34 Weeks!

Well, this weekend has brought on some excitement. On Friday evening after work I noticed some possible signs of pre-labor (WARNING: those with weak stomachs may want to reconsider reading on. For those of you brave souls who choose to keep reading, consider yourselves warned). Anyway, I noticed some symptoms of pre-labor that I remembered learning about in Lamaze class (it appeared that I was loosing my mucus plug....hey, I warned you). Adam remembered from class that this can happen right before labor begins, or a couple weeks before. Either way it was alarming to us since my due date is still over a month away. I immediately went into damage control mode. Will I be put on bed rest so that I don't go into labor early? Will I be able to convince my job to let me work from home so that I won't have to start my leave yet? I won't be covered under FMLA until October 1, so we will have to pay our full insurance premiums from the time I go out until the first of October (I will elaborate about that atrocity during a separate post). I just kept thinking of all of the things I still have left to do. I haven't organized the medicine cabinet or the drawers in the kitchen. We don't have a car seat! After I settled down a little, knowing that I have been blessed with family and friends to help me with all of the above, I just started worrying about the baby. I decided to call the on-call doctor to check in. She said that everything was probably fine; it did sound like the mucus plug, but without another symptoms, I shouldn't need to worry. She advised me to call if anything changed. By Saturday morning there was a slight change which included some bloody show. I called again. I got a different on-call doctor. He assured me that women can loose the mucus plug (which often includes bloody show) anywhere from the day of to four weeks before labor. Given that it is not necessarily a good predictor of labor and since my pregnancy has been normal so far, he told me I probably had nothing to worry about, but to call if anything changed (if my water broke or if I start having contractions). I felt much better after the conversation and decided to continue on with my day's to-do list. I was on my way to Target and reminded myself what my awesome Lamaze instructor told me which was "It's every woman's fear that her water will break while is shopping in Ukrop's or Target. Please resist the impulse to rush to the paper towel aisle and try to clean it up. Just leave your cart and tell someone in customer service, "clean up on isle 12" as you walk out the door". With that plan in mind, I proceeded with my errands. As I was squatting down to reach for some baby laundry detergent, I started to feel a little something "down there", nothing like the gush of fluid you may envision when picturing a woman's water breaking, but something wet none the less. I reminded myself that the doctor said I had nothing to worry about and went about my day. I figured maybe the baby was just hanging out on my bladder and causing some leakage. As the day went on it continued and then the clear fluid seemed to turn a pinkish color. I decided to call the on-call doctor again Sunday morning to inform him of the change. He told me to come on in to the hospital and he would check it out.

They put me on a fetal monitor and the baby's heart rate was good. What a relief! Then they did a litmus test on the fluid and it turns out it was indeed amniotic fluid. The doctor said that since it seems to be leaking out slowly, that it is likely a tear in the amniotic sac. He said that when this happens sometimes it will heal on it's own and sometimes it will continue to leak and cause a woman to go into labor. He admitted me to the hospital to monitor me and the baby and to administer an antibiotic, as one of the concerns with any type of rupture in the membrane there is an increase in risk of infection to the fetus. I am scheduled for an ultrasound tomorrow to check size, position, and fluid levels. So at this point it is just a waiting game. If the fluid stops leaking, I may be able to go home in a couple of days. If it doesn't I could go into labor early. I am hoping Baby C's apparently large size may mean that my due date is a little off, so that if I do go into labor soon we would be closer to the full-term 37 week mark.

Although it is difficult being stuck in the bed, I am reassured by the sound of his heart beating on the monitor beside me. Although I can't feel a thing, the nurse just informed me that the monitor on my uterus indicates that I am having contractions. Since I don't feel anything, she said they are most likely Braxton Hicks, which is good since we would like the little guy to stay in there a little longer. I feel surprisingly calm considering the circumstances and my usual neurotic anxiety. I feel safe being here and supported by loved ones. I am not in any pain and just trying not to think of that that I haven't vacuumed the house in weeks. That's what Molly Maids is for. Maybe I'll call them tomorrow.......just in case. I think it is these weird ideas/plans that help me to relax.

I have had a few visitors already and several phone call from friends and family. It warms my heart that I have such caring friends and family. I was lucky enough to get a room with Wi-Fi, so that I can maybe do some last minute shopping, check my e-mail, and maybe even post the occasional update. Thanks for checking in and I will do my best to keep you posted.
Blair and Baby C