Bed Rest

Carrie came home from the hospital on Friday. Nothing had really changed, so the Doctors decided to let her go. They kept putting her on the contraction monitor to see if she was having contractions. She never had any and this concerned everyone. They wanted to make sure she understood what a contraction was. They made it very clear that she had to be super hyper aware of what was going on with her body. This way, if she did go into labor she would know what it was.

Apparently, labor and contractions are not quite like the movies. You know the scene. The pregnant girl announces that she is going into labor and it's the real deal. Somebody has to boil water while others get towels and sheets together. Then the car won't start and they have to deliver the baby on their own. After just a few short minutes the baby is born and it looks like it's about a year old. A lot of times in the movie the baby is born outside in the rain. Sometimes the couple has to get married really fast before the baby is born. If they do make it to the hospital, their normal Doctor is not available and Robin Williams has to deliver the child. This is not how it happens in real life. Sometimes you don't know. Labor can take hours. Contractions can go on and on and on.

After laying in the hospital bed for a few days Carrie was more than ready to go home. There were several reasons for this. First of all, let me say that the hospital and the hospital staff were amazing and completely top notch. The three Doctors that were helping Carrie were very caring, patient, and helpful. She was in great hands.

There were problems. Problem one was that the cable television left a lot to be desired. They didn't get very many channels and the volume only comes out of that little speaker unit over by the patients bed, What about visitors? What about husbands that are half deaf from playing guitar and simply want to hear the game?

Problem two was the lack of internet. Now, the hospital was equipped with wireless internet. However, whomever installed it didn't tell anyone the password, so that entire wing of the hospital had no idea how to log on. Internet is essential. It's how things work. No internet is like no oxygen and no food.

Speaking of food, on the first night they didn't bring Carrie any dinner. I went to the nurse's desk and inquired about food for Carrie. They informed me that they must have forgotten. They were very sorry, which was cool. A really nice nurse brought her a sandwich to eat while she waited on her dinner. Carrie is not a cold sandwich type of girl. It sat on her tray until they brought her an identical cold sandwich about an hour later. I went and got her a pizza.

Finally the complete lack of beer for visitors is real issue for me. We were watching the Texas Rangers game because that's the only one we could get. I wasn't drinking beer during the game and I had a really hard time trying to figure out what to do with my hands. More than once I thought that I would just run to the bar and get one. I was thwarted by the fact that there are no bars in hospitals. Not in this one anyway.

In review I believe that better cable, internet access, better food, and a bar/lounge area would make any hospital stay better. I only say this because staying in a hospital is expensive, and the least they can do is have these things in place.

Meanwhile back to present day. Carrie has been ordered on strict bed rest for the remainder of the pregnancy. Tomorrow marks 25 weeks. That means we have 7 weeks to go to get to 32 which is where they really want to see her get. Anything after that is just gravy. That's where we are right now. I have moved the Craftmatic Adjustable bed to the living room so she can be in there. She has the regular bed in the bedroom. That's about it. They told her the most she can do is get up and get a drink of water in the kitchen. Other than that forget about it. The appointments with Dr. Handcock have been ramped up to once a week. We have one on Thursday at 8:30 a.m.

So far things have gone well. Carrie doesn't complain and maintains a very positive attitude. I try and be as helpful as I can. Carrie likes to do thing and get things done. This is going to be hard for her. I may end up with a head wound no doubt bearing the brunt of her frustration simply because I'm close. She is still working from her bed and that is admirable.

Tonight Carrie asked me when we should announce the names of the boys. That's right, we finally have the names in concrete. It's pretty fun to refer to them by their names. We know pretty much where each one is, so she can tell which one is kicking. We played them some tunes yesterday and they were kicking. I'm just glad they are still in there.

Thank you for all of your concern and support. We really appreciate it. Unfortunately due to the bed rest, there will be no Austin baby shower. This sucks because Ryan (BPM Drummer) and I were going to get a keg of really good beer since it was to be a couples shower. We still may get the keg. I'm sure Carrie would love it if I brought all of my friends over to hang out and drink it.

Finally, it is time to guess the date that the boys will be born. Please post your guess in the comments section. I will go first, and please remember that I was right about them being three boys.

The triplets will be born on the 4th of July. Robin Williams won't be anywhere near the place.