Pre-Term Labor Scare

Well, we had quite a scare the other night. I started having contractions at work around 4pm. I kept working because I have braxton hicks from time to time, and I thought it was no big deal. I finally left the office around 6:30pm. By the time I got home, the contractions were lasting 45-50 seconds and were 3-4 minutes apart. I called the doctor and they had me come in to Labor and Delivery right away. They hooked me up to a monitor and checked me out. I was definitely having some strong contractions. The nurse came in and examined me so that she could send word on to Dr. Putterman. She did the exam and said, "Okaaay...we're 3cm and 50% effaced, station -1 here" like it was no big deal. I about sh*t my pants! It took 12-14 hours to get to 3cm with Carson! And, I wasn't effaced at all until they gave me medicine to thin me out. Crazy! So, they called Putterman and he had them come give me lots of fluids. I drank about 2 liters of water and juice. None of it helped. The contractions actually became more painful. They did another exam and I was 3-4cm, 50% effaced still. I freaked. Dr. Putterman then had them give me a shot to try to calm down my uterine contractions. After 30 minutes, they calmed down and spread out. My heart rate was off the charts and I couldn't really rest. Buuut - it stopped the contractions. We got to go home around 2am.

We slept in until about 7:30a the next morning and went to see Dr. Putterman for my appointment. He refused to check me again for fear of forcing me to dilate more. The baby was still at station -1, so that's good. He's not dropping too far just yet. I am supposed to take it easy and put my feet up whenever I can. He said he can come at anytime now, especially considering how far I have already progressed. He also said he would probably come relatively fast, so we are to not dilly-dally when heading to the hospital. Our goal is for him to stay in there until at least next weekend. By that time, he would be 36 and a half weeks and his lungs would be in better shape. I want to avoid the NICU if at all possible, but the good news is we are in excellent hands if he does have to go since Methodist is affiliated with TCH.

Everyone please pray that we can keep him safe and sound "in the oven" until at least next weekend. I really want him to arrive safely and be healthy. He's definitely busy moving around constantly, so he's sure to be active when he gets here. He'll probably give us a real run for our money.

I'll keep you posted - next appointment with Dr. Putterman is next Tuesday afternoon. Hopefully I won't have much change so we can keep him cookin'. :)

Love to all!