I think I'm in labor. Baby today?

I woke up today at 7:30am as Dennis kissed me before he left for work. I normally get up at about this time anyway, since it is about the time that Andrew gets up. I noticed right away that I had a bit of a cramp in my belly, and I wondered if it could be a contraction. I had my labor started in the hospital with Andrew, so I wasn't sure what was actually labor pains and what was Braxton Hicks. I thought I would just monitor my feelings and see what happens. I had been monitoring contracions all month off and on. Nothing ever lasted past a few hours, so I assumed that this would be the same. Dennis' brother and his girlfriend were visiting us for the week, and they had just arrived the day before. I had suggested earlier that they take my car and drive to Galena for the day, but since I was having pretty consistent contractions, my brother-in-law was a bit worried about taking my car. He said, "what if you need it to go somewhere?" What a funny thing to say!! It just goes to show that he doesn't have much experience with women in labor. Haha. I told them that I would call my mother to come over to watch me and Andrew. As they were getting ready to go, my mother showed up. It was perfect timing. I was, in fact, in labor. I just didn't want to admit it to myself. At about 10am, my mother, Andrew and I were at my house hanging out. I thought this would be a great time to update my blog, since the thought of having a baby made me think that I wouldn't have time to work on it. At about 11am, my mom made Andrew and I a grilled cheese sandwich. She's such a trouper!! Where would I be without her!?! :) I sat eating when the phone rang; it was my OB/GYN office. They wanted to add a stress test to my appointment, so they wanted me to come in at 8am instead of 8:30am the next day. I said that would be fine, but I also mentioned that I was having contractions every five minutes since 7:30am that morning. The lady on the phone said that she would talk with Dr. H and get back to me. She actually put me on hold, so she could talk immediately with the doctor. This told me that my condition was likely serious, but I was still a bit in denial. When the nurse came back on the phone, she told me that the doctor had suggested I go straight to the hospital immediately. I had a feeling she was going to say that. Since I had already gone to the hospital before as a false alarm, I wasn't too excited about going back unless I was going to have a baby. Never having had labor start on its own before, I wasn't 100% sure that this was it. It was close to 12noon by this time, so I thought I would just wait until Dennis came home to go to the hospital with him. Luckily, my mother could take Andrew, so things worked out all around. I finished eating and got a few things together. Then, I texted Dennis to tell him that I needed to go to the hospital. He was reading the text as he walked in the door. My mother, being wonderful, had also made an extra grilled cheese for Dennis, so he could quickly eat when he got home. It didn't take long before we were on our way to the hospital. Mom and Andrew stayed at the house so Andrew could finish his lunch. Hopefully, we'd see them after getting a new little guy. Dennis loaded up the car with what we would need for labor and the stay at the hospital. I had a bag packed, and we also took along two pillows from our bed, the camera, video recorder, and exercise ball that I had borrowed from my sister. I was planning on having a natural birth without pain medication, and I wanted the ball to help with the pains. We checked into the hospital at about 12:50pm, and they put us in an actual labor room instead of a triage room like before when I was in preterm labor. This also made me feel that things were going to happen this time. I was getting a bit excited. Room 541 was going to be my new home until I delivered my son. I immediately got undressed and into the hospital gown. I shared my birth plan with the nurses, so there wouldn't be any issues. I had shared the plan with Dr. H weeks before, so I was confident that things would work out as I wanted them to this time around. When I had Andrew, the doctor who delivered him was a man I had never met and was against many of the things I wanted in my birth plan. I was hopefull that I would have a better experience with all staff involved this time. We'd have to see. Gerri, the nurse who checked us into the room, also checked my cervix. I was a bit surprised to find that I was dilated to 6cm, but she could stretch me to 7cm. I knew that I was feeling lots of pressure over the last week or so, and I had heard that the only feelings a cervix would register were stretching. I had a feeling that the process was moving along, but this confirmed it! She also told me that my cervix was very thin and stretchy and that I was 90% effaced. It didn't seem like it would be long before I would have the baby, but I knew there must be lots of women out there who stayed at 6cm for a long time before delivering their babies. My contractions also weren't getting stronger, so I wondered if that also was a sign that I would be stuck at this dilation for a while. Only time would tell. Dennis' response to all of this was "I'm ready for this," which he said with a laugh. I think he was a being a bit sarcastic, since he forgot to put the baby seat in the car for the new baby. haha He'd have time later. For the first few hours, Dennis and I mostly just waited in the room, while I sat in the bed having contractions. In the meantime, Gerri came in to start an IV at 1:50pm. I was scared about this since she was the one to give me my IV back on August 31st, and she used a catheter that was much too large and hurt like hell. It also hurt for weeks after they took it out. :( At 2:00pm, there was a shift in the workforce, and Gerri was out allowing Chelly to come in and be our nurse. Chelly was of a grandma's age. I wouldn't say that she was old enough to be my grandma, but she had grandkids of her own. She was probably in her 60s, and she was great. She was