The Jones Girls

my water bag broke for Baby A (Amanda) at 1:30am.   I remember when it happened…  I was sleeping and it felt like something wet was under me.   I thought I had peed or something, so I got up to go to the bathroom and a big gush of fluid leaked out on the floor.    Cliff checked me and said it was amniotic fluid.

So we had the neighbor come over to be here while Savannah slept and Cliff drove me to the hospital.    They whisked me into Labor & Delivery and checked me into the triage room.  They tested the fluid and confirmed my water bag had broke and it was amniotic fluid.  

They admitted and began pumping me with IV fluids.  Fluids help stop contractions and since my water bag broke for Baby A, we were trying to avoid labor because I didn’t want to deliver these babies at 28-1/2 weeks.    They also gave me a special steroid shot which would mature the babies’ lungs in case I did go into labor and had to deliver the babies.

I remember having to lie flat on my back and eat a special low-carb diet.   One of the side affects of the steroid shot is it puts the patient into gestational diabetes.  They had to check my blood sugars every few hours around the clock and once in a while I would need a few tiny units of insulin to keep me safe from high blood sugars.

It was so difficult laying in bed for two weeks before I gave birth.  I remember I had to pee in a bedside potty so I wouldn’t have to walk.   I was only allowed to take a 5 minute shower once.   The rest of the time I got daily bed baths.   

Amanda’s water bag would slowly fill up and then if I moved just slightly, the water would spill out of her bag.   I had to wear 3 monitors on my belly to monitor all fo the babies.    Baby A was hanging in there.  She rested on my colon and since she had virtually no amniotic fluid, my colon got really bruised and aggravated with her laying on it.    It was so excruciating.    I think I might have had something called colitis.    I had that even up to a month after giving birth to the babies.

When they first pumped me up with IV fluid, I got edema.   It was horrible.  I couldn’t breathe and thought I was going to suffocate.  I was laying flat on my back and had the babies up in my diaphragm pressing on my lungs.    I had a respiratory therapist come in and help give me special breathing exercises.  

I remember missing my Sweet Savannah.  She was our home with Nanny Feli.  Cliff would bring her by at night to visit with me.   There was a couple of nights that they didn’t come because Cliff was tired.    That was my first time away from Savannah.

My online group of friends formed a calling schedule and I had 6-10 friends calling me a day to keep me company, give me strength, and give me hope.   It also helped overcome the edema by me taking on the phone and breathing while talking.

A close friend of mine , Jennifer, who is a Labor & Delivery nurse, who helped me deliver Savannah, made sure she put me down as her patient.  We had some good times together while I was on bed rest in the hospital.  I remember she brought her whole beauty kit and gave me a massage, shaved my legs, and gave me aromatherapy lotion as a gift.  I still have that lotion and LOVE it!!  What a great friend…

Thank the Precious Lord for protecting my babies…especially Baby A – Amanda.  She had so many odds against her from conception right through the very end.   

I can look back and marvel at what a miracle that whole experience was.    I am so blessed with these precious little girls.  Thank you God for my babies.

Yesterday I took the girls bowling at .  It was Savannah’s 3rd time bowling and the triplets first time bowling.  Thank goodness I had Mindy with me!!   They didn’t have bowling shoes small enough for the triplets and Savannah so they wore their own shoes.  I got bowling shoes for Mindy and me.  I had bowling coupons for free bowling so it was free for us to bowl.  Yippee!!

I organized a bowling party for our La Habra Mom’s Club at La Habra Bowl 300.  It was a really good turn out. 

The girls and I got to have our own private lane since there was six of us.  We had reserved 5 lanes for the La Habra Mom’s Club and we used up all 5 lanes!!

The triplets used a special “ramp” to bowl.  They perched the ball on this special ramp that looked sort of like a slide and the ball would slide down the ramp and go down the lane toward the pins.  This is what fist time kiddie bowlers use.    Savannah crouched down and pushed her ball down the lane to get to the pins.  I have to say Savannah one us all!!   I think she might have a knack for bowling.

We had pizza afterwards at the bowling alley and all of the moms and kids had a great time.   The triplets really enjoyed their first time bowling.