holy moly...

What a week. I actually have time to blog considering I am under house arrest..

So, Scott and I sat on the couch on Monday night feeling the baby kick. He was kicking SO hard, and at one point, I thought he just might kick through my uterus and break through the skin on my stomach. Scott assured me that it wasn't possible to do that, but man, he was kicking hard.

However, Tuesday morning I woke up and didn't feel the baby at all. Usually he is very active in the mornings. I shrugged it off and got ready for work. I grabbed some orange juice on my way out thinking that surely an hour later, after I gave him a shot of sugar from the orange juice, he would be moving and shaking by 9:00. Work got busy and I had a meeting at 10:00- by 11:00, I realized I still hadn't felt him AT ALL. Not a turn, a wiggle, a hand moving, nothing. I still shrugged it off and decided to go home for lunch and do the kick counts. My doctor said if the baby ever felt inactive, to drink orange juice and lay on your left side still for an hour. In that hour, you should feel him 5 times. If nothing happens, you are suppossed to drink more fluid and wait another hour. If you dont feel the baby 10 times in 2 hours, my doctor tells you to go straight to labor and delivery. This has never been a problem because the baby is always very active- but I did the kick count test- and nothing.

At this point, I started to get worried and I sensed that something wasn't right. Scott was just as worried as I was and we decided that I would call my doctor and if I still hadn't felt anything during the remainder of the afternoon at work, we would do something. By 3:00, I could not shake the feeling that somthing was not right. I called my doctor and she said to go straight to labor and delivery. At this point I started to worry- I am almost 31 weeks- but that is still WAY too early for him to grace us with his presence.

I get to the hospital, they admit me, and put me in a room to monitor the baby. They hooked things up to my belly, and I instantly heard the beat of the babies heart and was relieved. And, go figure, as soon as I lay down in the bed and get hooked up, he kicked so hard that the nurse saw my belly rise. Then, I felt like a over-anxious and worried first time mother to be- and wanted to leave! The nurse said she was sure everything would be fine- they wanted to monitor the baby for 20 minutes, and then we would probably be on our way. Well, 20 minutes goes by, then 40, then an hour. The nurse walked in with a concerned look on her face and said "Well, the good news is, is that the baby is perfectly healthy and fine. The bad news is, is that you are having contractions." I have never had a baby, and therefore did not really know what a contraction felt like. While I had been laying in the hospital bed, I kept mentioning to Scott that my back hurt. I also felt a weird feeling in my tummy, but assumed it was from the broccoli at lunch and thought it was gas!! I told that to the nurse, and she said that they were contractions and mild, pre-term contractions are usually described as back pain or strong gas coming and going.

She got my doctor on the phone, and my doctor said to give me a shot of this drug that is suppossed to relax the uterus and stop the contractions. To make a long story short, FIVE hours later, and THREE shots later, the contractions finally stopped. After they got the contractions stopped, they released me. However, they said my doctor said I was to go on bed-rest. My mouth dropped open in disbelief!! I can't even be at home for more than a few hours without going crazy- let alone laying in bed 24/7, only getting up to use the bathroom and to shower. I could not believe it...

So, I went to the doctor for a follow up yesterday and she said I have to be on bed rest for 2 weeks and then we will see if the contractions have stopped. She told me how proud she was of me for being in tune with my body and realizing something wasn't right. She said usually decreased fetal movement is indicitave of a bigger problem, like having contractions. So, that explained why I hadn't felt him all day. If the contractions continue, I have to remain on bed rest for the rest of my pregnancy. I still have EIGHT weeks to go!!!! I am hoping everything gets under control and I can go back to work in 2 weeks and have a normal life for the rest of the time. I am reading a good book which is helping to keep my mind off of everything, but it is rough! Scott had to go out of town to Las Vegas for work for 2 days, so he wanted me to stay at his moms house while he was gone to make sure I was taken care of... so here I am. Watching "The View", with the laptop on my lap just hanging out!

here's to 2 long weeks...