Be patient Baby #3!

 The Hoffman house experienced a bit of craziness today. My water broke and I am only at 31 weeks.  I noticed some leaking this morning but kind of disregarded it as normal pregnancy symptoms and then as a psychosomatic issue (my friend just delivered her new baby a few hours earlier and my sister in law is being induced tonight, so I was convinced my mind was faking labor). I really didn't want to be an annoying patient so I just headed to school.  Anyway, I got to work, decided the fluid was a bit too much but went inside to tell them to call me a sub and get lesson plans together.  By the time I got in, my water broke and my female co-workers went into a crazy panic.  They got the school nurse who wouldn't let me leave campus (even though all I wanted to do was to drive the 10 minute distance to the hospital).  At this point I was in full blown embarrassment mode (and also freaking that I may have just peed myself as well) so the nurse brought me a towel to wrap around my pants since it looked like I did pee myself (oh and she gave me an ice pack...what is with school nurses and ice packs?)  I was desperately trying to reach Matt but he was in training and his phone was on vibrate, so that just led to unnecessary irritation.  I really just wanted to talk to him and see if he could come pick me up.  Unfortunately, my school staff had another plan and they called an ambulance.  As if having your water break at school is bad enough, having them wheel you on a gurney before the actual school day starts and all the kids are out and about to watch this was mortifying.  I actually asked them to drape the sheet over my head but they didn't want the students to think there was a dead body under it.   It was my first ride in an ambulance and hopefully my last.

 I finally got in touch with Matt and he met me at the hospital. I got a steroid shot to help mature baby's lungs just in case contractions started and we had to deliver.  I am 3 cm dilated and baby is head down, but luckily there have been no contractions.  As a result, I am stuck in the hospital on bed rest until I go into labor or until we reach 34 weeks which, at that point, the baby will be induced (around New Years Eve/Day).  The risk ratio gets higher for leaving baby in at that point and he or she will have a better chance in the NICU.  Right now we are just praying baby stays put and while I am going to go nuts on bed rest and in the hospital for the next three weeks, we want baby to develop as much as possible before delivery.  I am so bummed that I will spending Christmas in the hospital and I will miss the girls' faces when they see what Santa has brought them, but this option is the safer one.

My mom will be arriving tonight to help out with the girls while I'm in the hospital and while Matt is at work (we want him to take leave when the baby does arrive).  We feel very lucky that she can be here. This will definitely put a damper in our Christmas plans to head up to NY but, oh well.

 Matt is holding up okay- tired and stressed, but good.  The ladies on our street are amazed at how he has everything under control at home already.  They admitted their husbands would be going through panic attacks if they were in Matt's shoes, so I'm very lucky he is such an amazing dad, husband and drill sergeant :-)   We were thoroughly unprepared for a baby (considering we thought we had 9 more weeks to prep), so we are mentally going down checklists of what to set up, buy and wash before baby arrives (not to mention a preemie baby).  We hadn't even taken our hospital tour yet.