kind, patient and very smart in the ways of her profession. She was also with us back on the September 1st, and I was glad to have her. At this point, I was given 500 million units of penicillin in my IV. This was because I tested positive a few weeks ago for Group B Strep. They didn't want the baby to get it on the way out, so I had to have to doses of antibiotics before I delivered to prevent any harm going to my son. Dr. H also showed up at this point. She said that she would just wait until my water broke or until the second dose of antibiotics was gone in my IV. I didn't know then that it would be close to 7pm for the antibiotics to be in my system, so I was a bit on the anxious side. I just had to wait out the contractions and see what happened. At around 4pm, the nurse, Chelly, came in to tell me that she'd give me the second dose of antibiotics at 6pm. When that was gone, she would talk to Dr. H about checking my cervix again and perhaps breaking my water. It was nice to have some times, because the waiting is truly the hardest part. During the duration of my labor from 4pm to 6pm, I did a variety of things. I stood and held on to Dennis during contractions. I also sat on the exercise ball. Dennis rubbed my shoulders and counted as I breathed lamaze. He was truly wonderful, just as he was when I was in labor with Andrew. He was so patient and went along with whatever I wanted. I really appreciated having him there, and I don't think I could have stayed as calm as I was without him. After the second dose of antibiotics went through my IV, I was eager to hear what the doctor was going to say. At 6:40pm, Dr. H checked my cervix, and she told me that I was 9cm, 90% effaced and at a -2 station. This meant that I was pretty much ready to go, but the baby was up a bit too high. If I were at a +2 station, I would be pushing the kid out. I wondered how long it would take for the baby to drop, and I had been waiting all day for my water to break as well. I had hoped that my water would break on its own outside of the hospital. Boy, am I glad that I didn't get my wish. Overall, when I think about the labor process, it really didn't seem that bad. It actually wasn't that bad during the process. Only at the very end, did it seem to get heavy with hard labor feelings. That only lasted about 20 minutes before the water broke, though. At about 7:15pm, Dr. H broke my water. She used the long, plastic stick to break my water. HOLY COW!!! Can I now say, "thank you, God for not allowing my water to break anywhere other than in that hospital bed." Immediately, I felt the baby drop. I would tell Andrew about when he was born and how I felt him slide down into position as if he were going down a slide. I would say that was when he went down the "weee", since that is what Andrew used to call the slide. With Edmund, I wouldn't say it was quite like that exactly. It was definitely a "weeee" type of feeling, but it felt almost as if he were already out. He slid down as far down as he could go. It is amazing how much that sack of water kept him in. With it gone, I can't imagine what would have happened had I been at home or out alone with Andrew. I don't even want to think about that. Once the water was broken, I immediately screamed, "help me, help me." I was freaking out because it almost felt that I wasn't ready for the baby to come out. The pain also became much more intense when the water wasn't there. It was just all happening too fast. Speaking of fast, I asked the doctor right away if I could push. She said that I had a smidge left of my cervix, which would need to be completely thinned out before I could push. She told me that after 2 or 3 more contractions, I could push. I didn't know how long that would be, so I started to panic. The pain/pressure was so intense, that it felt that the only way to get past it would be to push. Luckily, the contractions were on top of each other, so I didn't have to wait long before I could start pushing. All in all, it only took about 15-20 minutes for me to push the baby out. I can't say that it felt much longer than that, but there was non-stop action during the entire delivery. I was scared and in pain, and I constantly asked them to help me. Being in pain isn't a good feeling, and I just knew that it was going to get worse before it got better. I felt everything. Because I had in my birth plan that I didn't want pain medication, no one had asked me about it during the entire time I was laboring. I appreciated that they were so supportive of my wishes. I never asked for pain medication, even during this hard time. I was so determined to have a natural experience, that I wasn't even considering pain relief until after the baby was born. I pushed as best as I could. I had a nurse on each of my legs holding them back, and Dennis was on my right side counting and rubbing my head. He kept telling me how proud he was of me and how I was doing such a great job. I was great to have him there, but I have to admit, I was getting into that scary, yell-at-everyone phase. I wasn't like this during Andrew. When I was delivering Andrew, I was more sad than anything. With Edmund, I was mad with little things. I think this was because I felt it all. I was a bit irritated that my nurses didn't have such a good hold of my legs. I wanted more support. Also, my doctor actually called me Kristin twice. I really yelled at her the second time, when I said, "my name is Kelly," as I was about to push again. I would cry in between screams, and I meant screams. I never screamed so loud or with so much force as I had at that moment. I tried to give the pushing all I had, but it just didn't seem that the baby was going to fit. The doctor and nurses tried to stretch me in between pushes. The mere thought of that makes me cringe. It was so painful. The doctor finally said that she felt I should have an episiotomy. I was against it in my plan, and she knew that. Still, she wouldn't have asked if she didn't think it was the best solution. I half cried when she asked because I knew that I would feel the entire thing. It is