A trip to Labor and Delivery

21 Weeks 5 Days

Yes, already... I didn't want to go. But in the best interest of me and my babies I still went just to make sure.

It started Monday night. I felt some cramping as I was leaving work. Then shortly after came some irregular discomfort. I had no idea what it was. At this point it was off and on. It was manageable, just annoying. So I went to the store, grabbed some salad and garlic bread to go with our chicken that was being marinated. I got home and Justin and I had a nice Valentine's dinner. Then we started watching The Bachelor. He's a good hubby for watching it with me, right? About half way through the show, the pain and discomfort was now constant and very uncomfortable. I called my sister, who is my saving grace, and asked what to do or how to relieve the pain. We figured it was one of the babies feet pushing down on my cervix causing the pressure and pain. Well thinking it was just one of the babies, I figured he'll move and adjust his position soon. But he didn't. I began to tear up, and decided that I would go take a warm bath with some lavender scents to relax and calm down. The bath helped a lot. I could feel a lot of movement from their legs. After the bath Justin and I finished The Bachelor, and I was able to relax enough to go to bed.

Tuesday morning, I woke up well rested. Thank goodness! Since all weekend long I had terrible back aches which kept me up Thursday and Friday nights. I could still feel a little bit of pressure, but nothing that was uncomfortable. So I came to work. The girls and I had our regular Tuesday discussion about what happened on The Bachelor, and I was fine. Around 10:30 or 11:00am I started to feel uncomfortable again. So I waited for another hour, and decided to go home on my lunch break and lay down for a bit to see if that would help. Once I got home, I was in tears. I was so uncomfortable! After calling my sister again, my mom & Justin we decided to call the doctor and get some suggestions. I called and told the nurse what I was feeling and she told me to go to Labor and Delivery to have my cervix checked and figure out what was wrong. I was a little freaked out. I was an emotional mess, probably because of pregnancy hormones. Plus I didn't want to miss more work. So I called Justin and told him that they wanted me to go to Labor and Delivery. He was equally freaked out, but was able to leave work to take me. He's such a good husband. I called mom, my sister, and work and told them that they wanted to see me. Each phone call I sobbed through.

We got to the hospital and got to Labor and Delivery. I checked in and reality set in a little more. What if I'm dilating? What if nothing is wrong at all? What if I have an infection or something? They set me up in a room in Triage and I got all changed. The sweet nurse came in and hooked the contraction monitor around my belly and asked me about a million questions. Then after talking with Dr. L (my OB who is at IMC) they decided they would run some tests to check for infection, check my cervix and take a look at the babies.

First they did the Ultrasound. Everything was fine. The babies heart rates were normal, they were moving and happy. Good!

Then they did the tests. Holy cow, those were not fun. Very uncomfortable! They sent those off to the lab.

Then the nurse checked my cervix. OUCH! But luckily, it was still fully closed. Phew!

They did a few more things, like checked my legs for swelling, took my temperature, blood pressure ect... And the nurse said everything was fine. Really? Then why am I so uncomfortable?? The nurse did say that the tests for infection could take an hour. It was 4pm and my doctors office closes at 5 so I had to wait until the morning to call and get the results. If it was an infection, they would just give me a one time dose to get rid of it. The nurse gave me some tips and pointers. Like drink tons of water... I've heard that before. But what she did tell me was that drinking water calms the uterus. Interesting! Now I know why they say drink your water!! She also said to take it easy and put my feet up whenever possible, and that just because my cervix is fully closed now, doesn't mean that it can't change pretty fast. So to avoid any problems (especially with twins) just rest rest rest whenever I can.

I guess I'm glad I went. It gave me the ease of mind knowing that the babies are fine, I'm not dilated at all, and I'm not having contractions. But In the back of my mind I couldn't help but think, "was the trip really necessary?" The nurse did say to never be afraid to call or come in, if something doesn't feel right, it's better to get it checked then to let it go and something be wrong, and to just use this experience as my base guideline. Knowing nothing was wrong, I can use the symptoms I had as a guideline to decide whether it's urgent or not. Which is true. So overall, it's best I went. But I was still a little frustrated.

We got home, and I updated everyone that I was fine. Then from about 5pm - 7:30 I was out. It was nice to take a nap and just relax for the rest of the night. I'm glad to say that since I woke up from that nap, I have not felt any more pressure or discomfort! YAY!

As for the test results, I called this morning, and they still didn't have them. Weird. But the receptionist put a note into the nurse to call me with the results. So hopefully I get a call soon. I have been drinking cranberry juice since I left the hospital, I've heard that can be very effective in helping yeast infections. So maybe I don't have one, or it's going away on it's own. I don't know.

To say the least, my day yesterday wasn't all that grand. Lots of emotions, tears and frustration. But I'm glad that I know everything is ok with my babies. I can handle some discomfort. Everyone I've talked to has said "It's only the beginning, it gets worse" (the back aches, sleepless nights, pressure, discomfort, and pain)

Thanks to:
My Sister for listening to me whine, and ask a billion questions. I call her daily. She's so smart and she usually knows how to calm me down. She's the best big sister ever!
My loving husband who deals with my emotions on a daily basis. He's so great to try to rub my back, or get me some water or whatever I need. I love him so much!
Also, my mom, Melissa D, and Kara for easing my mind, being concerned and checking up on me after.
And my sweet friend Lindsay who offered to take me to the hospital, offered dinner, or to come sit with me and still brought me some get well treats. I'm so grateful that I have a good support system. All of these people helped me get through my day yesterday! Thank you!

Hopefully I will not have to go back to Labor and Delivery for at least another 2 months :)