What the heck is going on??

I woke up yesterday morning feeling a little ... off. I hadn't slept terribly well, as one might expect being 8 months pregnant. As soon as I got out of bed and started going about the normal morning activities, the contractions started. I've been having them for months so I didn't think much about it. About the time Sophie was finishing her breakfast, the contractions started coming with lower back cramps. Between the actually contracting, there was just sort of a dull back ache. I had a massage scheduled for early in the afternoon so I tried to ignore it and think about how much better it would feel after Nicole-she's pretty much amazing- had a stab at it.

Sophie playing
with Liza & Ansen

Snack time is always fun

Every Thursday morning there is a neighborhood/ward playgroup that meets. Usually we go to one of 3 parks in the area but yesterday the mom in charge suggested we go to the splash pad park in Spanish Fork. I like taking Sophie to play group because I generally get to sit on a bench or one of our blankets while Sophie runs around with her little friends and gets thoroughly worn out. It's great for both of us. It didn't work quite like that yesterday but Sophie did play with one of the other moms, Ali, for a little bit while I sat. Sophie wasn't terribly interested in the water for long but preferred to sit with me and enjoy some snacks- ones that the other families brought- while the other kids enjoyed the ones we brought. Funny how that happens. Every week.

The contractions were getting harder so we left early. Sophie had a light lunch (she had spent the previous half hour filling herself with pretzels, cheese and a few bites of fruit) and took a good nap. I'm not really sure what happened to the afternoon after that. I knew the contractions were very regular but I didn't realize how regular until I started noting them after 2:00. When I had record of them being every 3 minutes for 3 hours, we decided it might be a good idea to go make sure everything was okay. On top of all of this, I hadn't felt a ton of movement from the baby.

We were at the hospital for a couple hours. Sophie was able to go play with her cousins while we were there. Thank you, Uncle Beak, for meeting us at the hospital and Aunt Erin for letting Sophie come play. I hope she didn't "gum up" too many of David's important toys. :) During the time we were there, the monitors showed Olivia was just fine (huge sigh of relief) and that yes, I was, in fact, having some decently strong, regular contractions. {I knew I was having them but sometimes I wonder if anyone else believes me since it's not like you can really see how strong/frequent they are from the outside.} After watching for a while, the nurse came back with a shot of terbutaline to try to stop the contractions. Um, ouch. Right as we were going to be let go (the contractions had calmed down substantially), they started again. In came the nurse with ANOTHER ouchie shot. The first one had made my heart feel like I was running and I felt shaky like I had a sudden blood sugar drop even though I hadn't. She told us before giving me the first that both are side effects of the shot that everyone got. I was hoping to avoid those. It felt REALLY nasty as soon as she gave me the second one. That one seemed to pick up where the other had failed and not long after that , we were allowed to go. I had one awesome signature when we were leaving with those jitters and had an acrobat of a baby who must have gotten the same jolt I had. I just hope she didn't feel the nasty "I'm going to throw up if I move" stuff, too.

It's Friday now and unfortunately, the shots have not kept the contractions away for long. I have been having regular ones since this morning. I was told last night that I need to rest and stay hydrated. Check and check. THANK YOU, Ceci & James, for coming and getting Sophie to play so I can rest! I'm absolutely not interested in going back to the hospital if the conclusions are the same: yes, you're having contractions, yes, you're dilating, effacing and softening, no, there really isn't anything but the shots we can do about it. Like the nerve blocks I got in high school, I'd rather deal with the original issue (in this case, the contractions) the best I can rather than have to put up with the side effects for longer than the treatment is effective. Just a few weeks left. We can do this :D

On days like today, I really just need my mom. And m&m cookies. {Anyone else remember getting a cookie at the grocery store bakery while shopping when you were little? I'm sure they weren't always m&m but that's always the flavor that I think of.}


**Post-post note: I asked my mom about grocery store shopping cookies today. No, they weren't always m&m but I wanted them to be since those were my favorite. Good to know :)