Waiting for Sweet Pea- Thursday

So, Thursday was a bit hazy, as you can imagine. The lack of sleep was giving me a headache, which is also a symptom of pre-eclampsia as well as the magnesium i.v. I had. Whenever I was asked about a headache, I always followed it with a , "I think it's just from lack of sleep". That night I got an Ambien- wow, now I know what all the fuss is about! I finally got a decent night's sleep. Back to that morning- I got to meet with a Neonatologist who works here in the NICU. It was a very reassuring conversation. Everything he said was based on if our little sweet pea would be born within a week. He just wanted to give me an idea of what to expect. He said as far as receiving nutrients, the baby would first probably be on an I.V. then advance to a feeding tube and then finally be able to try to eat by mouth. That is usually the last thing these little ones get worked out before they can go home. In fact to be able to go home, they need to meet the criteria of three things. They need to be able to regulate their own body temperature, independently breath room air and be able to get enough nutrients on their own, to actually grow. He also said that the babies, generally have to stay in the NICU until they reach what would have been their 37 weeks gestation. Of course, every baby is different. This coming Tuesday, will be my 32 week mark. I am slowly coming to terms with the fact that we have a long road ahead. Hopefully, sweet pea, will be able to just stay inside for longer. As a side note, I was told that I would still be able to take my placenta home for encapsulation and I should  still be able to delay the cord clamping, allowing our baby to get just a bit more from her cord.
       I'm sure I'm leaving out details, I may end up coming back to add more. Anyway, that night I got my 2nd steroid shot, which was pretty much the most important thing to me since it is so beneficial for a premature baby. Ideally, waiting until after 24 hours from the second shot, to deliver the baby is what you want. Anytime after that, it just gets safer and safer. During Thursday, they also took blood tests to determine my liver and kidney functions. Pre-eclampsia, can affect both of those organs pretty quickly. I was also in the process of a 24 hour urine test, checking for protein.
     Thursday, Raja was able to come in the morning and then again with the kids in the evening. I was so happy to see all of them. Raja has been so amazing. I don't know how he is doing it all. Not only is he a single dad right now, but he's also going to work and as if that isn't enough he's also working on his master's degree and in the processes of writing at least 2 final papers. He is awesome, that's all I have to say! We also have a super fantastic ward. Within a very short period of time meals were being arranged as well as child care. Our good friends, the Sherman's , have sort of adopted the kids lately, which has been so hugely helpful. It's so comforting to know they are with friends they enjoy in a loving home.