one thing to ripe on one's own, but to have someone ask if she could cut me in a very sensitive area, was horrible. I agreed and braced myself for more pain. Though I was feeling terrible at this point, I knew that the harder I pushed, the shorter the delivery would be. I had a couple of good pushes, and the head came out. I wasn't sure what was happening, and I was then told that the head was out. Dennis was happy at this point and kissed me on the forehead. He said that the baby was beautiful. He had said the same thing with Andrew. He had the easy job! :) The weirdest feeling came next after I had pushed the baby's body out. I can't quite explain it, but I felt the shoulders and body slide out of me as if it was a slug falling out of a bottle. I asked, "what is it?" because I really wanted to hear her say "it's a boy." She seemed confused why I was asking, but eventually said, "it's a boy." I just needed to hear it to know that it was true. Edmund Johs was born at 7:37pm. He was 8lbs. 7oz (6.7oz to be exact.) and was 20 1/2 inches long. As stated in my birth plan, I wanted the baby to be placed on my chest before anything else was done. The only things the doctor could do before I got to hold my son was clean out his mouth and have the umbilical cord cut. Dennis cut the cord, and I actually got to see it happen this time because I was sitting in a different position for birth than I had with Andrew. It was really neat to see. Dennis didn't hesitate. He kept kissing my forehead and telling me that he was so proud of me. He said that he was proud of me for doing it "my way," which meant without pain medication. He was so happy and excited for his new little man, and he told me that he thought I was amazing for giving birth without pain medication. The baby was then placed on my chest. I really wanted the skin-to-skin exposure, so it would be easier to breastfeed. I just didn't plan on being in so much pain. After Edmund came out of me, I wasn't able to move because of all the pain. I actually shook from the waist down because of the trama I had experienced. My abdomin was cramping so badly, and I felt unable to move. I had never felt so much pain as I did at this point. It is crazy to think that I would be begging for pain medication after the birth instead of during. Who would have thought! During the time that my son sat on my chest, the doctor stitched me up. I was so sensitive at this point that the shots she gave me to numb everything was so painful as well. I even flinched a couple of times, since she started the stiching process before I was even numb. This and many other reasons that were mentioned before are reasons enough for me to find another doctor. I would expect behavior like this from a man, who has no idea what this experience/pain is like, but to have a woman, who is actually a mother, be so insensitive, is unbelieveable. Tragic. It was hard even to look at my new baby, which made me sad. I wanted to enjoy this experience, as I did with Andrew. I asked many times for pain medication. During the time of laying limp with my new child on my chest, the doctor finished stitching me up and then asked me to pass the placenta. I actually had to push it out after getting my stithces. Weird! I don't know why this was done, since I never was asked to do that with Andrew. I just assumed that those things just fell out on their own. This was a new experience, for sure. I had to assume that the doctor knew what she was doing. Maybe she just wanted to check my muscles abilities and her stich job. Whatever. The doctor was out the door once the placenta came out, so the nurses started to clean me up after that. They also gave me pain medication then, which went into my IV. It was some sort of narcotic. It didn't work right away, but I was able to attempt to move at this point. I asked them also to help me move onto my side. I still couldn't move because of the pain. Laying on my left side was extremely better, and I actually got to look at my son more this way. I even breastfed him on my left side at 8:30pm. The nurses even pointed out that they were playing the lullabye over the loud speaker. This happens everytime someone has a baby, and normally, new mothers don't get to hear it play for them/their child, so it was nice to get to hear it for Edmund. This was now time for Dennis to hold the baby. He's such a patient man at times. He never once rushed me to try and hold the baby. He looked the part of a happy, new dad. He just loved the baby, which one could tell by Dennis' big smile and kisses he gave the baby. The nurses took the baby then to the nursery to do some tests and get him cleaned up. Dennis followed along to watch, and I tried to move off the bed and use the restroom before being wheeled to a new room. I just couldn't make anything happen in the bathroom. I think it was partially due to two factors: one being that I was shaking so badly, and the other was that my muscles just weren't resonding to the signals the brain was sending it. It was kind of like trying to lift a car with my mind. Impossible. The nurses said that it was okay, so I got in the wheelchair and headed to room 521, where I would be for the rest of my time in the hospital. With Andrew, I walked to my new room, but this one was much to far down the hall for me to walk. Once I got to this new room, I actually felt a bit better and was able to pee. I tried to breastfeed again at 11:30pm, but Edmund was passed out. He didn't want to wake up. The nurse, KJ, gave me a stool softner and a motrin after she got Edmund dressed from his poor attempt at feeding. We were all asleep just before midnight. Throughout the night, Edmund spit up quite a few times. He also needed to be changed a lot because the spit-up got all over his blanket and shirt. I thought it was a bit strange that he was spitting up, since that didn't happen with Andrew, but I thought he just had a bit more of the fluid in his system that needed to come out. I tried to breastfeed a couple more times, but he didn't want it. I think it was because he was so filled with fluid.

