The neonatal intensive care unit

I've just been watching RPA (it's a fly-on-the-wall doco about the hospital I was in the other week and where I will give birth if E3 comes before 33 weeks).

There was a case of a woman with identical twins that share a placenta. The doctor who has been analysing our ultrasounds was featured and it was weird to see him on TV. They recommended the woman have her twins early because there were issues with one of them, so she was to have a caesarian at 32 weeks.

The interesting bit for me was they showed the parents around the NICU. There was a baby born at 32 weeks in a humidicrib with breathing apparatus. I really hope that's not what will happen to E3 but it very well could be. Seeing it live kind of makes it a bit easier for me to deal with what might be about to come.

I've thought a lot today about E3 coming early. I just am hoping with all my heart that we can hang on for at least another week, and to get to 35 weeks would just be so wonderful.

I didn't have any appointments today and no company, so I felt a bit lonely. Lovely husband is working very long hours at the moment, and is gone before 8am and rarely back before 8pm. Tomorrow I am expecting a visit from a friend and her 4 week old baby, which I am really looking forward to. And tomorrow night is our monthly book club, which is at my place this month. Its nice to look forward to some social interactions.

The solitude and self-imposed exile in the house is starting to get to me now. My spirits are a bit low, even though I am finding things to keep myself occupied. I am thinking it will get easier once we are out of the danger zone (ie. past 34 weeks or so) and I can perhaps be a little easier on the resting and allow myself a short walk outside the house each day.

I just have such admiration for women who spend 3 months or more on bed rest during their pregnancies. That must take an extreme degree of fortitude to get through. I try to stop myself getting low but some days it's hard.