Hurry Up and Wait

This morning was — well, exciting isn’t exactly the right word for it — um, interesting?

I woke up at 4 a.m. with some some cramping. I’d had some the day before too, and just assumed they were Braxton Hicks contractions. I laid in bed for an hour and a half and it grew worse. I got up to use the bathroom around 5:30, and noticed some spotting. So I called the after hours number for the doctor. The receptionist asked me all sorts of questions, then told me to go to Labor and Delivery at the hospital and be examined. It was Saturday, so I couldn’t go to the doctor’s office.

We arrived at the hospital around 7. They took me to an exam room on the L&D floor, and hooked me up to the monitor. The fetal monitor showed that the baby wasn’t under any stress, and I could feel that he was still really active.

Since I had a scheduled C-section with David I ‘ve never been in labor, so I didn’t really know how I should be feeling. I was afraid I’d over-reacted, and they were going to tell me to just go back home. But my contractions were strong enough to register, strong enough to be pretty uncomfortable, and only about 3 minutes apart though they didn’t last very long.

Around 8 o’ clock the nurse gave me a shot of Tributaline, a drug used to stop pre-term contractions. A few minutes after the shot I could feel my abdomen relax and the contractions slowed down and weren’t as strong.

Then we were told that we were just waiting for the doctor on call to come in and see me. But then someone really in labor came in, and doctor had to deliver a baby before she could see me.

While we were waiting for the doctor, the mid-wife who’s a part of the OBGYN practice I go to came in around 9 and examined me. She determined that my cervix was still closed, which was a good sign. She also said that the small amount of bleeding didn’t appear to be coming from inside the uterus. Also good news. She did send a test to the lab to make sure my bag of waters hadn’t ruptured.  That came back negative, but she also seemed to think that things might start progressing.

In fact the mid-wife was very enthusiastic about the possibility of me having a baby today. And excitedly told me that perhaps I wouldn’t need a C-section, and could deliver vaginally after all. I tried to smile, but her perkiness sort of made me want to slap her. If I really were in labor and she was down there cheering me on, I’m pretty sure I’d end up kicking her.

I’m not into natural birth at all. I’ll take any and every kind of medical intervention I can legally get, and I was just fine with having a C-section. I can’t imagine what she would have said if I told I wasn’t going to breastfeed either. Oh, mercy. I’m sure an encouragingly peppy lecture would have ensued.

We continued to wait, and as the first dose of Tributaline wore off the contractions intensified again. The nurse was going to give me another dose, but my heart rate was too high, a side-effect of the drug. Then she told me at 35 weeks that drug rarely works anyway, but it was worth a try.

So we waited and waited. Finally the doctor came in around 11. She did another exam and took some cultures to check for infection. She confirmed that the cervix was closed. They decided to monitor me a little longer, and finally moved me out of the exam room to a regular room. Which I was very thankful for. The exam room was small, hot, windowless had a very uncomfortable table, and I couldn’t use my cell phone in there.

In our rush to get out of the house this morning I still had the where-with-all to throw my video and digital cameras in the suitcase I’d already packed for the hospital along with my laptop just in case we had to stay. It was killing me not to be able to get online and update Facebook and Mommie Daze. There is only wireless Internet access in a special lounge in the hospital so I couldn’t use my laptop, but once in the room I was at least able to update Facebook on my phone. (Who wants to give me a Blackberry Curve? Then I could blog on my phone too.)

What a stupid thing to worry about right? But I think  it somehow made me feel like I had a little control over the situation, and certainly lessened some of the boredom of  just waiting.

After they moved me, the contractions slowed down quite a bit again, without more medicine, and they weren’t as uncomfortable. The tests for infection came back negative as well. The doctor decided there was no reason for me to stay since things didn’t seem to be progressing.

I wasn’t allowed to eat or drink anything the whole time we were at the hospital. The last thing I’d had was around 10 o’ clock the night before. So after we left we went Panera for lunch. Oh, was I starving! If you’ve been there you know they have the Pick Two, half a sandwich and half a bowl of soup. They should have a Pick Four for hungry pregnant women.

I’m just at home resting now, but I wasn’t put on bed rest. I’m still having contractions. They’re short and just a little uncomfortable, and intermittent. Sometimes they’re 8 minutes apart and sometimes 15 or more. If I sit still they seem to really diminish, so I’m trying not to move a lot. There hasn’t been any more spotting at all.

I’ve had a bad cold this week, and not a lot of sleep because of the congestion. I don’t know if that has anything to do with it. Otherwise there doesn’t seem to be a cause for what’s happening.

I really don’t know what to expect next. I don’t know how long this can go on for, but I don’t think I’ll make it to June 4th, the date of my scheduled C-section. So now we just wait and see. Although I’ve sort of had a feeling for a week or so that Wade was going to be early.

Wade’s big enough now at 35 weeks that the only real concern if he’s born before 37 weeks is his lung development.

I’m pretty calm about it, and I know it’s all in the Lord’s hands. Nature will take it’s course one way or the other.

If I don’t end up back in the hospital before, I see the Dr. again Tuesday, so maybe I’ll learn more then.