Bed rest: Weeks 23 & 24

I have been put on bed rest for a torn placenta! Can you believe it?!? I couldn't. Here is the story:

Last Thursday, I went to work as usual feeling nothing out of the ordinary. I get up from my desk every hour or so to stretch my legs and do some light walking to promote circulation. Well, around noon, I get up and I felt a big gush of fluid. My first thought was that my bladder must be weak and that I peed on myself. I went to the bathroom and looked at my undies. There I saw a ton of bright red blood! I totally freaked out. There were other ladies in the bathroom, so screaming was out of the question. I cleaned things up as best as possible and walked out of the stall. A very nice coworker was walking out of another stall as well and saw me and my tear filled eyes. I told her what was going on and she offered to follow me to the doctors office to make sure that I got there alright. I called the doctor and they told me to come in immediately.

Hubby met me at the doctors and they took me back for an ultrasound. The baby looked fine and they told me that my cervix was still long and the placenta was nice and high. I was still bleeding heavily, when I had a vaginal exam, so the doctor informed me that she would be admitting me to the hospital for observation. When I got to the hospital, I felt normal other than a mild cramping sensation. I was hooked up to all of the monitors and had my vitals checked - which were normal. The nurse came into the room after about 20 minutes and asked me if I was in pain. I said no, other than a mild constant cramping feeling. She said well your having contractions, so we are going to give you a shot of Terbutaline to make them stop. With baby only being in the 22nd week, I was so scared that if she delivered, she would not make it. The contractions eventually stopped and things were uneventful for the rest of the evening. The bleeding lessened, but the cramping remained.

The next morning, I was taken for an ultrasound. It was then that they discovered that my placenta was in fact low-lying and there was a small tare in it with several small clots by the cervix. They also noted that my uterus was still contracting. I don't know what they were looking at in my OB's office! With a diagnosis, I was told that I would shortly be discharged. My instructions are to be on bed rest for two weeks and to take a medication called Procardia, 3x per day, to prevent contractions. I have my follow up appointment next Friday the 12th. The hope is that the bleeding will stop and that my placenta will migrate upwards.

I am hoping that everything resolves itself and baby will stay in until term. I am so tired of laying down, but I know that it is in the best interest of Cailey.

Weeks 22-24 (Month 5): Papaya

Watch what you say -- baby is now able to hear outside noise from down in the womb. Studies show that baby finds gentle music and your own voice most soothing. Nipples are starting to sprout, and that little face is fully formed. And, baby's starting to settle into sleep cycles, snoozing about 12 to 14 hours a day. It shouldn't be hard to figure out when -- just pay attention to those kicks as they start and stop. By the end of week 24, your child will be weighing around 2 lbs and 14 inches long. Your cutie-patootie may even be a little more plump, but isn't anywhere near their full baby-fatted cute-self. Most of the “filling out” is coming up in that long awaited (and slightly dreaded?) third trimester. Woo-hoo! Get ready!