With six weeks to go in this pregnancy, we had a bit of a trial run last night, wondering if I was going into preterm labor -- no fun! I spent a sleepless night in the hospital hooked up to monitors, only to come out with a clean bill of health this morning. No labor, baby is fine, everything looks normal. All's well that ends well, I guess?
The full story, for those interested... After dinner yesterday evening I felt really "heavy" and "uncomfortable," and opted to sit on the couch watching television while Brian did the dishes (what a sweetheart!) By 9ish, I was getting more uncomfortable, with some weird, consistent pains in my back on the right side. Along with the backache, every 15 mins or so, I'd get a nice deep pain wrapping around the front of my stomach -- but only on one side. This was weird and quirky, but not extremely intense, except sometimes. Well, the backache continued until bedtime and made it impossible for me to sleep. Consequently it was impossible for Brian to sleep, too.
He got up and read some stuff about preterm labor. Symptoms include -- backache in the lower back, and radiating cramps around the abdomin. Sounded similar to what I was feeling so we called the hospital. They told us it'd probably be best to come in just to be safe. We waited awhile, the pains got worse, so we went in (dropped Samantha off at our very nice friends' house at midnight).
I had a lot of pain all the way to the hospital, but as soon as we arrived, it kind of started to taper off. The nurse took all my details, poked and prodded me and put me on a monitor. A doctor came and asked me a bunch of questions and did more poking and prodding. Our baby was a champ -- rolling somersaults inside me and giving a great heart beat reading on the monitor. They were really impressed, though I told them he was acting much more agitated than normal. I guess it's better to see a lively, agitated baby than a subdued baby with a week heart beat, right?
Well, by 2a.m. the cramps and backache stopped altogether. Nothing. No real explanation why I was in pain, or why it left. They decided to take some blood (six viles and three jabs! ouch!) and keep me in until morning just to make sure. Brian went home, and I went to a "recovery room" to sleep -- right across from the nursery. Did I sleep? Well, no, but I remembered vividly what it can be like to have a screaming newborn at all hours of the night. (sigh).
My doctor came at 7 a.m. and did a bit more poking and prodding, though there really was nothing to feel at all by that point. He released me and Brian came back to get me by 8 a.m. We slept until 10:30, then Brian went and collected Sammie and headed to work. It's been a normal day here, no pain, no unsual pregnancy stuff. It kind of makes me wonder what that was all about, anyway? Well, I'm glad the baby is fine and I'm not in labor. I guess maybe we just needed a little bit of drama and a sleepless night to remind us what we're in for?
Better safe than in labor at home, right??
4 comments:
Wow, no fun Kamber! Sorry to hear you had to endure all of that. But everyone's doing fine, so that is good news. Keep us posted. We are excited for your new arrival.
Best wishes from Boston!--Becky & Timo
Isn't that always the case? IT's horrible until you get to the hospital, and then everything stops.
I think being in labor and delivery is like being sentenced to torture. sometimes nurses forget that it is a real person that they are dealing with, they get into the "get it done" mode. I hate hospitals. And I don't use "hate" very often.
sorry you had to go through all that. Its really frustrating when they dont' have any clue as to why you are feeling the way you are. Isn't that horrible? Medicine has come far, but not far enough! Hope you don't have to keep dealing with that. And stay off bed rest!
Lisa
That never happened to me, Kam, in all my 5 child-birth experiences. (thank goodness....) The closest I came to anything like that was when YOU were born....we got to the hospital at about 6:00 a.m., after being awake most of the night with pains.
They put me in a room and did a whole big exam thing, but the pains had stopped by then and they told me I could leave the hospital, but not to go TOO far away cause things looked 'close at hand'.
Your dad and I just went for a walk near the hospital, all along the river there in Idaho Falls on that early summer Sunday morning, then went back to the hospital when the pains started up regularly, and you were born by 9:15 a.m. that July 20th.
How wonderful to have all those child-bearing years behind me! (And how WONDERFUL the CHILDREN are that we had!) And I'm very glad YOU'RE doing all better now, BABE. Love, Mom
I'm going through similar experiences. I have had LOTS of practice labor, but I have always been leery of just going in to the hospital, because I'd rather spend the beginning of my labor in the comfort of my own home, than being stuck in a hospital.
The other day, I had regular contractions every 6 minutes for almost 4 hours, but then they went away (I'm 39 weeks pregnant by the way).
Anyways, you should be excited that your body is already getting ready! The more it does now the less it will have to do when it actually goes into labor.
Good luck with everything!
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