After a perfectly healthy pregnancy with Henry and 31 uneventful weeks with Nora, we had our first pregnancy complication this weekend. Easter Sunday pretty much started out like a normal day. I woke up early super hungry and ate in quiet before anyone else was up. A quick cat-nap later and we were busy celebrating Easter.
It was a beautiful day, so Morgan and I decided to walk the few blocks to our church. Its not an unusually long walk for me and we didn't think anything of it. During Mass, however, I noticed that I just couldn't hold Henry without getting a contraction. Still, I didn't think too much of it. I've had a lot of Braxton Hicks this pregnancy and I figured that's what was going on. We walked home then headed to brunch after I downed a glass of water.
Throughout brunch, around 1:30, I noticed that the contractions were really picking up despite the fact that I was drinking plenty of water and just sitting. I was feeling cranky and off by the time we got home. It was still really nice outside, so I drank some more water and sat around our deck. The contractions continued.
By 3:00, I was starting to get a little worried and decided to time them while laying on my left. After an hour, they were averaging every 5 to 9 minutes apart. By 4:00, I figured I should call the nurse line for my OB. The nurse wanted me to drink 3 more glasses of water, and time them for another hour. So I did -- by 5:00 they were coming every 4 to 7 minutes.
At this point, the nurse and on-call doctor felt it was best that I go to Labor and Delivery to be checked out -- and not just any hospital, the one with the higher level NICU in case I was delivering that night. By this point, Morgan and I were panicking. We quickly packed, found a place for Henry, called our parents and headed to L&D.
By the time we got to the hospital, I noticed a big change in the contractions, they were more painful and coming more consistently. The nurse was great and quickly hooked me up to monitors. The contractions were coming every 3.5 minutes at this point. They ran some tests to see if they could figure out what was causing the contractions. They also checked my cervix to see if I was dilating. Thankfully, my cervix was closed and all the tests came back negative. During this time, Nora looked awesome on the monitor and was moving like crazy.
So, it was just a matter of stopping the contractions. One terbutaline shot later and the contractions finally stopped. The terbutaline did cause some unpleasant heart racing and shaking but it was very worth it to keep Nora cooking.
The doctor said they often don't know why these things happen. And, there's no way to know if it will happen again. For now, I've avoided bed rest but I've been told to "take it easy." Whatever that means with a 3-year-old. Right now, I'm just counting my blessings that Nora is still cooking away. Today, I've felt pretty good, with only a few "normal" Braxton Hicks and was able to relax thanks to my Mom and Dad taking Hen.
Overall, it was a pretty scary and stressful afternoon and evening. Let's all hope and pray that Nora stays inside without much trouble for at least the next 6 weeks!
The doctor said they often don't know why these things happen. And, there's no way to know if it will happen again. For now, I've avoided bed rest but I've been told to "take it easy." Whatever that means with a 3-year-old. Right now, I'm just counting my blessings that Nora is still cooking away. Today, I've felt pretty good, with only a few "normal" Braxton Hicks and was able to relax thanks to my Mom and Dad taking Hen.
Overall, it was a pretty scary and stressful afternoon and evening. Let's all hope and pray that Nora stays inside without much trouble for at least the next 6 weeks!
