Elizabeth & One Year Ago
This weekend we discovered that Elizabeth has her first tooth! She also learned to pull up and to do a "regular" crawl. She had quite a weekend with all these developments! What a good girl!
Tomorrow marks the 1 year anniversary of when I began my lengthy stay at St. Vincent Women's Hospital. I had been on modified bed rest at home since the early weeks of my pregnancy. Due to an increase in contractions I went on full bedrest at home around week 18. And then on October 3rd my contraction monitor picked up contractions every 5 minutes.....I was essentially going into labor at 20 weeks. My nurse called and said that my doctor wanted me at the hospital in Indianapolis right away. I threw a few things into a suitcase and crawled into the backseat of our car and Shane flew to Indianapolis. We were scared. We held hands and cried not knowing if the Lord would choose to stop the labor and save our children. After arriving at the hospital, checking in, and doing paperwork, I was led to an exam room (I envisioned a scene from "ER" when I arrived--that wasn't the case). Thankfully, they gave me an injection that started to slow the contractions and then they wheeled me to my room (I had no idea that I literally wouldn't leave that room for 7 weeks-yikes). After I arrived in the room a nurse named Julie (she ended up being one of our FAVORITE nurses) told me that our doctor wanted to start IV magnesium......I had read/heard many bad things about that medicine but I knew that it was our only chance. They started that medicine and the contractions slowed a little more, just enough to keep me from going into full blown labor. My doctor said that I might be able to be released from the hospital later that week, I knew in my heart that probably wouldn't happen. I knew the statistics, most quintuplet pregnancies don't make it at all and the large majority of the rest of them are in the hospital by 19 weeks or sooner. Needless to say, I was scared but thankful for the magnesium medication. As the medicine began to enter my system I suddenly felt like I had the flu and felt like I was on fire (I tried to pretend I was on the beach at Cancun--ha ha). But, more than anything I was fearful. I would like to say that I focused on the Lord and He calmed my fears and it was a cake walk thru the rest of the pregnancy.......but that would be a lie. I was fearful and the Bible says that fear paralyzes us and that is what happened, I was paralyzed. I felt like I had been dropped into a black hole and couldn't get out. Thankfully that isn't where the story ended for me or our babies...I'll continue more in the days ahead.
Tomorrow marks the 1 year anniversary of when I began my lengthy stay at St. Vincent Women's Hospital. I had been on modified bed rest at home since the early weeks of my pregnancy. Due to an increase in contractions I went on full bedrest at home around week 18. And then on October 3rd my contraction monitor picked up contractions every 5 minutes.....I was essentially going into labor at 20 weeks. My nurse called and said that my doctor wanted me at the hospital in Indianapolis right away. I threw a few things into a suitcase and crawled into the backseat of our car and Shane flew to Indianapolis. We were scared. We held hands and cried not knowing if the Lord would choose to stop the labor and save our children. After arriving at the hospital, checking in, and doing paperwork, I was led to an exam room (I envisioned a scene from "ER" when I arrived--that wasn't the case). Thankfully, they gave me an injection that started to slow the contractions and then they wheeled me to my room (I had no idea that I literally wouldn't leave that room for 7 weeks-yikes). After I arrived in the room a nurse named Julie (she ended up being one of our FAVORITE nurses) told me that our doctor wanted to start IV magnesium......I had read/heard many bad things about that medicine but I knew that it was our only chance. They started that medicine and the contractions slowed a little more, just enough to keep me from going into full blown labor. My doctor said that I might be able to be released from the hospital later that week, I knew in my heart that probably wouldn't happen. I knew the statistics, most quintuplet pregnancies don't make it at all and the large majority of the rest of them are in the hospital by 19 weeks or sooner. Needless to say, I was scared but thankful for the magnesium medication. As the medicine began to enter my system I suddenly felt like I had the flu and felt like I was on fire (I tried to pretend I was on the beach at Cancun--ha ha). But, more than anything I was fearful. I would like to say that I focused on the Lord and He calmed my fears and it was a cake walk thru the rest of the pregnancy.......but that would be a lie. I was fearful and the Bible says that fear paralyzes us and that is what happened, I was paralyzed. I felt like I had been dropped into a black hole and couldn't get out. Thankfully that isn't where the story ended for me or our babies...I'll continue more in the days ahead.
posted by Anonymous at 1:20 PM
7 Comments:
I think its in the times that we are the most fearful that we can look back at our experience and say...He is truly God and Lord of my life!!
my dear friend - i love you and i am thankful for you.....we are excited to see how God continues to work through your family and how you touch SO many lives.....thanks for being such a good, Godly friend to me ....love you bunches
you know, I think about "one year ago" with you guys, too. How the Lord has provided. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of that - praise God that you can look back and say to God "great is your faithfulness!!" I love you.
Kristi
Christine,
I went to your site today and was so touched by your story of your fear a year ago. And how full your life is today with a loving husband and 3 busy babies. I think of you often and like to check in on the babies from time to time,
Love to you, Ann
I love how you two have trusted the Lord with your babies from the beginning. I don't know if you know this or not but I prayed for you so much while you were pregnant, and you were often first on my list of people to ask about when I talked to Lori.
When your fiance died I cried even though I didn't know you. It is just so neat to see how God has brought so many wonderful things into your life.
Ok I have tears in my eyes now! Must go - waiting to hear the rest of the story!
Rachel
Oh, and don't look at your site meter during the time the babies were expected...I think I checked your site about 7 times a day? :)
Rach
Christine, thank you for sharing your experience again...it really helps me as I enter week 10 of bedrest myself and feel paralyzed too by fear (irrational as it may be). I look forward to reading more of your experiences and am thankful you have 3 babies to help you and Shane grow in your walk with the Lord and bring glory to God. I've been praying for the babies and their health and for you and Shane to have peace about their amazing strides over their first precious year of life!
Love, Renay
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