Last week, I worked 14 hrs the day before taking 10 days off. I know! I know! I'm on restrictions to 8hr days. I only worked on my feet for 7 hrs though, then 7 hrs sitting with my feet up at a computer. It would have been no different if I had gone home and sat to watch TV. In my defense.
That night, when I got in the shower, my belly got really hard and tight. Little guy seemed to be all balled up. Then, he spread back out and relaxed through the warm shower. When I crawled in bed, he did it again! His jabs and kicks are getting much stronger, so it was no surprise that he was having such an impact on my belly by balling up. I've even seen him kick me!
The next day, I did nothing! And I mean nothing... Zilch, nada, nothing! It was day 1 of 10 days off. I couldn't have been more relaxed and happy to sleep in and awake just to sit on my butt and do nothing. But little guy had other plans for me. He started balling up again. A lot! I started to think something might be wrong with him, or maybe it wasn't him at all. But why in the world would my belly be tightening so much?
Go ahead and google belly tightening. A very scary word pops up consistently.
CONTRACTIONS
Duh! Contractions are uterine muscle fibers tightening. How did I not put two and two together? Seems as though I may still have some innocence left in this game.
"I've been having contractions!" I thought to myself ever so slightly panicked. I'm well aware of Braxton Hicks contractions, but never having them, I have no idea what to expect. I couldn't time the contractions, and they were painless and irregular. But they continued...
I had a little issue with blood sugar that day, too I believe. I'm not used to doing "nothing." I sipped my water bottle, that I carry around religiously. I ate a bowl of dry cereal (the milk was bad, waaayyyy bad). And I spent the morning on Craigslist and other websites gathering items needed for the nursery. At some point, I realized I was hungry and it had been more than 5 hours since I had eaten anything. When I got up to go get something to eat, I didn't feel so hot. I was shaking and dizzy. Oops. Blood sugar must have gotten a little low. Ate a granola bar while I had some mashed potatoes warming up. Still felt bad. Ate mashed potatoes, well inhaled them. Not better. Ate a candy bar. Nothing. Filled up my trusty water bottle and went to lay down. I was having contractions during that time, as well. I have no idea how many or how close together, though. I was so fuzzy-headed. I fell asleep for a couple of hours.
When I awoke, I had a contraction here and there. I was worried. Really worried. I was only 22 weeks 6 days. Keep in mind, a small chance of survival outside the womb begins at 24 weeks. Since they were so irregular and painless, I halfway chalked it up to Braxton Hicks and decided to call OB if I was still having them by noon the next day.
The next day: still sporadically occurring. At this point, I was so paranoid that I thought I was having them all of the time. I would poke different spots of my belly to determine if I thought it was hard. I was doing this CONSTANTLY. In nursing school, a wonderful OB instructor taught us how to differentiate between mild, moderate, and severe contractions. Mild feels like the tip of your nose, moderate feels like your chin, and severe feels like your forehead. She always said, don't be ashamed to feel the moms' bellies with one hand while touching your nose, chin, and forehead with the other. They may look at you like your crazy, but it works. So, here I am, mashing my belly with my two fingers on my left hand and touching my nose, chin, and forehead over and over again with my index finger on my right hand. Crazy? Yeah, I'm sure I looked plenty psychotic seeing as I was doing this obsessively and unaware in public. It completely took away from me being able to even feel the contractions. My belly would start to get hard and I would start poking it. Poke. Poke. Poke. Poke. To the point I couldn't even tell when it was hard and when it wasn't. Delirium maybe? I can actually time a contraction from start to finish now, as long as I don't touch! I just concentrate on what I am feeling in my body, and not with my hands (took a few days to learn that, though). This is a first for me, what can I say?
I stopped putting it off. I called my OB. She reassured me that it sounded like Braxton Hicks contractions. She told me to drink 2-3 liters of water a day, keep my bladder empty (as a full bladder tends to cause contractions, ah ha!), and if I am noticing the contractions when active, to rest. She said if they became predictable and I was able to time them or if I had more than 4 in an hour, to call back and she would have me go into L&D and get checked out. She said to think of the Braxton Hicks contractions as my uterus practicing for the big day. Cute. Practice. Ok, I can do that, but when does this practice become real and how can I tell? Apparently, consistency, predictability, and an increase in frequency and strength are key notes here. Admittedly, I definitely had more than 4 in an hour the day before, but they were extremely inconsistent and never strengthened.
I am still having them today (23 weeks 4 days). I have several a day. I don't like this practice. I feel a little panicked inside when I start to feel my belly hardening, or even when I think it is but isn't. I go see the Peri for an ultrasound and OB for the glucose test and routine OB stuff both on Monday (a long 5 days away). My fear? That these contractions are making small changes in my cervix preceding an early labor (wwaaaayyyy too early). I'm also afraid of being out on bedrest. I have so much to do at work, and we just got started on the nursery. I will do what it takes, but it wouldn't hurt my feelings to just be normal for once. I'm so mad at my body! What makes it think "practice" is warranted this early?! My body couldn't start practicing after the third trimester or later?! We have to work together here! This baby has to stay with us until at LEAST 37 weeks! I want to hold my son and for him to be with us so bad, but not quite this soon. Just a few more months my little man. Hang in there.
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