False Alarm

So yesterday we had a small false alarm.  Last night after dinner, I went to the gym while Justin went to Yarbrough’s house to hang out and watch the football game with the boys.  I’m so tired of being pregnant, so I figured I’d step it up a notch at the gym.  I normally just walk about 2-3 miles.  Last night, however, I walked about 2 miles, did 100 squats, 50 wall push-ups, and spent about 15 minutes on the treadmill on a 5.0 incline.  Clearly my normal workout routine was not encouraging enough for Carter to come out so that’s why I chose to step it up. 

When I got home I started to run a bubble bath and went to the restroom while I was doing that.  In the middle of using the bathroom, I thought my water broke.  I’ve heard stories about women who’s water breaks either while they’re on the toilet or in the shower.  It’s the absolute worst time for it to break because it leads mom to not have a clue if it actually broke or not.  For those of you that may not know, if your water breaks, the baby has to be delivered within 24 hours because the lack of amniotic fluid in the uterus can lead to infection for baby.  So basically, even if you “think” your water broke, you need to call your doctor.

Well, I still wasn’t so sure, so I just waited it out for a while to see if I’d start having contractions or not.  Never felt anything, then Justin got home around 10pm.  About 30 minutes after he got home, I finally told him that I think my water may have broken, but that I wasn’t sure since I was using the bathroom when it happened.  Naturally, he went into research mode and started googling any and every thing about water breaking on the toilet to see what everyone was saying.  After about 2 hours of “research” he told me he really wanted me to call the doctor.  At this point, it was 12am.  I knew that if I called, they’d want us to come in, which I wasn’t looking forward to because if my water hadn’t broken, they’d just run tests to prove that and then pack us up an send us back home babyless. 

When I called, the nurse said to come in immediately to be checked to see.   So we packed up the suitcase and everything we needed for the hospital stay and put it in the car to head to labor & delivery.  Also, pretty much immediately after I got off the phone with the nurse, I started having PAINFUL contractions that were about 6 minutes apart.  Justin was actually the one doing everything because I couldn’t pack up the bag and get the other items to take to the car because the contractions hurt so badly.  However, the minute we finally made it into the car and out of the neighborhood, the contractions slowed and died down to mild cramping.  I was immediately pissed because this is the SECOND time I’ve had bad contractions very close together and once I finally make a decision to call or to do something about it, they die down and go away.  My body is confusing the crap out of me right now.

Anyway, we got to labor & delivery and they took me to a room where they used a pH strip to see if I was leaking any fluid.  If I was, the strip would have turned blue.  However, my strip didn’t turn blue indicating that I was in fact NOT leaking fluid.  The nurse wanted to check my cervix to see how dilated I was and guess what??  She said that I haven’t made much progress since being 1cm.  I don’t know how much progress was made, but I can’t imagine it being over 1 1/2 cm.  She also said that baby boy is actually still very high in my stomach, indicating that he hasn’t even dropped yet.  She then strapped two monitors onto my belly (like my stress test I talked about already).  I was honestly thinking they would only monitor me and baby for about 30 minutes like they did last time, but this time she said they wanted to monitor for “a couple of hours”.  As soon as she said that I freaked out.  It was already after 1am at this time!!!  And I knew they weren’t going to keep me so I honestly just wanted to go home.  But I couldn’t so I had to stay and be monitored.  Carter is completely fine and I was having contractions, they’re just not where they should be to be in labor (not close enough together and not intense enough). 

Finally at 3:15am, we were able to leave the hospital to come home.  I immediately took a Tylenol PM and went straight to sleep, not waking up until 10am this morning, quite the rarity for me!!  So lesson learned….I will NOT call the doctor or go in unless I am 100% undoubtedly in labor.  I refuse to go up there again to get my hopes up for being admitted just to be sent home.  So here I am, at 39 weeks 3 days and still pregnant.  It’s so frustrating to see people in my newsfeed on facebook who aren’t due until January already giving birth.  Why isn’t that happening to me?!?!  Why do I have to be one of the small handful of people I know that will most likely go over my due date?  Certain family members and friends are all still texting me saying that there’s still a shot he’ll be born before or at least on Christmas.  Honestly, I don’t think he will be at this point.  I’m fully expecting to go to that doctor’s appointment on Tuesday, be admitted Tuesday night and be put on Cytotec and then be induced Wednesday the 28th.  I will obviously be pleasantly surprised if that isn’t the case, but in my mind, I’m thinking that is what will happen.  I have to remind myself that God has a plan and that He already knows exactly when Carter will arrive and that there’s a reason he hasn’t been born yet.  I have no idea when he will come, but I trust that the Lord knows what’s best for our family and will provide him when He’s ready for him to be here. 