Light at the end of the tunnel can be heaven or a speeding locomotive!

I don't know what I was expecting at today's doctor's appointment. I was having lots of pressure all day, but that wasn't so off from any other time. Andrew had a playdate with some of the other 2-year olds from the mom's group. It was at Cameron's house today, and all seemed okay. I didn't feel that I was having any contractions, but the pressure was there. Nothing major. Andrew and I went to my mom and dad's for lunch, since I was going to leave Andrew with my mom. I didn't want my doctor's appointment to interfere with his nap, so I thought I would let him rest there while I went to see the doctor. At 2pm, I started off with a surprise ultrasound. I didn't expect this since my ultrasounds are usually on Fridays. I was in luck, because my favorite tech, Kelly, was there that day. She told me that they needed to measure the baby. I guess I had completely forgot that they wanted to do this at 38 weeks. It was probably because I felt in my gut that I wouldn't still be pregnant at this time. I told Kelly that I didn't want to know, though I was smiling. I had no choice, and I was a bit curious. I just knew he was going to measure big, and I was a bit worried to hear what she found out.

Week 37...let's get this party started!

I have to admit that since I had Andrew on the exact beginning of my 37th week, I was kind of thinking that this week would be IT for Edmund to come. I was wrong and so sad. It has been hard sleeping because of the constant bathroom breaks as well as the pain of all the weight. It isn't like pain pain, but it is more like pressure pain. It still doesn't feel good and allow for lots of sleep. I was hoping that when I went to my Sept. 25th appointment, the doctor would magically say, "let's get that baby out today." Of course, I would agree, and it would be all over. That didn't happen. When I got to the doctor's office, I weighed a wopping 162.4. Can I get any bigger? On the monitor, I was having consistent contractions, but they seemed more like Braxton Hicks, since they weren't predictable or ending at times. It just seemed like a really bad backache that was always there. I told the doctor about the burning feeling I was having, but if I wasn't also feeling itching feelings, I didn't need to worry. I trusted her, since the burning felt more like tearing than an infection. Luckily, the burning only lasted a week, so I knew by the 38th week that it wasn't an infection. The doctor had told me that my Group B strep test (the swab test taken at 36 weeks) came back positive. I guess this is just something that happens to some women, though it didn't happen with Andrew. I just need to let the hospital know that it was a positive result so that I can get antibiotics when I get to the hospital before I deliver. That way, the baby will be safe, and the infection/bacteria/stuff wouldn't pass on to the baby. This was a bit out-of-the-ordinary to hear and also a bit concerning to me, but again, I had to trust my doctor that everything would be okay. There wasn't anything I could do about it anyway. Dr. H checked me and said that I was 90% effaced and 4 cm dilated. She thought I would deliver by the end of the week, which was what I wanted to hear, but I didn't really believe it was going to happen. I had spent the entire month going from 1cm to 4cm, and I wanted to help things along. I looked up online how I could get the labor process started on my own. I drank red raspberry tea, bounced on my exercise ball, started to walk more and more, went up and down stairs at home (usually for Andrew). Nothing seemed to work. By the end of the week, I just decided not to worry so much about it all. The baby would come when the baby wanted to come, and it didn't matter what I did. I decided to relax about it and not stress out. I had another appointment on the 28th with Dr. M, but for some reason, I saw Dr. H again. This was really annoying. I knew that Dr. M was leaving the practice based on some reliable "hearsay", but I really wanted to hear it from her personally. I wanted her to ease my fears and worries about having to DO THIS without her. I wanted her to give Dr. H high praise to let me know I was in good hands. What happened instead? She completed avoided me and passed me off to Dr. H. I asked the secretary what was going on, and she was the one to tell me that Dr. M's last day was, in fact, that very same day. I was pissed. I told her that it wasn't very professional for her to avoid her patients, especially those being 9 months pregnant. All she said was that maybe Dr. M was busy and asked Dr. H to step in. I didn't buy that for a second. I know that she was too afraid/ashamed/something to face me herself. How weak!!! Anyway...at this visit, I weighed at 163.6 (yes, I could get bigger.) The heartrate was a steady 135, but I really wanted to be checked to see if things were progressing. I wasn't. I was still at 4cm and 90% effaced. All in all, it was a very disappointing visit and week.

The beginnings of labor? Umm...sort of!

On Monday, the 17th, I was felling lots of pressure again, and I actually had a little bit of blood when I wiped after using the toilet. It wasn't like a period, but more like a slight nose bleed. It appeared for a couple of days, and Dr. M had told me that it was probably my mucus plug coming out. I also started to feel some minor contractions on Monday as well, which lasted throughout the week. My sister lent me her exercise ball this week, which helped my back pains when sitting. On Sept. 18th, I went in for another appointment with Dr. M. This time, she was there. I weighed in at 160 pounds, but my belly measurements weren't taken. I first went on the monitor, which actually showed that I was having consistant contractions that were 3 minutes apart. They didn't feel strong, though. Dr. M did the 36-week, swab test for bacteria and checked me. I was 75% effaced and 3 cm dilated. Baby looked good and active on the monitor, but the doctor still wants me to sit and rest when I can. She said that I didn't have to be on bedrest, but I needed to take it easy. She wanted me to call her if any of the following happened: 1) my water broke, 2) the bloody show looks heavy, 3) the baby stops moving, or 4) I start to have really bad contractions. It seemed that that was the beginning of labor for me, which would last weeks. Sorry to burst your bubble, but there wasn't going to be a September baby. I thought it would be great to get the kid out in September, but he just wasn't ready. I say that this was somewhat the beginning of labor because I was already 3 cm and progressing, but slowly. Maybe this would make actual labor easier. We'd have to see. At my Sept. 21 appointment, my belly measured at 39 cm. Someone somewhere had once said that the amount of centimeters a belly measured was actually the amount of weeks the baby should be measuring at. Boy, I hope that was a falsehood. I would hate to have a baby who measured 48 weeks when it was all said and done. Is that even possible? I didn't want to think about it. That would be crazy! This appointment was nicer since Dr. M told me not to worry about resting and to do, pretty much, whatever I wanted. That was a relief, because maybe it would mean the baby would come out sooner. I had a few contractions at this visit, but I didn't really feel them. I had an ultrasound, which showed lots of fluid still, and the heartrate was 135. I wasn't checked at this visit either, so I would have to assume that my cervix was the same.

Bye Bye, Bedrest!

