Hospital Adventure Begins

Right now I sit at St. John's Mercy in Springfield. I have been here for 10 days but let's start from the beginning.
Last Wednesday the 6th of July, when I was 24 weeks pregnant, I had severe contractions for about 15 minutes and then a few hours later thought I was leaking amniotic fluid. I called my doctor who advised me to go to the hospital and get monitored to make sure everything was okay. After a few tests came back positive they decided that I needed to stay the night to be safe. One of the tests that came back positive gave me a 19% chance of going into preterm labor. Not very conclusive but enough to keep me overnight. Thankfully Mitch and I had been out on a date so our kids were already safely tucked in at the High's and they were welcome to stay as long as needed. (Thanks so much Lance and Katie)
The next morning all seemed to be going well and I had been told that I would just need two weeks of good rest and could not pick up the kids or anything too heavy.
In about ten minutes my world got turned upside down. After another test my doctor finally confirmed that I was leaking amniotic fluid and because of that I could no longer go home but would have to travel to Springfield immediately by ambulance and stay on bed rest until the baby was born.
I can't tell you how desperate I felt or the amount of tears that flowed with that news. Fear for the baby's health, loss of not being able to see my kids every minute of everyday, loss of the ability to normal everyday things, not getting to see my husband, being totally out of control. Emotion crashed down on me almost too much to bear.
Before I was off to Springfield they gave me IV antibiotics to keep myself and baby free from infection. Infection can cause labor to begin and since I am no longer a sealed, safe environment for baby the chance of infection is high. They also gave me the first of two steroid shots meant to help the baby develop more quickly than normal. Preterm babies struggle with a lot of stuff but most of it comes from underdeveloped lungs, brain and intestines. Pneumonia, bleeding in the brain, and intestinal infection are some of the most common issues that premature babies deal with after they are born. Not to mention just figuring out how to handle light and sound and touch since they aren't supposed to have to deal with those kinds of things yet. The hope is that the steroids will help the baby develop more quickly and have less time on the ventilator, etc.
Soon I was off to Springfield and Mitch was headed home to pack my bags and then meet me as soon as possible. My mother and sister were also busy packing bags as they would come down to take care of the kids starting Friday night.
When I arrived at St. Johns Mercy I was taken to Labor and Delivery, put on 24 hour fetal monitoring and ordered a full ultrasound.
Then there was a lot of waiting. Waiting and fear and helplessness.
But I knew then that God was in control of all of this and that some how He would have it all work out for good. I was just scared.
A lot has changed in me in the last week and God has continued to show himself merciful and mighty in our lives. I will share more tomorrow but for now I need a break from the computer.
We appreciate all the prayers that we can get. And feel free to ask questions I'll answer them the best I can.