29w5d: PPROM

It's been 6 days since I was diagnosed with PPROM (preterm premature rupture of membranes), and admitted to the hospital. I'm still in shock that this happened to me. Apparently PPROM occurs in only 3% of pregnancies and on Friday morning, I joined that small minority of pregnancies.

As I creep nearer and nearer to 34 weeks, I have been peppering the nurses with questions about the labor and delivery process. They have all been up front with me about how painful and messy it all is, and I appreciate their honesty. I do have a long history of severe anxiety though, and asked them about ways to cope with the "fear of pain." One of my nurses (Jill) told me to ask my doctor about nitrous oxide ("laughing gas"). She suggested this when I told her I was planning on having an epidural, but I was fearful of the pain that might come with an epidural. I discussed this with my doctor and he told me to request nitrous oxide before the epidural to relax me. He said the anesthesiologist wouldn't let me inhale the gas as the epidural was going in, but I am crossing my fingers the nitrous oxide will have a lasting effect through the epidural, to the point where my anxiety will be reduced. My nurses also told me they give Dilaudid for patients with contractions, but not dilated, and too soon for the epidural. I wanted to ask my doctor that question, but I was too embarrassed to ask. I understand women can get anxious before birth day, but I feel like I take it to a new level...

A typical day at the hospital consists of round the clock antibiotics. The first two days I was given lactated ringer solution fluids, ampicillin and magnesium. My nurses described magnesium as "flu in a bottle." It just makes you feel terrible and weak. I received two steroid injections and a Tdap injection. I stopped IVs Sunday and take oral medications only. I take oral antibiotics every 8 hours and a prenatal vitamin once daily. On an as needed basis, I take Pepcid, Colace, Diclegis, and at night, they offer Ambien. I felt guilty taking Ambien, but the doctor has OK'ed it and told me everyone on the floor takes it. It's so hard sleeping here, and it simultaneously helps with anxiousness. I suck up the guilt and try to remember the doctor OK'ed it. Twice a day, we do fetal monitoring and babies have been doing amazing. Other than one night with brief decelerations, which they checked on ultrasound, and they received a perfect 8/8 score. According to the tech and doctors, we cannot be sure which twin's sac ruptured, but it appears the girl's sac broke because she has the least fluid. They measure their fluid using the "deepest vertical pocket" of fluid and as long as it's over 2, it's fine. The boy's fluid measures 2.4 and the girl's fluid measures 2.1. In singleton pregnancies, they use the term AFI (amniotic fluid index), but not in twins normally.  On ultrasound, it appears the girl twin is no longer twin B. She migrated down and is now twin A (closer to the cervix) and both twins are both head down. Every day, I do "leak" amniotic fluid and doctors tell me I will leak until I deliver, so I wear this embarrassing huge blue pad that makes me feel like I'm 90 years old. *sigh*

I had a few visitors today which was so nice. It made me feel human again. Everyone in my church has been extremely helpful from bringing my husband food to bringing me some sort of gift in the hospital. I still haven't announced my pregnancy officially yet on facebook, and only family and few friends know, so it's nice that the few that know, care. It helps me from stressing out and keeps my mind from wandering. I hope they continue to remember me the next 30 days.