Today, I went to the doctor to see Dr. M, but she wasn't in. Weird. I had to see Dr. H instead. I was hoping to be told that bedrest wasn't needed, since that was what Dr. M told me before would happen, but that wasn't what happened with Dr. H. Although I had no real change in fluid or with the baby's heartrate, I was told to stay on bedrest. Dr. H didn't even check to see if I had dilated anymore than before. I guess it didn't really matter to check if I wasn't having contractions. That weekend was my neighborhood block party, and I really wanted to go. I had thought of borrowing a wheelchair from my parents to get the couple of blocks to the event, but I decided against it at the last moment. Maybe doing some walking would change my status in some way. Who knew! When it was nearly 5pm on the 15th, we walked down to party. Dennis and Andrew were very far ahead of me, since I needed to take it really slowly. I hadn't done really any big movements in the past two weeks because of bedrest, so this was taking a lot out of me, not to mention the pressure I was feeling. Things were fine the entire night, though. I didn't have any contractions, nor did I go into labor. I decided that I was going to try to live a bit more off of bedrest, but I didn't plan on overdoing it by any means. Some of the moms from my moms' group were going to the local apple orchard on Monday, and I was wondering if I should try it. When Sunday came around, I started to feel lots of sharp pressure on my pelvic bone, so I decided against going. I thought the standing and walking would be too much for me to handle. I think it was a wise decision. Andrew and I spent time with my mom, so it all worked out.

Bedrest Begins!!

After leaving the hospital on Saturday, September 1, I was officially on bedrest. It stunk. Being on bedrest with a 2 year old is much different than being on bedrest without one. I can't stop being a mom and taking care of my son. I just don't know how to do that. Luckily, the first day home was already a bit late in the day. The second day, however, was when Dennis wanted to take his sister into Chicago for the Chicago Jazz Festival. We had discussed it before any thoughts of preterm labor, and even thinking of myself as a healthy, pregnant woman, I wasn't going to go in. Too much walking. My mom and dad said that they didn't have any plans, so Dennis dropped off me and Andrew for the day at their house. Andrew and I spent lots of time there this past summer, since temperatures were commonly in the 90s or 100s, and it wasn't any fun being outside. He loves it there, so that also made it nice. My mom is a good mom and took care of us. I was able to rest when I needed to, also.

I felt bad at times being on bedrest, though. Dennis' sister came all this way, and I had to stay in bed or on the couch the whole time. We did take her out on Tuesday night to a Mexican restaurant, but that was the extent of me going out with her. Dennis and Andrew took her a few places on Monday, so she could get a few, last-minute purchases before leaving us on Wednesday afternoon. After taking her to the bus stop, Dennis dropped Andrew and I off at my parents' house again. We were being babysat again by my mom! :) By Friday, it was just too hard for me to sit and do nothing while my mom played with Andrew and cleaned/cooked, so I actually made lunch and dinner that day. I didn't feel too horrible, so I didn't think it was a big deal.

I had a doctor's appointment on Tuesday and Friday. I was being watched by my doctor to see if there were any changes. Luckily, there weren't any changes with my cervix and baby's position, but I was still on the Procardia and still on bedrest. Dr. M just changed it from every 6 hours t every 8. On Friday, Dr. M was delivering someone's baby, so I had to see Dr. H. She confirmed that things were staying put, but she didn't want me to stop bedrest or the Procardia. Dr. M hinted that she would stop me today, but since she wasn't here to talk with me herself, I still have to take it. At least, my body seems to be making more of a adjustment to the medication, and I don't have such bad heartburn feelings or rapid heartrate. A part of me was also hoping to get off of bedrest. I don't know why she would have stopped that, since I'm only 34 weeks, but I was hopeful. During my ultrasound, the tech measured the baby's size. He measured at 6 pounds 7 ounces, which was more than Andrew measured at the same time. This, of course, freaked me out a bit, because it just proved to me that this guy was going to be big. The tech also said that his head was in the 75% for size. Andrew had and still has a little bean, which I have appreciated so much. Delivery was hard enough with his little head, and I wasn't looking forward to how things would go with a 75% head with Edmund. Hopefully, all would work out. Dr. H checked me and said that I was 1 cm still. I was also 80% effaced, and the baby was at a minus 2 station.

On Saturday, we went back to the hospital, but this time, we were taking a prenatal class that lasted all day. That was a bit difficult. 9am-5pm, sitting in a wheelchair was hard. I was so uncomfortable. I don't want to say that we learned a lot during the class, but lots of information came back to us. That was nice. We really needed to be refreshed on the lamaze breathing and a bunch of other things. We were both glad we went. After leaving, we called my sister, who took Andrew to soccer with my two nephews. I guess he was in 7th Heaven all day being with his two buddies. She told us to go ahead and get some supper out, since we might not get another chance before the baby comes. Though I was exhausted, it was a good idea, and besides, we didn't have any groceries in the house to feed us or Andrew. We got a bite at Chili's, which was great. It was nice to spend some QT with Dennis. We never do that anymore. When we picked up Andrew, he, of course, didn't pay any attention to us. Would you if you had a million toys to play with and two playmates? We finally got him to leave, and it didn't take him long to pass out. We also were in bed and asleep by 9pm. What a day!!! It really proved to me that I can't and shouldn't sit that long without laying down for part of the day.

