Dillon Update

Thank you for all the calls, texts and emails. Although his actual due date is not until July 20th, Dillon was expected to be here last week... but he is still holding strong! I have so many emotions: excited, relieved and PROUD! It wasn't the most ideal pregnancy but I had many "up" moments, I've learned to let go of a lot, I've had more reflection time than I've had my entire lifetime. Because of the restrictions, rest, worry, etc. I was forced to sit back and think about what's really important. Not that I'm one to just fly through life ignoring the special moments, but now I cherish things in a deeper manner. Overall, this has all been for the best. All 3 of us have grown and our little family is stronger than ever.

With that said, I want to update everyone on what's going on, why Dillon was expected 5 weeks early and why he is staying put! A long story short:

I am a candidate for delivering pre-term, in more than 1 way. I'll spare those details, but they are the reasons Drew arrived 5 weeks early. We started this pregnancy off with several preventative methods - blood work, ultrasounds, progesterone shots. Things went smooth and I was confident this pregnancy would be different...then 19 weeks came and there I was hooked up to a machine counting my contractions. I immediately started the weekly shots and bed rest. At 26 weeks I was given a prescription , a yucky med that is usually administered in hospitals to stop contractions. When that wasn't working, I was given a slightly stronger med, but luckily the side effects for this one were almost non-existent.

This medicine is known for preventing pre-term labor by relaxing the uterine muscle so that it can not contract. Most women notice the effect immediately and are relieved of the contractions....often until PAST their due date! They end up being induced. My case was a little different and it became clear that without the medication daily I would go into labor. The dr. let me take this med an extra week, something he's never prescribed, so that we could get to 35 weeks. He was certain that 48 hours off the med and I would be in labor. We all were certain.

Last Tuesday was my last pill and my mom came up to be here in preparation for Dillon's arrival. Now that we were in the clear and Dillon was safe to come I was finally able to enjoy my last days being pregnant. Everything was set! And, my biggest concerns of labor were relieved by this preparation - Drew's comfort and Rob being in the room with me. Well, as I have learned over the last few months, things are not going to go as planned :) Note the smiley face.

"Bahaaa" are the laughing words of my dr., me, Rob, Nannie, the whole world. 2 days off that pill and my contractions were close to non-existent. A week has gone by and Nannie has had to go home. No Dillon! On top of that, Drew was supposed to be in Dallas this morning for a GI specialist, not a missed appointment to be taken lightly. So, I'm not going to lie, the last few days have been a bit stressful, a feeling of pressure. I've had feelings of bitterness and outright sadness that we don't have any family near by. Not the way I had intended to spend the end of pregnancy, which, by the way, is to cherish every waking (because I don't know what sleep means anymore) moment, every kick, every move, every painful tightening, every potty trip.

After an emotional few days, I've gathered my thoughts and, I think, I'm thinking clearly! I'm so lucky to have such amazing friends who assure me that Drew WILL be taken care of, he WILL be comforted, when Dillon makes his debut. I have been assured that Rob WILL be in the delivery room with me. And Drew will definitely be ok until we can get him to Dallas. I'm back to fully enjoying the rest of this ride, knowing and trusting that everything will happen the way it's supposed.

So Dillon's arrival is anyone's guess at this point. It's become clear that just because I needed the medicine JUST last week, does not mean that I am out of the bracket of women who go beyond their due date and end up being induced. It's unlikely but not out of the question at this point.

For those of you who are familiar with pregnancy terminology: On Monday I was 2cm dilated, 80% effaced and Dillon is sitting very low. On Wednesday morning at 1am the contractions started coming 30 minutes apart, and are still coming about 30 minutes apart....sometimes closer. All I know is I want to and need to soak up every second of this and that's what I'm headed to do! We'll be in touch!