greetings from the bed of....

not my bed :O( but the bed at the farmhouse we stayed at this summer in PEI

I've been given doctor's orders to take it easy, very easy, for the next week or so.

A few days ago I was complaining about some cramping and the loss of my mucus plug (yuck, I know). I wasn't all too concerned about it but had a bit of a nagging feeling that I should bring it up with my doctor. So I went in to see him on Tuesday and right away he sent me over the hospital for a non-stress test and a fetal fibronectin test.

The fFN test came back positive and my doctor was pretty concerned. Up here in Whitehorse we don't have the support of a NICU, and if a woman is showing signs of early labour before 36 weeks of pregnancy, they air on the side of caution and fly her down South to a hospital that is properly equipped. My doctor was pretty sure that I was going to have to go and all of a sudden Winslow and I were faced with the stress of deciding what we would do in terms of care for Noah.

In the meantime while my doctor was determining what the next step would be, I was admitted to the hospital and put on bed rest. I was given some medication to make my contractions stop and was monitored throughout the night. The next day my doctor came back to see me and said that I could stay put (here in Whitehorse) as long as I continued to get positive non-stress test results and as long as we could keep the contractions to a minimum.

The next two days were spent in bed at the hospital, just kinda waiting to see how things would go. It was sort of surreal because I really hadn't thought that things were that serious, and then, all of a sudden we were faced with the reality that the baby could be coming early and that we were in danger of having to leave the territory. It was a bit frightening and the worst thing for me was that I couldn't be of any use to Noah and Winslow back at home.

All of a sudden I felt that so called "mother's guilt". On one hand I wanted to be in the hospital, safe and sound for the baby while at the same time I felt guilty and missed my little boy oh so much. I just wilted when I heard him on the phone in the background crying over and over agin for his mama. It wasn't a nice position to be in but I didn't have a choice and we had to do what was best for the baby.

The good news is that this evening I was discharged from the hospital and sent home with strict instructions that I am to stay in bed and go straight back to the hospital if my labour signs return. I am doing my best to stay put and am just hoping and praying that our little girl doesn't decide to make an early appearance. We really want her to be healthy and strong and we also really want to be able to stay here in Whitehorse to deliver her.

So that is the latest from our neck of the woods. Just hanging on and hoping that everything continues to go well. We have been very very lucky to have some amazing friends come to our side an help us out. All kinds of offers of help have been made. Offers for food, babysitting, visits... you name it. Just another reason why we love it up here in the North.

And so as I write to you for the comfort of my bed I ask that you think of us and send out prayers or good vibes or what ever you believe in for our little one to stay inside her mama's tummy a little while longer.

Here is a little song we learned in Mother Goose a few weeks ago that made me all teary eyed. I'm really getting excited to meet our little Northern baby girl.

Twinkle twinkle Northern Lights

Shining in the Yukon night

Up above the world so high

Blue and green ribbons in the sky

Twinkle twinkle Nothern Lights

Shining in the Yukon night