I had some pains from time to time, but it was so hard to know what it was. Braxton Hicks? Uterine irritability? Contractions? Nothing seemed regular, so I didn't think anything of it. I thought more of the fact that I had to cancel a bunch of playdates for me and Andrew with my Mom's Group. I really looked forward to those events at the coffee shop or park, and I really felt bad that Andrew was missing out on playing with other kids. He is so shy, and I love to have as many opportunities for him to mingle as possible. All I hoped was that I would get some good news at the doctor on Tuesday during my visit, but since I have to meet with Dr. H instead of Dr. M, I just have a feeling that bedrest is going to continue until the baby is born. We'll see what she says and how long bedrest and this pregnancy last. When I saw Dr. H on Tuesday, Sept. 11, the baby moved a lot on the monitor, but I wasn't having any contrations. Though I thought this to be a good sign that I would be taken off of bedrest, that wasn't the case, since Dr. H wanted to still be cautious. Being cautious is good, I guess. I am just feeling so uncomfortable all the time. I thought it would still be a good idea to discuss my birth plan with Dr. H, in case she would be the one delivering me. She was pretty much fine with everything, which was a great relief. The baby's heartrate was 144, and the fluid was still on the high side, 24. I weighed at 156.

My 28 Hour Hospital Stay that Resulted in No Baby

After getting my Kindle and talking over what might happen with the hospital stay with Dennis. I headed off for the hospital. On the way, I stopped at McDonalds, since I knew that I probably wouldn't get fed in the hospital if they thought I was in labor. I didn't want to be extremely uncomfortable the entire time I was there, so I settled for two fish sandwiches to tide me over.

I parked in the visitor parking off of State Street, since this is the main entrance and the one that I was most familiar with. I walked in and asked the lady behind the counter for "Labor and Delivery." She asked if I needed a wheelchair or any help, but since I wasn't feeling any real pain, just some pressure, I told her that I would walk. The walk seemed longer than I had planned. I think this was because I wasn't used to doing much activity being pregnant and being so far along.

When I reached the 3rd floor, I punched the button to get into the floor. They asked whom I wanted to see, and I told them that I was checking in, "I guess." The lady said, "you guess? you're not sure?" She told me to come on in, and I walked to the check-in desk. It took them a bit of time to find me a room. I guess they were rather busy. It was about 12noon. The wait wasn't horrible, and soon I was taken to room 540. I got undressed to my bra and socs and pu a green gown on that opened in the back. I came back to the bed and sat down. I wouldn't say I was in pain, but the monitor revealed that I was having contractions. Also, since I stopped to get some food before coming in, I wasn't hungry either.I sat there on the monitor for a few hours. I was alone, so I brought my Kindle to do some reading. Overall, I was content just to hang out alone, since I didn't have much in the way of downtime being a stay-at-home mom. My mom and sister didn't know why I hadn't asked them to come up and stay with me, but it just didn't seem necessary to waste anyone else's time for a false alarm. Besides, I was just in a triage room, and it didn't seem very serious for now. I had been in a room just like this one with Andrew, but during that visit, I was alone the entire time.

I was alone when I went into the room, but shortly thereafter, they brought in someone else. I was in the second bed in the room, Person B. The other lady seemed to be having similar issues from what I could hear the nurse say. She actually wasn't there as long as I was either. I got there at about 12noon and left the room around 6pm. I didn't even hear when she left, which was weird. I just noticed that a cleaning lady came in at one point to clean up, so I knew that she was either dismissed or placed in a permanent room. I never heard anything about her after she left, but while she was there, I heard more than I needed. Apparently, her husband was away on business, so she called to talk to him. I heard the entire conversation, since she had the phone on speaker. Who does that? I mean, I was in the same room for the same reasons as she was, and it just was rude for her to have to talk on speaker. I didn't understand the conversation because she was of some type of Asian background, and she talked to her husband in their language. I mentioned something to the nurse, so more or less just shrugged. Since it was a triage room, most of the times, they (the nurses) didn't say anything in these cases. I just really hope that I don't have her as a roommate when it comes times to recover from delivery. Last time, I had my own room for that, but I have a feeling that I won't be as lucky this time around.

The second person in the room was a young girl. I heard her say that she was in her early twenties. It just made me feel old. She was in the her part of the room with her parents. They spoke English and quite a bit. When I finally left the room, I was surprised to see two white people in there 60s and a young, black girl. I guess you get certain images in your mind when you are behind a curtain from ther other person, but I wasn't expecting them. They seemed nice enough people, and I hope the girl was going to be okay. I think she mentioned to the nurse that she was as far along as I was. Yet again, I have no idea what happened to her after I left the room.

While I was in the room, I was made to drink up as much water as possible. Occasionally, I could fee the contractions, which looked to be all the time and at a pretty good force. The monitor told me more than my belly did, so I didn't hesitate drinking whatever was put in front of me. The room was rather hot, so that helped me want to drink more. Dr. H was on-call, and she wasn't convinced that drinking would help alone. She issued them to give me an IV at 1:30pm. I knew the extra fluid would help, but I wasn't expecting to get up and go to the bathroom every half hour. It was so uncomfortable to have to unplug myself from the monitor and wheel my IV into the bathroom everytime. I hate needles, and having something like an IV stuck in me was unsettling. I also had a sore hand from the first attempt. The nurse used a needle that was too big for my little vein, and it was so painful. I cringe when thinking about it. She tried again to do it, but found luck in my wrist. I need to remember this for next time. They shouldn't even bother to try my hand. Wrists are much more comfortable anyway.

