labor already? (started this post Sat 8/1 and am just finishing it tonight Mon 8/3)

We've had an interesting 2 days in our household... here goes.

Thursday night I turned the lights out at about 10:45. I started having painful and consistent contractions every 3-5 minutes from that point on until 11:30ish, when I finally thought I better get up and call the hospital. The nurse suggested I get up, change positions, take a bath, drink as much water as I could and call her back after trying all those things if the contractions didn't go away.

I was home alone with Ellie as Greg was working overnights. I was really quite nervous. With each contraction I could feel my heart pounding and my anxiety increasing. My lower back hurt so bad and my entire stomach was hard as a rock. Just before getting in the tub I had a bought of diarrhea (hello sign of labor!!) As I got in the tub I decided to call Greg and let him know what was happening. It was about 11:45 at that point. I wasn't sure Greg really needed to race home. I just thought I was having false labor and it would go away any minute. I continued to have the contractions in the tub. Greg called back around 12:15 to see how I was. I was still sitting in the tub and didn't want to move. He told me he'd call me back at 1 a.m. By the time 1 rolled around I was dressed and back in bed. The contractions had decreased in intensity and weren't coming as often. We decided that Greg would come home anyway since now I would be so tired the next day that at least he could be up with Ellie rather than need to sleep all day due to working until 6 a.m. He came home around 1:30 a.m. We sat in bed and he read all my forms from the hospital and a section of my book "What to Expect when you're Expecting." He wanted to call the nurse back and talk to her more about what I was feeling, but I thought that things were dying down so we didn't.

I finally fell asleep around 2:30 and Greg shortly after. Ellie was up shortly after 7 and Greg got up with her and I think I rolled out of bed around 9. All I did was come out to the living room and lay down on the couch and the dang contractions started up again. This time more sporadic, like every 5-10 minutes and much less painful than the night before.

I was totally uncomfortable. I felt like something had changed inside. Maybe the baby's position? Remember he was sideways. I felt so much pressure and pushing on my "area" and my bladder. I was thinking that maybe he'd lowered in preparation for delivery... but was thinking - delivery cannot come today!!

At 10:45 I called the clinic after some coaxing from Jess and Greg (I have no idea why I think/feel the way I do... I just don't want them all laughing when I leave and thinking... oh the silly girl, she thought that was real labor, she'll know when the real labor starts!) But this nurse I spoke with was SO nice. She asked me a bunch of questions and asked if I could come in right away. When we arrived at the clinic and I did the normal pee in a cup, weight check, bp, etc. Remember I had my normal OB check on Thursday morning and I'd gained 4 lbs? Well this was the very next morning and I'd lost those 4 lbs already?! I was shocked. My urine also showed keytones again (just 24 hours earlier it was normal) and my bp had increased just a bit.

The nurse that roomed us couldn't have acted like she was in any more of a hurry to get to her lunch break. I hate that, I thought it was so rude. Here we are scared out of our mind thinking I might be going into labor at 33 weeks, would have to be admitted to try to stop the contractions and if that didn't work I'd be shipped to the U where they are more prepared to handle premature deliveries... and she was not in the least caring or having any empathy. That sucked.

Dr. S came in and asked me a few more questions. He ran a test to check for something in my va-jay-jay and said if it came back positive the likelihood that I'd deliver in the next 2 weeks was 1 in 6. If it came back negative the likelihood that I'd deliver in the next 2 weeks was something like 1 in 220. If it came back positive they'd admit me and monitor my contractions and give me something to try and stop the contractions and then we'd have to discuss bed rest. He checked my cervix and it was a finger width dilated. (not sure exactly how much that is? 1-2 centimeters?? anyone know? i forgot to ask.)

Dr. S thought, based on the keytones in my urine, that I may be dehydrated. I just don't know how I go from ok to dehydrated in 24 hours?? I drink water. I eat fruit. I drink milk. (Plus a coffee and a pop now and then.) I just don't get the dehydration thing. But whatev. He made me finish my bottle of water before I left the appt. Which I did.

We left our appt and were told he'd call us within and hour with the results. We had to stay in town in case the result was positive and I had to come back in for monitoring. Luckily things came back negative and Dr. S told me to make sure I'm resting enough each day, drinking enough water and to call/come back in if my contractions started up again or got worse.

Things have calmed down a bit. I've taken time outs every now and then to rest if we are having a busy day. I'm drinking a lot more water. The contractions are gone now for the most part. I know I still have one once in a while with the belly hardening but they aren't painful. I feel more like myself. Those 12 hours of contractions had me feeling so weird. Like I was not in control of my body and I didn't like it one bit.

I'll be 34 weeks on Wednesday. Let's pray I get to at least 37 weeks before I feel anymore contractions like that again!!