A lot has gone on this past week, too much to fit into my
normal blog format! In fact, this will be my last weekly blog update before
Crosby is born!
I went to my 38 week appointment this past Friday which lead
to some unanticipated events! My blood pressure was measuring high, I was very
puffy and swollen, and apparently my reflexes (when they bang your knee with
the hammer?) were not up to snuff. This caused my obgyn to be concerned about pre-eclampsia.
She decided to send me upstairs to labor and delivery to be monitored for a few
hours and have some labs done.
Before I went up, she checked me and determined that I was
still 3 cm dilated, and had not progressed much in the effacement department
either. She explained that if I did end up having pre-eclamspia, I would be
induced this weekend, so she might as well strip my membranes to get the ball
rolling. So she did! And it hurt…a lot…
I went upstairs and was hooked up to the fetal monitor for
about 2 hours. During this time, I started having mild contractions which were apparent
on the screen. All of my labs came back normal, and my blood pressure
eventually dropped down back into the normal range. They couldn’t discharge me
until they confirmed that Crosby had a normal resting heart rate…the only problem
was Crosby didn’t feel much like resting! For the entire two hours I was there!
My doc eventually gave me the ok to head home.
So with the threat of early induction off the table, it was
time to wait the 24-48 hours after a membrane stripping to see if I went into
labor. Into labor I went…but not in the way you might imagine! I started a
vicious cycle known as “Prodromal Labor” which by definition is:
1. “Pre” Labor that may begin hours or days before active
labor.
2. Contractions may feel like Braxton Hicks but
sometimes they can be much stronger.
3. Unlike true labor, where contractions usually become
longer, stronger and closer together, prodromal contractions are irregular in
duration, length and intensity.
Basically, I have had contractions, sometimes extremely
painful ones, around the clock since last Friday. Today is day 6 of wondering
if it will ever develop into the real deal! Last night, my contractions were so
strong and painful and about 7 minute apart that I thought for sure we would be
heading to the hospital. But alas, they
eventually tapered off.
In general, I would consider them mild to moderate in
intensity, and occur between 15 to 30 minutes apart…all…day…and…night. Needless
to say, I am exhausted, as sleeping has not been great! Having had my membrane’s
stripped on Friday, my mom ended up flying in this past Saturday, which has
been amazing. Not only has this allowed Carson the opportunity to warm up to her prior to our hospital
stay, she has been a huge help while I have been feeling less than human these
past few days! Thanks goodness I stopped working last week…I am not sure how I
could have managed!
I called my doctor yesterday just to give her an update on
my perpetual labor, and she recommended that we move my induction date from
Tuesday February 11th, to Friday February 7th. I will be
39 weeks that day, and my doctor feels that a week of almost full blown labor physically
and emotionally is enough! So we have a new potential birth date! 2/7/14! A good
date, as 2 x 7 =14! In less than 48 hours, Crosby should be making an
appearance….eeeek!
Some other crazy things have happened this week while I have
been on the verge of legit labor. Some of you may remember when I was pregnant
with Carson, our septic system blew back into our house and flooded the
basement, less than 24 hours from when we were to go to the hospital for his
induction, thanks to a crack in the septic pipe that lead from the house to the
leech field. HORRIFYING! The septic people made the repairs while we were at
the hospital. Well…Wednesday night, I decided to take a bath to try to calm my
crazy intense contractions, and when the tub was draining…the same exact thing
happened again! Septic water spewing back into the basement in the same manner!
Poor Ryan was up until 1 AM cleaning up. The septic people came first thing
this morning, and determined it was just a simple blockage, so we are now all
set. Phew! But unbelievable that it happened yet again right before our child’s
birth!
The other crazy event this week was the huge snow storm that
occurred today. We were projected to get about 14 inches! I think we ended up
with around a foot. Ryan worked from home for the day, and Carson’s daycare was
closed so Ryan, Susie, Grammy, Carson, and Chomper were all snowed in together…and
survived! For once I was actually willing the contractions away, instead of
hoping that they ramped up into active labor. The last thing I wanted to do was
make my way to the hospital during the storm! Luckily, the contractions stayed
pretty calm and manageable today.
So there you have it! Ryan and I are scheduled to arrive at
the hospital at 7 AM this Friday! We hope to keep everyone in the loop via the
blog as things progress…here’s hoping for productive labor that results in a
healthy baby in our arms!
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| Last Bump Pic! |
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