Drinking and reading were my only activities. The baby was pretty active the whole afternoon, which was good, and I guess that having to pee every 30 minutes could have been worse. At least, it got me out of that extremely uncomfortable bed. They gave me another IV bag at about 2:30pm. The labor seemed to be going strong from the reading on the monitor, and the fluids didn't seem to help much to get them to calm down. The nurse then gave me a shot in my lft buttocks, which was a steriod for the baby's lung development. It burned like crazy, and I accidentally kicked the nurse when she was trying to give it to me. Oops! Note to self: make sure that someone holds my legs down for the next shot, which was scheduled for 24 hours from now. These shots were also given to me with Andrew in case he came out early. This way, his lungs might have the chance to develop and lessen the risk of him having to go to the NICU.

The nurse also gave me two pills to help stop the contractions. She said that they may cause rapid heart rate because they are often taken for blood pressure. The side effect would be to relax the uterus. It was weird to take a pill for the side of effect, but I was willing to get these contractions to stop. (Later the next week, my doctor told me that they don't actually stop contractions, but just relax the uterus. I was a bit surprised that I was taking them instead of something else, since it seemed that my labor was moving right along. My regular OB/GYN didn't think they were that important to take. Weird.) The pills were called Procardia, and once I go home, I am supposed to take them every 6 hours until 3:30pm the next day when I get my other steroid shot in the butt (other cheek). I will have to come back to the hospital for it.

I had to wait an hour after the pills to get my cervix checked before I could go home. Two nurses checked me at about 4:45pm. Ouch!! They said that I was still just 1 cm dilated, which was good considering all the contractions. I was worried that it was much worse, so this news was reassuring. They said that after talking with Dr. H, they'd get me ready to go home. When the nurse came back in, I had just been monitoring myself on the computer. Those peaks were so high and so frequent; they made me nervous. I also started to get much more back pain and told that to the nurse (Alicia). She contacted Dr. H again, who said to just admit me overnight for observation. This completely took me by surprise, because I was mentally ready to go home. Though I felt uneasy about going home with such intense contractions, I thought it was okay since I didn't really feel much of them or any pain. The only time I've ever stayed overnight in the hospital was when I had Andrew, so this was a weird thing to experience. I still didn't believe that I was going to have the baby now, but I didn't want to rule it out in any case.

It took my nurse, Alicia, close to an hour to find/get cleaned a room for me. As I said beofere, they were really busy today. I went in a wheel chair directly across the hall to room 539. This was a labor room much like the one I was in when I had Andrew. It was also private which was nice, since I'd be staying alone. Dennis and Andrew were just now getting home from picking up Anette from the airport, so he'd be at home tonight instead of staying with me in the room. I didn't think much of that, since I wasn't worried about being alone. I quickly texted my sister and Dennis to tell them what was going on. THe bed was much nicer in my new room, but the monitor was harder to see. I couldn't tell what was going on with my contractions except for what my body was telling me. Since I was staying at the hospital, I didn't have to take those pills every 6 hours.

Instead, they gave me magnesium sulfate in my IV. Boy o boy, did it bun. It also made me feel very hot and flushed all over! The nurses said that I could feel dizzy and vomit, but I was okay. I startd to get a small, pressure headache just before moving rooms and starting the medicine. It felt more like allergies, though. There's a hurricane in New Orleans working its way north, so my sinuses probably felt it. The first hour of the MS was the hardest, because It burned in my IV and it made me very warm (nurses gave me ice chips and cool, wet wash cloths.) It was relentless. It was almost to the point of being unbearable, but once the bit jolt of medicine was in, I only felt a light sting in my IV after that.

By this time, I was getting hungry. 7:30pm came, which is when Dennis and Andrew came up with my Southwest Black Bean Salad from Beef-A-Roo. Yum!! I really wanted a piza, but the nurses told me to stay away from greasy foods while I was on the magnesium sulfate. I opted for a sald and some Nutrigrain Bars. The nurses actually said that I was responded remarkably well to the medicin given my small size and all.

Andrew was a bit unsure at first when he walked into the room. I smiled and said "come here, buddy," and he came right to me. I think that my being "okay" made him feel easier. I'm sure the size of the hospital was overwhelming to him, and he just didn't know what to expect having never been in this position before. He wanted to sit on mommy's bed, so daddy lifted him up. We had as much hugs and kisses as we could given that I had an IV in my left wrist, a pressure cuff on my right arm and 2 monitors on my belly. Luckily, all the cables went to the right, so he sat with me on the left side of the bed. He was his normal, wonderful self! :) He got down and wanted to sit on the different chairs in the room, and he also looked around a bit. The lights were off except for the bathroom, so there might not have been much to see. Dennis helped me get my glasses on, since my eyes were dry, and I ate my salad while Andrew was occupied with the chairs. Andrew, of course, seemed to immediately sense what I was doing and wanted some of mommy's food. Luckily, I still had the red peppers on my salad, that I forgot to tell Dennis to order without, so I gave all of them to Andrew. I dove into my salad, and I was over half-way done when Andrew wanted more food. Dennis confessed that he might not have eaten much today, so I told him to give Andrew one of the Nutrigrain bars from my bag. I had one too! :) Andrew still seemed hungry, so I told Dennis to feeld him more food when they got home. Anette stayed home because she was tired and also because she wanted us to have some family time. She figured that she'd see me later.

