Lately....

Well, we've had a bit of excitement around here lately, and not exactly the good kind. About a month or so ago I started not feeling well (even more so than normal this pregnancy) and couldn't quite pinpoint what was wrong. I was incredibly run down and started to notice a lot of braxton hicks contractions that felt fairly uncomfortable and even kept me up at night. Finally, I broke down and called my OB on a Saturday morning after an episode of upset stomach that left me with some pretty strong cramping and severe fatigue. Something just didn't feel right!

Matt and I headed to labor and delivery and my mom drove to the hospital to meet up with us and take Savannah to her house (children are not allowed right now on the labor and delivery floor because of restrictions during flu season; also, it was better for her to not be around while we were dealing with all of this!) The plan was to put me on the monitor and see if I was contracting, and if I was, see if we could stop them with fluids. After awhile on the monitor we could see I was contracting. The nurse said I was very well hydrated, but she would start some fluids just in case. The contractions got stronger and regular during this time, coming every 10 minutes or so. When my OB came in to the room, I started to really worry. I knew she wasn't planning to actually come in to the hospital on a Saturday unless something was wrong. She performed a test called a fetal fibronectin test that would determine if I was likely to go into preterm labor during the next two weeks. She also checked my cervix, which was thankfully closed. We had to wait about an hour to get the test results back, and it certainly felt like a loooooong time. My doctor said if it was positive we would give me a steroid shot to strengthen the baby's lungs and possibly start medication to stop the contractions. At 24 weeks and 5 days, I knew that Hailey was way, way, way too little to come into this world, so I was praying and doing the best I could not to worry.

The doctor came back into the room and told us the test was negative. Thank God! Also, my contractions stopped. The doctor told me she wasn't sure why I was contracting, but she thought I had an irritable uterus, which can sometimes just happen after a woman has had a baby or two. I was allowed to go home but put on bed rest and instructed to call if I showed any signs of preterm labor.

For the first several days back home, I adhered to strict bed rest but continued to contract quite a bit. I was very uncomfortable and often unable to sleep because of the discomfort. At a follow up visit to the OB, I talked with the doctor about the really bad digestive issues and upset stomach that I had throughout the entire pregnancy. It seemed to be getting worse and worse, and my OB said that my upset stomach and IBS could certainly be causing my uterus to be irritable and contract. Although she thought this might be the problem, she didn't really offer any suggestions as to what I could do about it! I decided to take matters into my own hands and drastically alter my diet to see if it would help: I cut out all dairy, gluten, and caffeine, and greatly reduced the amount of sugar I was eating. The effects were immediate! All of my digestive and tummy troubles completely disappeared.....and I began to notice that I was rarely ever contracting while on bed rest! Praise God!

After two weeks on bed rest, I got the okay to move around the house more and do some light housework. I was still advised not to lift anything and to avoid going up and down the stairs any more than necessary. It feels great to be able to move around again! I still notice that I can't be on my feet for very long before I start to notice some contractions starting up again, so I do need to continue to keep resting a LOT (which can be hard because there is so much I feel that I want/need to do!!) I see my doctor again this Wednesday and will be able to check in with her and see how to proceed from here on out.

This coming Monday I also will be 28 weeks, which is a huge developmental milestone for baby Hailey! Although it's comforting to have reached the point where she could likely survive without any lasting defects, I still want to carry her a loooooooooooong time, and it's looking like that will be very, very possible! As much as I am looking forward to having this pregnancy behind me and having Hailey safe in my arms, I'm trying to be patient and be thankful for each day that she is growing and kicking inside of me! Hopefully I get at least 10 more weeks of being pregnant before I can finally see and kiss her sweet face!