24 1/2 weeks

I guess this is day 3, though it's still dark outside. I managed about two hours sleep before waking to the monitor beeping. It does that when the paper runs out.

I feel a bit like static. There's no use in getting upset, but happiness isn't quite the emotion either. Being admitted to the hospital has turned the natural progression of pregnancy into something more like a long business trip. One in which I'll count the days and look forward to meeting my quota. This is hardly something to complain about given the circumstance, but here I am. Unable to sleep. And that really wouldn't bother me if not for the worry I feel that this lack of sleep means to some extent that the babies aren't getting what they need either.
My doctor stopped by around 8p.m. last night to tell Jesse and I everything we'd heard previously through our nurses. He ended the conversation by saying that many women on bedrest experience problems with sleeping and that if I'd like he could prescribe Ambien.
I hadn't mentioned that I was having a hard time sleeping.
We thanked him for the offer but said we'd see how things went in the next few days. In the same manner that one might politely turn down an invitation to the bathroom for a line of coke.
When the doctor left the room I immediately asked Jesse to search "Ambien during pregnancy" on the internet. He said, "There's no way you should take that!" I said, "Of course I know that. I want to see just how Hollywood our doctor is."
The results were about what we expected. Ambien's effects have not been studied in pregnant women. Ambien has been found in umbilical cords, which means that it crosses into the placenta. Babies born with Ambien in their system can experience withdraw symptoms.
But it wouldn't take these warnings for most people to understand it's a bad idea. Just having witnessed people who stay up a little too long after popping an Ambien, is reason enough to surmise that you don't want it anywhere near a developing fetus.
And it's kind of appalling that someone might suggest it to a person who is at high risk of delivering highly vulnerable, premature babies. Point being, we're not huge fans of our doctor, but we keep educated, and so we feel pretty in control.
Jesse sleeps in the bed six feet next to me. Last night he tried cuddling with me in my own bed. It was great therapy, but I guess it was irritating my uterus. Within a few minutes the nurse was in to nicely tell us that Jesse needed to vacate. He got out and we watched my belly on the monitor. Sure enough, the line went from hilly to practically smooth. We gave each other puppy eyes as we acknowledged that Jesse was in fact braking the peace in my uterus. Jesse shuffled along to his bed and passed out shortly after.
He's said that he's sleeping remarkably well here. I feel so lucky that we get to be here at St. Jude. The staff is warm and welcoming with the both of us, and dads are encouraged to be as involved as possible. They purposely chose a room that would have a spare bed for him. The building we're in is only a year old. I'm most impressed with the flat screen t.v.s and the nourishment room outside, where Jesse can charm sodas and snacks from the staff.
We'll most likely move up to the antepartum ward tomorrow afternoon. I believe there will be fewer nurse visits and monitoring. Most importantly we can get to moving in. Some people go as far as hanging posters. I'm opting for a few choice pictures of my niece Lola, my baby icon.

A few entertaining thoughts I had today:

1. I gave up sitting and walking for lent.
2. Between me and my cervix, Jesse has become the Jane of our Brady Bunch. My cervix being Marsha, and I guess that makes me the cute one.
3. Always keep the lady with the speculum happy.

Information for the day:

1. We're all incredibly healthy.
2. We're mostly bored; not scared.
3. Tests say that these babies have a 98% chance of not delivering in the next two weeks. That doesn't surprise me. I think we'll go much longer than that. Not only because I feel that way, but because I've done a lot of my own research on women in my same position.
4. Hospital food isn't all that bad when you have incredibly simple tastes, and I swing both ways in that respect.