The boys left after 8pm, since Andrew needed to get ready for bed. I was also feeling sme fatiue from the MS, but my mind wouldn't shut off. I watched TV for an hour and then asked the nurse to give me some sleeping pills. It seemed that when I pushed my buzzer around 9:30pm, the nurse who answered didn't tell my nurse (Heather) about the sleeping pills, so when Heather cme in to check on me, she was surprised about the order. She quickly went to get the medicine, but she had to go out again to get me some water. It took the pills a bit of time to kick in, so I laid on my left side to pass out. I got up as normal to pee about 3 or 4 times and finally woke at 7am.

SATURDAY
To start, I have to admit that I'm a bit concerned. My insurance ended yesterday, and today is my first day on Dennis' insurance. I hope all goes well. I'm also so hungry, so I open up one of my strawberry Nutrigrain bars. I texted Kim and Dennis to let them know that I'm awake and feeling okay. I'm pretty clueless as to what's going on with the baby and contractions, since I need to get checked by the doctor. I notice that the NG bars are gone, so I open up some peanut butter and cheese crackers. I only eat a couple in case they bring me a good breakfast. Breakfast comes at 8am and is 2 pancakes, 2 sausage links, a bowl of oatmeal, OJ, milk and coffee. I eat all of it except for the sausages. Not bad. I put half the maple syrup in the oatmeal as well as squeeze the orange slice that was used to decorate my plate into the bowl. It was really pretty good. I keep the OJ for later, but drink all the milk. I'm feeling pretty good, but VERY groggy. I'm not sure if it is because of the sleeping pills or the magnesium, but I"m a bit unfocused.

Dr. H is making rounds and comes to check on me. She says that I am at least 1 cm dilated, 80% efface and that she can feel the baby's head. This came as a huge surprise. The doctor said that I'd be checked again around 3:30pm when I got my second steroid shot for the baby's lungs. She'd determine what to do after that. Until then, I just needed to hang out on the monitor. I sat in my bed talking to mom or texting Kim or Dennis on my phone. Poor Dennis! His inbox for texts must be full!! :) hahaha I got a little worried about what the doctor said, so I texted him all that needed to be packed for Andrew in case I delivered, since he was either going to Mom and Dad's or Kim's. I know he felt overwhelmed too, since I'm here, he's home as a single parent, and his sister is visiting. Where was the right place for him and what was he supposed to be doing? I understand if he felt somewhat confused about what is role as husband was in this situation, but if I was just going to sit in the hospital and wait, he might as well be doing other things. If we didn't have Andrew or Anette visiting, I would want him to be with me more, but we'd been down this road of false alarm before. He was fine to stay with Andrew. Some might have wondered why he wasn't with me, but I didn't feel bad about it at all. Andrew also had soccer, and Dennis had to get groceries. What sense would t have made for him to sit here? None! I was fine! There wasn't much he could do anyway.

Shortly after 9am, they took me off the magnesium. The bag was still on my IV cart, so I hadn't realized right away that it wasn't being pumped in me. The nurse came back in my rom at about 11:30am. I was in desperate need of wash cloths because my skin still felt really hot. My cheeks and chest were bright red. It looked like I spent yesterday in the sun instead of in the hospital. Also, I needed more water. She brought me in 2 Procardia pills, which were the smae pills I had last night to help with the uterine irritibility. She also told me that my last contraction was about 1/2 hour ago, which meant they were slowing down from yesterday. This was good news, and hopefully, could go home at 3:30pm after my second, steroid shot.

At about 12noon, I started to feel a really strong contraction, so I wasn't so optomistic. I just wanted my lunch to come, soI could take a nap. Ilaid down for about 15 minutes knowing the food would come at 12:30pm. I didn't want to miss it. Sure enough, at 12:30pm, the food lady was there, and it took me a total of 5 minutes to eat a grilled cheese sandwich, a bowl of tomato soup and a cup of mixed, tropical fruit. I kid you not. I inhaled it! :) It was good food, probably because I was starving and pregnant! :) I went slower with my lemonade, peed and went to sleep comfortably on my left side. My noon contraction was a single. No Worries!!

Dennis showed up around 2pm. We talked and slept on and off until the nurses came in to give me my second, steriod shot at 3:30pm. Dennis and the nurse, Carly, held my legs down, while Cherry (nurse) gave me the shot in my right butt cheek. There was much less pain this time around, because Cherry was an excellent nurse. She said to put the alcohol swab on it first, but then to wipe it off so that I didn't have any burning from the alcohol when she actually gave me the shot. How clever. I also didn't have as much desire or reflex to kick, which was good for all involved! :) We waited until 4p when Cherry checked my cervix and gave me 2 more Procardia pills. I need to take them every 6 hours, which means every 4 o'clock and 10 o'clock. I'd have to set my alarms to make sure I didn't forget. Cherry thought that I was definitly 1 cm dilated, but she would say that I was more 50% effaced. It was hard to know whom to believe, but being any percentage effaced still meant that I needed to take things easy.

They released me then from the room, and Dennis and I were escorted down the elevator and to the car, which Dennis pulled to the door for me by the two nurses. I was pushed in a wheel chair the entire time. The nurses were great in the hospital. I would say that they only bad experience would have to be when one of the nurses from Friday couldn't get the IV in because the needle was too large. Ouch!! A week later, my hand still hurt from that. Everyone else was wonderful. They were very supportive and also very nice. They said many nice things to me during the entire process, which seemed odd. I appreciate it though. It was nice to be taken care of even if I wasn't leaving with a baby this time!