Week 30: My Uterus is Irritable, and so am I

          According to the NEDC my pregnancy progress is based on Saturdays. So for example, this past Saturday marked the beginning of my 30^th week of pregnancy. Woohoo; that in and of itself is quite exciting. 30 just seems so close to 40 (which we all know I will not be carrying to). If you all remember, I expected each trimester to announce itself with a bang; some sort of dramatic change; and yet they always arrived like a lamb (if a lamb were huge and swollen and had terrible acid reflux.)

          I have been having contractions on and off for weeks now, but nothing too close together or even that often. However, this past Saturday I finally got that big bang I had been looking for as my 30^th week announced itself with a lot of contractions. The contractions I had been having were painful and they continue to be most times. This Saturday though I had 8 within an hour and 20 minutes. From there I continued to have between 4-6 contractions every other hour or so; if you have 4 within an hour you are supposed to call the doctor, but I was sure it was nothing.

          On Sunday I began to notice a decrease in the amount of baby movement, which is something I have been told to watch for. I also have been having menstrual like aches and back pain. So Monday rolled around and I still had barely felt baby girl move, and she is usually pretty active. I was still leery about calling a doctor because I didn’t want to look like an idiot if everything was fine. BUT this is my first time and so I don’t know what is normal and I worry easily. So I called my doctor in the hopes of rescheduling my next appointment at a closer office and while on the phone I felt prompted to ask to speak to the nurse.

          I told the nurse about the contractions, the decrease in fetal movement and the pains I was having and of course she told me I needed to go to the hospital where I will be giving birth to be checked out. Now mind you, this hospital is about an hour away from me; so, on top of worrying that I would look like an idiot if everything was fine, I would also have driven 85 miles round trip just to ease my mind. I was wrestling with whether or not to go. But it came down to the fact that I would rather feel stupid and have healthy babies than sit around and ineffectively worry when something could actually be wrong.

          So I made the drive in record time, it wasn’t too bad actually. They immediately took me back and hooked me up to fetal monitors. It took them a while but they finally found baby girl and baby boy’s heart rate. Hers was a little slower than normal, in the 130’s but it was there. Then, of course, both babies started moving like crazy. (I am wondering if all the tryptophan in the turkey I had been eating the past few days put them in slight comas?) This was fantastic news! They were both moving and seemingly healthy (as far as a heartbeat can determine health.)

          The nurses began to notice contractions showing up on the monitor; contractions that I couldn’t even feel. This apparently meant that I have an “irritable uterus” which I thought was fitting because I have been pretty irritable lately myself! Later, I began to have bigger contractions that I could feel; I had 5 while I was there. My actual OB was out of town and it took 2 hours to reach the doctor covering for him. She was in the operating room, so I suppose that is a good reason to be unreachable. I never actually saw the doctor. She spoke to the nurse and after hearing my situation she ordered me on bed rest, beginning immediately. They said I can’t cook or even drive. So much for that hour drive home….

          I obviously had to drive myself home, but I was required to make an appointment with my OB for that same week (which I have to drive an hour to.) The nurse said that my regular OB may take me off bed rest, but until then I am under strict orders. They never actually checked my cervical length so I don’t know if the contractions are affecting that or not. They said my OB should check this week, so until then it is all down time. Of course this is right before Christmas and I haven’t even bought one gift yet! I also still have lots to do for the pending arrival of the twins and a home to take care of. Bah humbug!

          I am very thankful for a loving husband who insisted even before the doctors did that I take it easy and put my feet up. He is so helpful around the house and he takes good care of me. I am also thankful for friends and family who selflessly offer their time and encouragement to us! So I only ask that you would join me in praying that these babies are born when God has planned and not before or after