37 Weeks and Labor!

Wowza!
Do I have a crazy story to tell for my 37 week update! I'm just gonna jump right in!

Saturday night (January 30th) at around 9:30 I started having REAL contractions. I could tell the difference from Braxton Hicks because these surged all the way from my lower belly around to my back. That and the fact that they actually really hurt! After quite a few I decided I better start timing them to see if this could possibly be the real thing. At this point I was 3cm dilated and 90% effaced at my appointment the Tuesday before. When I began timing the contractions they were about 20 minutes apart and after a couple hours they got to about 12 minutes apart. We were told that since I was already 3cm, that we needed to get to the hospital when they got to be 15-10 minutes apart. So, we loaded up all our things and headed for the hospital. They stayed about the same distance apart on the drive, but increased in intensity a bit.

We arrived at the hospital just before midnight and were checked-in very quickly (pre-register people!). They wheeled me back to a room and right away hooked me up to some monitors. They also checked me right away and I was at 4cm now. They could see that I was having strong contractions on the monitor that were now about 8 minutes apart. I on the other hand could feel them even more now and was clinging to the bed through a few of them. They kept us for 2 more hours, checked me again and I had hardly progressed from the 4cm but was still having contractions. They called my doctor and she said to keep me until morning but not to officially admit me yet. So for about 2 more hours I was awake and having painful contractions. but they slowly began to die down. I then was able to sleep from about 3am to 6am when they came and checked me again. I was still having contractions but they were far less painful. They checked me again and I was at 5cm so they called the doctor and she said to admit me because I was having a baby today!

We were so excited and began making all the calls to our family that needed to be informed. Then at about 8:30 my doctor swung by to check on me after a surgery she had done. She saw that my contractions were less intense and told me it looked like I was at risk for a stalled labor. Since I was only in my 37th week, if labor stalled they could not break my water or induce so she said to go walk the halls to try and get contractions going again. We walked until I couldn't any more. I had a few more contractions but they were not terrible. They hooked me back up and 2 hours later doctor came around and saw that my contractions had basically stopped at this point. They checked me again and I was still 5cm so she apologized profusely and said they were going to have to send me home.

Boy, was that disappointing! We were all excited to meet this little one and were ready to go! I was pumped up for labor and things had looked so promising for a while. Then to be sent home with no baby in our arms and to just basically be told we were to wait around... NO FUN! So we used our provided hospital meal and ate before we left while I finished my IV and then we left, feeling very defeated.

We were home for two days and I felt nothing but discomfort, no contractions or anything. I did the worst thing you can do and read all kinds of things online. The thing that terrified me the most were stories of women who were at 5cm dilated for 3 weeks or more! No, thank you!

Well, yesterday I had a regular appointment and I was so nervous that the news would be "baby will come when it's ready, just wait patiently." So before the appointment we went bowling and on a long walk, hoping I would progress to 6cm and they would admit me right then and there! So we go to the appointment, baby's heart rate is great, I am measuring perfect and after she checks me I am still 5cm, 90% effaced but baby's head is now even lower and pushing down very hard (she didn't have to tell me that... I already knew!).

Then came the good news! She did not want me to walk around too long that far dilated so she offered for us to have an amniocentesis done to see if our little one's lungs are fully developed. If they are, she said she would break my water that day and deliver. The Hubs and I decided that since I was only 37 weeks 4 days that we would rather not take that route yet. So after talking it over, the plan of action is to wait until my next appointment on Monday (I'll be 38 weeks 3 days) and if I haven't gone naturally by then we will do the amniocentesis. Or if I have progressed to 6cm by Monday, she will just admit me and break my water that day.


Basically, we will be having a baby on Monday if not sooner! Praise the Lord because this momma cannot wait too much longer in the state she is in!

What a fun story this will be to tell this child one day! I just have a feeling all this crazy stuff may be letting us see a tiny glimpse of this baby's personality. We may be in for a crazy ride with this one! But I wouldn't have it any other way!