My last few weeks have been spent chatting with Stephanie (my last pregnant friend) on facebook, talking to each other about our symptoms and guessing as to who would go into labor first. She's been a life saver in helping me not feel so lonely when Kolt's at work and I'm home alone all day, and now..... she's about to have her son. I'm trying not to freak out figuring out what I'm supposed to do with myself for this last week until my family gets here while she's busy taking care of her new baby.
The biggest kick in the pants is that I thought I might have actually been in labor yesterday. It started out the night before last with some pretty intense lower back pain and lower abdominal cramping. Usually when this happens once I get up and get moving it goes away, this was not the case yesterday.
I went to lunch with two of my friends and I started having contractions during lunch. They hurt, but were manageable. I didn't start timing them because normally what seems to happen is I have one or two and then they go away. Well after my fourth one in about thirty minutes I was really starting to think maybe this was it. I had a couple of other errands to run after lunch and managed to walk my way through two stores and drive twenty miles home. Once I got home I got online and Stephanie started talking me through them and gave me tips on what to do. I finally asked her to time them....and that was the last one. OF COURSE. I was so frustrated. I was still feeling very tight in my abdomen, but no start and stop to it. I also felt a lot of pressure and pain that wasn't letting up, so it really was just very frustrating.
At around six o'clock I began to realize that I really hadn't felt the baby move much yesterday. She's been SO active, beating me up constantly and trying to get out it seems, and now I'd felt her move maybe a few times ALL day. I was talking to another one of my August mom friends, Danielle, and she convinced me that I needed to call or go up to the hospital to get checked out. Chances are everything was fine, but better to be safe than sorry if I even kind of thought baby was in distress. I took her advice, loaded the car up with all of the stuff I plan on having up there in case I'm admitted, and walk (waddle) up to the labor and delivery unit.
I've never been there before, well except for my tour, I mean to say I've never been a patient up there before. I walk in, apologize for not calling first but the number I have for them seems to be incorrect. I tell them I haven't felt my baby move almost all day and I'm concerned. I sign in on the computer (which seems to ask an insanely LARGE number of questions....if I was in labor that would have been awful!) and am immediately taken back to a room and hooked up to a contraction and fetal heart rate monitor.
I'm watching the monitors like a hawk. Once I figure out how they work I immediately realize I'm not having any contractions, boo. I'm also staring at her heart rate which seems to be holding steady in the 130's, which is her norm. Then I notice that I'm finally having some small contractions. The monitor rates them up to 100, 100 being the most intense, I was having some around 30. Better than nothing I suppose. I also notice that I see her heart rate dropping, as low as 105 at one point. No one is in the room with me to explain if this is bad or not, so I'm texting several friends and Kolt trying to figure it out. Then I finally have a GOOD contraction, almost 80 on their monitor. I figure at this point that the contractions are about 5-7 minutes apart. They then come in, disconnect me and say things look good and a doctor will be in shortly.
The doctor was REALLY nice. She said that they'd do an ultra sound to make sure baby's fluid levels were good in there and also check me for dilation since I was having some contractions. I got to see her on the ultra sound, but she's so big at this point all I can see are organs. They did confirm she's still a girl (thank GOODNESS, I've had a few moments of panic about this) and that everything looks good. She's even in the right position-head down, facing backwards- for birth. Next they check me for dilation....she says I'm AAAAALLLLMMMOOOSSTTT a two, and she doesn't do 1/2 so she'd say one. WELL, I'm calling it a two haha. She also said I'm 50% effaced, which is an improvement from 25% last week. And also that the baby is at -2 station. So over all I am making progress. They let me go home after that and here I sit today, Friday the 13th, waiting for the day to pass so Kolt can come home and we can enjoy a 3 day weekend, and hopefully go into labor.
At this point I truly have no clue when she's coming. I'm really glad I'm making progress, slowly but surely. I hope for Monday, but who knows at this point? She's coming when she wants, hopefully, unless she makes it to the 24th at which point I'm hoping to induce.
Next week will be great, my sister and in laws are finally coming to visit and if all goes well, I'm having a baby next week. I just have to get through this ONE last week, let's hope it doesn't drag too badly!
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