Okay, so if you read my previous post, I over did it. And now I’m hurting. I started hurting Saturday evening and all day Sunday. Sunday night was worse. I laid down to sleep at 11 p.m. and the last time I looked at the clock it was nearly 2. I had a lot of sharp pains just lying down. Then I’d get uncomfortable, turn to my other side (which hurt just to turn) and then lay there for a while until I had to switch sides again. Plus our cat kept meowing to go out so I had to grab him, take him downstairs and lock him in the bathroom…again. I slept for maybe 30 minutes…then it was time to start my ‘every 2 hour potty break’. But some of the sharp pains woke me up before my 2 hour mark. I kept praying to know whether or not I needed to wake Steve and gather the kids to go to Labor and Delivery or not…there was just a ton of pain. After a while I fell asleep…again with the 2 hour potty breaks…but by morning the pain was a lot less frequent and more manageable. BUT, i was also super tired (and still am!)
I called my doctor’s office on the way to work this morning. My doctor isn’t in town today, which I knew, so I left a message for his nurses. They told me to go to Labor and Delivery and get evaluated for pre-term labor. Once I got things squared away at work, Steve picked me up and away to the hospital we went. I was more nervous this morning because, although the pain wasn’t as frequent, the baby wasn’t moving as much either. We got to the hospital, told them what we needed and what’s been happening. I got changed into the gown and got situated on the bed. The doc came in and started listening for the heartbeat. After trying all around the lower areas of my belly – where most babies usually like to stick – Steve and I looked at each other a bit worried. No heartbeat. The doc moved it around and focused more on my right side – where this baby (and Spencer) prefer to be. Somewhere on the right side and above my belly button she found the heartbeat. I was really worried that we might have lost him and that I should have gone in last night instead of waiting. We were both relieved when she found it! She strapped it on to my tummy and added another one above my belly button to monitor any contractions I could be having.
I admitted that I don’t think I know what a ‘real’ contraction feels like. With Spencer my water broke and I had an epidural before things got to be too much. With Evie, it was pre-term labor (lower cramping) so the full effect of the contraction wasn’t what they describe as a real contraction. This time around, there wasn’t cramping, but sharp pains. While we were talking she said, ‘oh – you just had a contraction’ – really? felt like a little sharp stabbing pain to me…weird. Other times it would happen and I just assumed it was something else. They took my blood temperature and when she looked at the baby’s heartbeat she said it was a bit high…could be that I’m getting sick without knowing it. The baby would know before I would. She took my temperature with this really neat thing that just swipes across my forehead and wammo! temperature taken. Said it’s about $30 at places like Costco. Seriously cool.
Next I got to do something really fun…not really though. The stirrups came out and so did the little stretchy thing…and not to get too graphic, but it allows the doc to take a look-see inside…farther in the back. Uh, yeah. They swabbed behind the uterus (I think that’s what she said was happening) and then tested the chemicals from there. It took nearly 30 minutes to get the test results, which were negative…MEANING I will most likely NOT have this baby in the next 10…yes TEN days. At least there’s a 97% chance I wouldn’t go into labor in the next 10 days. LOL – 10 days. Wow…that gives me so much time to prepare! BUT, I could also be one of the 3% who does anyway. I’m not dilated at all, so hopefully I’m more the 97% instead of the 3%.
The doc at the hospital called my doc…wherever he is…and talked to him about all of the results. Not sure what the sharp pains mean, but in case they are connected to the contractions I need to time them and see if they get closer and closer. They also gave me a list of things to pay attention to that would send me back to Labor and Delivery, just in case. She did mention that since I’m measuring at 33 weeks that if I did go into labor and I was closer to or past 34 weeks that they would not try to stop delivery. I hope I can at least get the steroid shot on Thursday to help him develop more quickly in case I do go into labor any time soon.
Until something else happens, I am to take it easy and take it slow. Luckily I’m not on bedrest but I should half pretend that I am. I’m so not ready to have a baby yet – he needs to come out healthy so as long as my body isn’t doing anything harmful to his development….let him stay in for a bit longer!