But on that note, let me add something to this.  I’ve made a post before about Pregnancy Faux Pas.  In addition to the things I added to that list (a listing of things you shouldn’t do or say to pregnant women), let me add these tid-bits:

• When you know a pregnant woman that is quickly approaching her due date and hasn’t had the baby yet, DO NOT come up to her and say “Wow when are you gonna have that baby??”.  TRUST ME PEOPLE, IF I HAD CONTROL OVER IT, HE WOULD BE HERE BY NOW!!!!  This kind of comment is only a reminder that I thought I would have given birth at this point and haven’t.  And particularly at a holiday of such importance as Christmas, where all I really wanted for Christmas was to have my son here with us, this kind of comment has the potential to send me running to the bathroom in tears.  Thanks for the reminder.
• Do not make the idiotic mistake of thinking that just because I may actually go full term in this pregnancy or even past my due date, that it in turn means that I will have a 9 pound baby.  I am SO FREAKING SICK of people telling me I’m going to have a 9 pound baby.  Let me explain why this comment is rude.  First off, with a 9 pound baby, there’s a high likelihood that you won’t be able to deliver vaginally and will have to have a c-section.  Why would you wish that on me??  And even if you thought that, why the hell would you tell me that?  Keep it to yourself!!!  Secondly, even if you would be able to have the baby vaginally, chances are, you’re going to have significant tearing in your hoo ha and it will never be the same.  Again, you telling me you think I will have a 9 pound baby is like telling me that this will happen to me.  Keep your freaking mouth shut if you can’t give me encouraging words at this point in my pregnancy!!
• “Well honey have you tried walking to start labor?”.  No.  I haven’t even though about it!  Really?  Walking induces labor?  Wow, I had no idea.  YES I HAVE FREAKING TRIED WALKING!! I have tried everything!!!  This one doesn’t bother me as much as the other two because I know people are just trying to give suggestions, but I assure you, any woman past week 37 has done research on natural ways to induce labor such as walking, exercise, caster oil, pineapples, full moons, etc.  Justin and I have tried everything.  And our doctor said that none of that stuff is medically proven to to help induce labor.  Anyone that says that any of it sent them into labor is just stating what they did last before their water broke or their contractions began.  If I was at work when my water broke, I could say writing financial statements will send you into labor.  Get it?  Anyway, particularly the exercise part isn’t working on us and I think it’s because I’ve been active this entire pregnancy.  I’ve walked anywhere from 5-12 miles a week almost every week that I’ve been pregnant so Carter isn’t feeling anything that he hasn’t felt already, therefore he isn’t really uncomfortable and wanting to evacuate because of it.

I hate sounding so mean when I say these things, but seriously people, be careful how you talk to pregnant women.  We are going through more than you could ever imagine (for those that haven’t been pregnant before) and you have no idea what it does to our bodies and our emotions.  I am over the moon grateful to God for blessing Justin and I with Carter when I know so many people that aren’t able to get pregnant at all or that are having miscarriages.  My complaints are nothing compared to dealing with that, so I assure you, I do have perspective.  The point of adding these rants on the blog (other than the fact that I really just need to vent) is to inform people of the things that are considered rude.  Some people aren’t aware that what they’re saying to pregnant women can be misconstrued as hurtful and that’s mainly because of ignorance on the topic of pregnancy.  So I just wanted to inform any readers I may have out there of these soft spots.  Please keep praying for me and Carter and that he’ll make his debut soon and that I WON’T have to have a c-section to get him out.  I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas with your families and loved ones!