One Mohr in JUNE?

Strange things are happening! As of Monday afternoon, I have been having contractions on regular intervals. At first I wasn't sure that is what they were until I called all my friends and Angela to confirm it! (Thanks guys! I didn't know what a contraction felt like. I've never been pregnant before!) I was really confused because they weren't hurting, they were just uncomfortable (lots of pressure) but they were very frequent (like every other minute) and were not quitting when I would get up to move around or when I slept. Yesterday, I woke up and they were still happening so I called my doctor to ask if it's normal to have Braxton Hicks that close together for so long. Everything I have been taught about BH say that they are not consistant, not painful, and usually go away if you walk around, change positions or sleep. Not so with these. I also had thrown up a few times and had some gastrointestinal disturbances - also signs labor is starting. I was having lots of pelvic pressure and sharp pains every now and then, but other than that I felt fine and had no reason to believe it was "REAL" labor since it didn't hurt.

Well, the doctor's office didn't seem to think so. They sent me to the hospital for monitoring. Sure enough, my contractions were lasting 40-50 seconds and coming every other minute but I was not dilating anymore. The hills were just like clockwork on the little chart. They said they did not want me having contractions this early so they gave me a shot of something to make them stop. That worked for a few hours until right before I left and they have been coming ever since again. They actually woke me up at 4:30 this morning feeling stronger.

They didn't seem as concerned with what they called "Preterm contractions" as they were with the fact that my blood pressure was really high. They also found protein in my urine. Those two things together indicate preeclamptic conditions. (If you don't know what preeclampsia or toxemia is, it can be dangerous. At this point I would rather not go into it and assume everything is ok. The only cure is to deliver the baby.) So, they put me on 24 hour bed rest and I have to do a pee study for 24 hours and go back tomorrow around 2:30, get hooked up to everything again, have my labs tested, and see if things have changed. If not, they said they would probably admit me to the hospital, though not necessarily induce me at this point. Induction will depend on how much of a risk me and the baby are in and how serious the situation is. They want him to bake in the oven a little longer to make sure his lungs are well developed.

The funny thing about all of this is I FEEL GREAT!! I haven't had this much energy and felt this good in 9 months! Funny how it works like that I guess. I did have some MAJOR nesting going on Monday. I got all of Conner's things washed and put away and organized and finally got around to packing my hospital bags. It's like my body knew or was telling me "it's getting closer!" So, we will know more tomorrow. I'm betting the contractions will still be there, they will give me more medicine to try to stop them. I may or may not be dilated a little more. I bet my urine will be fine and my blood pressure will be down too. They said I was dehydrated "Off the charts" and that could be why the contractions started. I have NO IDEA how I was dehydrated unless drinking too much gatorade can do that. I've been dehydrated before and I sure didn't feel dehydrated. I drank about 5 or 6 glasses of Gatorade on Monday and then after 3:30 I had a glass of water I was drinking at all times. I wasn't outside in the heat or physically exerting myself so I have no idea how I was dehydrated with as much liquids as I was drinking. I've been drinking TONS of water like a fish since I got home and it hasn't made the contractions go away. But, someone told me it takes 24 hours to recover from dehydration, so maybe it will just take some time.

Conner is doing fine! His heartbeat and movement was strong. He would get really still when I would have a contraction and his heart rate would go up a little, but not much. I think that is normal. I think they just don't want it to DROP. What's funny is I hadn't really felt him move much in DAYS and as soon as they hooked me up, he started break dancing all around in my belly! He wouldn't be still! They were trying to get his heart beat but he kept wiggling around. It was kind of funny. Again, I feel super great! I'm just confused as to what is going on. They aren't Braxton Hicks, but I'm not dilating (maybe tomorrow), is this preterm labor getting my body ready for the real show?? We'll have more info and answers tomorrow evening so I'll be sure to update, unless I'm admitted to the hospital, in which case it might take me a little longer to get my computer.

We'll see how effective their attempts to stop my contractions are this time. Conner told them yesterday "You can't stop me! I'm ready to come out and play!" Hee hee!

More later,
Love,
Nat
(And hopefully little Conner soon too!)