My recent trip to labor and delivery at 34 weeks

Ok so if you know me you know I have two boys. One age 5 and the other will be two in July. I am currently 34 weeks pregnant (with a girl this time) and trying to avoid preterm labor. I was at work the other day when I started having Braxton Hick contractions on a pretty regular basis. Actually they were coming and going regularly for over a week, but I just ignored them since I was not in any “real” pain.

This time was different...I had some very faint spotting. I had a doctor appointment coming up in about 3 hours and I contemplated not calling and just waiting until I got to her office to tell her what was going on. Then I something in me said to call...I probably was hearing my spouse’s voice in my head telling me to stop being so stubborn and just call.

Well, I called and they told me to go right to labor and delivery. Ok so I work almost an hour away from the hospital and well I stopped by my house to take a “quick” shower. Yes I know…what was I thinking, right? Well I am a girl and I wanted to make sure all of my personal parts were well groomed before I had people poking and prodding me. The whole time I kept telling myself…I probably imagined the spotting and I am going to get there and waste everyone’s time.

Mind you, I still have yet to get a hold of my spouse at this time…ahhh the life of the military. I left messages everywhere for him. Thank goodness I wasn’t counting on him driving me to the hospital! LOL

So I waddled my booty to labor and delivery. I tell the nurse behind the counter my doctor sent me to get checked out. She is like ok let’s get you checked in. Well I give them a urine sample…there is always plenty where that comes from…then she hooks me up to the monitors and leaves the room. Hello…I still can’t get a hold of my husband!

Now that I am all hooked up and settled in for about a half an hour, she comes back in…except with two huge 16 oz cups of water and says start drinking. Don’t get me wrong I like water, but come on, hospital tap ice water. Yuk…and no thanks. Then she is like honey you are contracting every 3-4 minutes…we want to see if this will calm it down. Reluctantly I begin drinking…then she is like oh and I need to check your cervix. Great and I still can’t find the man who did this to me…

She checks me and says your 1 centimeter dilated. I think well that’s not bad…we all know you can be 1 centimeter for weeks. Then she leaves the room. Less then 5 minutes later she returns with a guy starting an IV on me and she gives me a shot of Terbutaline. I get the shakes head to toe and I STILL CAN NOT get a hold of my husband…did I mention we still haven’t decided on a name yet either. My nerves are a wreck and at this point I have no idea if I will be having this baby right then and there. Plus you guess it…still no husband. Then I hear my cell vibrate and grab it…it's him! He’s on his way to the hospital (mind you it's about a 45 minute drive for him). Fifteen minutes later….yes fifteen minutes later he walks in the door to my room. I am shaking head to toe…and just seeing him makes me feel better. Why? Because I won’t be doing this by myself after all and no matter how much we can fight, he is really good at this kind of stuff. By now I am on my second IV drip and having to pee like crazy. I have someone to help me up…yea!!!

A few hours later my doctor comes in, checks me, and reads the printouts from the monitors. She is letting me go home!!! But strict bed rest…okay did I mention I have two other kids under the age of 6? My, how the heck is this going to work? Well, so far it has been a challenge, but I have to try to keep her in for at least two more weeks…otherwise she will be transferred to a hospital over an hour away. We shall see how this goes…wish me luck.