was needed. Today was my first day of full bed rest and it’s been okay. That’s because my mom’s been with me and has been helping organize and tidy up while I rest on my side or sit. I’ve been able to do some things like fold laundry that she delivered to me and sort baby clothes. The nurseries are much more organized now thanks to Mom. I made myself a laundry list of things I want to accomplish while on bed rest like read The Hunger Games and write thank you notes. I’m trying to make the best of house arrest here!

hugs!

Amber

PS- Since I’m home…I will try to catch up on all the blogging I didn’t do this week while I was napping every evening. I have new pictures to add to the photo gallery and everything =)

21 weeks, 5 days

A Quadruplets Shower!

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My sweet friends, Melissa, Terra, and Nekedria hosted this shower for me over the weekend.  I haven’t had a chance to upload pictures and tell about it, but Melissa posted it on her blog at Blessingsinchaos@wordpress.com so you can get a glimpse.   Hugs!  Amber

A Quadruplets Shower!.

We’ve Got a Pillow Situation

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As the babies and I grow larger, sleeping is becoming increasingly interesting.  I have this fantastic set of pillows that make it all work, at least as well as you could expect.  You see, I have one maternity noodle-shaped pillow called a Snoogle that goes under my head, runs the length of my body and curls back up to go between my knees.  It’s enormous, but it’s not all I need.  I have a regular pillow to put at the top of the Snoogle for my head plus a down pillow to hug.  Plus, I have this nice little wedge pillow that fits in the space between the mattress and my stomach.  Without that wonderful little wedge, the weight of my stomach pulls downwards and just plain hurts.  I get it all “just right” and sleep for a bit when of course….nature calls.   It’s not terribly easy since I can’t just sit up or roll over.  I have to use my arms to heave myself up, move all the pillows over and eventually slither out of bed.  When I return, about half the time a dog has snuggled herself into my pillows so I have to move her, re situate everything and it all begins again.  George and I joke that I’m just practicing getting up in the night and back to sleep for when the babies arrive.  I can only imagine how much more “fun” this will become in the approaching weeks!

hugs!

Amber

This is how my pillows begin when I get into bed.

This is what happens in the night.

Emotional much?

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It is official, my hormones are in overdrive and I am an emotional roller coaster these days.  Here’s how the past two days have gone for me:

Yesterday we had our 20 week check up and it was GREAT!!!  Again, the babies are all the right size with good fluids.  Of course Rylin has not yet decided to head further north, but it’s okay.  I’m thinking she got a bit of the stubborn gene.  My vitals were also good.  I managed to hold off on another week of bed rest.  I left feeling very confident.

About 9:30 last night, less than four hours from my appointment, I started having Braxton Hicks contractions.  They weren’t painful, but my stomach was absolutely tightening.  This of course made me feel anxious and not so great.  I phoned a few friends and then decided to call the on-call doctor.  She said to drink water/ lay on my left side and if the continued for 30 more minutes to head to the hospital.  UGH!  She also thought my anxiety might be making them worse so I opted for a warm bath.  It helped, the contractions stopped and I was able to get to bed.  Okay, disaster averted.

This morning started off as usual with the rush hour nightmare that is my commute, but there was also a wreck where two highways merge so it was completely gridlocked.  I knew better than to get on the highway when I saw the sea of red taillights so I opted to stay on the service road and take some back roads.  The only problem was I wasn’t the only one with this brilliant idea.  The stop and go of the commute made me queasy so I felt rotten by the time I got into the building (I possibly had a green tinge to my face too).  What should have taken about 25 minutes took well over an hour.  I immediately headed to the  school nurse (she was a high-risk OB nurse before coming to the school system) to ask her about how to correctly monitor contractions and what to look for.  She immediately noticed I felt bad and naturally inquired.  Of course, this set me off into a crying spell for no apparent reason.  Sweet Nurse Patty sent me to my office with a blanket and literally made me rest on my side eating ice chips to calm me and settle my stomach.  However, throughout the day when certain people would stop in or I would start talking about something (not sad), tears would start flowing for no reason.  But, the good news is that I did survive the day and managed to finish a report!

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This picture really doesn’t fully capture the gridlock fun I experienced, but it’s an idea. ARGH!!!!

This evening when I got home, George was very thoughtful and made Chex mix for me.  That was the perfect way to wrap up an overly emotional day for me!  However, as he was making the Chex mix, I decided to catch up with my emails and blog reading.  Of course, someone posted a You Tube video about a man who was a disabled veteran who was told he could never walk again. As I watched videos of him learning to walk again and then practice yoga, tears streamed down my cheeks!  However, as I bawled, I simultaneously laughed at myself!  I knew it was silly, but could not stop either.  It is like a lucid dream, so weird.  I managed to get it together and enjoy watching some Big Bang Theory with George as I stuffed my face with Chex Mix.

He has the keys to my heart!

George is so smart…he suggested that I head to work extra early to beat rush hour and leave early to get home before rush hour hits again.  Why didn’t I think of that???  So, here’s to a better day tomorrow perhaps with less gridlock.  Just maybe…I’ll be able to control my emotions.

hugs!

Amber