To be honest, Reader, I am still a little bit surprised that we made it to week 31. I spent most of week 30 in a state of shock, wondering if we were going to meet Evie each day. Here's what happened:
On Monday, I had my routine OB appointment. It was supposed to be a quick 15-20 min "Hey how are you". As I've mentioned before, over the past few weeks I've had what I *thought* were Braxton Hicks. I'm a pretty sensitive person, so the idea that the BH contractions were harder on me than most people and involved some pretty intense back labor didn't come as any surprise to me. Apparently not being able to speak during the contractions, the frequency, the duration, and the back pain all said something different to my OB, so we did a quick "just to make sure you're still sealed up tight" check. Turns out, I had been in actual labor, and I wasn't sealed up so tight! But, since the contractions still came and went in waves and I was feeling pretty good, we decided to go with a prescription for albuterol and the recommendation of a hot bath whenever the contractions started up. I also started a series of steroid shots to develop Evie's lungs, just in case she still decided to make her debut.
By Tuesday morning, I was in so much pain that G and I skipped work at went to the hospital. Turns out my body doesn't handle albuterol well at all, and my contractions were still progressing. So Tuesday at noon I was admitted to the hospital on a Magnesium Sulfate drip (pretty awful, but not as bad as the albuterol!) and given more steroids.
G and I spent Tuesday and Wednesday in the hospital, but I was able to be released on bedrest, so come Thursday morning I was still pregnant, still pretty dopey, and turning 32 in my own bed. We did what we could to celebrate, with G getting me donuts, Starbucks, and some truffles. We also did all takeout and paper plates through the long weekend, which was a treat (okay, and a necessity since I'm not allowed to be on my feet cooking!).
I have an appointment tomorrow to see how things are. So far, I've had a few scary/painful bouts of contractions at home, but they've all stopped, and my water hasn't broken, so I'm determined to stay home as long as possible! I'd rather be with my puppies and in my bed than in the hospital!
In summary, I guess the best word to describe everything is "uncertain". I felt great, but Evie was in trouble, so now I'm uncertain as to how I'm actually doing every day. I have no idea if Evie will be here today, next week, next month, or make it full term. I have a lot to do, but I'm not allowed to get up and do any of it, so I'm uncertain if I'll be ready for her to arrive (then again, are you ever really ready for that?).
For now, at least I'm able to sit at my desk and write again, so blog posting will be back up and running! Thank you for following along on this crazy journey! Fingers crossed for a week 32 update next Monday!
