My Latest Sport: Hospital Quilting

What an unexpected post this is!

But before I fill you in, I can’t neglect to announce the winner of the Multi-Tasker Tote pattern giveaway. Congrats JoyceLM! I’m emailing you now to get your address!

Funny how life doesn’t really seem to care what your “plan” is, you know? Bouncing around my 32nd week of this energetic twin pregnancy, carting kids here and there, sewing and cooking up a storm, and now we find out, just 48 hours ago at a routine check-up, that my 2 little ornery peanuts are indeed the rarest of rare high risk peanuts! Monochorionic monoamniotic twins occur in less than 1% of all twin pregnancies, and I won’t bore you with all the medical mumbo jumbo, but essentially this just means that these babes are sharing a single placenta, in a single amniotic sac, which results in inevitably entangled cords over the course of the pregnancy, and adds a very high risk of of cord compression or a “cord accident.” They say most “MoMo” moms are hospitalized by 25 weeks, so somehow I (unknowingly) dodged 7 weeks of care. (!!!)

SO, I’m here in the hospital, being monitored every couple of hours to make sure those little heart rates stay within a healthy range until I hit that magic number- 34 weeks- feels super early still, but in my case, this is the week when the in-womb risks (fetal mortality), begin to rise, and it’s safer to for them to be out, even though that means NICU.

So what to do in the hospital for 2 weeks (during the few hours that you’re not hooked to monitors)? Why quilt of course!!!

I’m the talk of the Labor & Delivery floor, with my temporary sewing studio all set up. The nurses are all getting a kick out of it.

At first, I thought I’d be limited to hand projects…I hastily grabbed some charm squares, needle, thread, and my English paper piecing hexagon templates on the way out the door. But once I saw my room, I realized that I could get a whole lot more done than that! Sure, it’s not ideal, but it’s not too bad! Other than lacking a cut out for my legs, the credenza is perfect for my machine, and the countertop area makes a great cutting table! Huge thanks to my hubby for gathering this massive list of items and carting them up to my room!

I’m actually in the midst of basting this diamond quilt for a friend (who pieced the top herself), and will give it a nice stipple & trim before she stitches on some fun raw edges strips that creates a really cute argyle pattern- special quilt for her soon-to-come baby girl.

But what to do when you realize you’ve left the masking tape at home??? Who knew that medical tape worked so fantastically for basting! Super sticky but still re-positionable without leaving any residue, and the woven texture sticks wonderfully to the fabric and smooth floor. Thanks to Nurse Carol for saving the day!

And as if it couldn’t get any better (peace and quiet, basting a quilt, with no dishes to do or diapers to change??), a light knock at the door today revealed the prettiest little flower arrangement from a local non-profit organization that offers support and encouragement to high-risk mom’s spending time here. What a treat!

Next month surely holds some hard times and exhaustion for our little growing family, as we welcome a precious pair of preemies into our lives, but right now is all about counting blessings, as always, and slowing down to soak in the beauty that can truly blossom from even the toughest of situations.

XO