My trip to L&D yesterday

I called my OB's office yesterday morning and spoke with the Doc on call. Told her my symptom, and that I wasn't sure if this was something to be concerned about, and was surprised that she told me to go get checked out, "to be on the safe side." My cramps are definitely a potential symptom of pre-term labor, though they can be attributed to other issues.

So, DH and I made a visit to our hospital's Perinatal Assessment & Treatment (PET) Unit (aka the triage or intake section of the Labor & Delivery/Maternity Ward) yesterday afternoon. They strapped me to a fetal monitor, and another one that detected contractions. Heartbeats and uterus were observed for about an hour, and luckily nothing of concern was found; baby's heart rate was comfortably variable, averaging about 158 bpm, and I wasn't anywhere near contracting. Cervical check showed that my cervix is high and thick and shut up like Fort Knox (or should I say "like a medieval fortress," to go along with the AMA theme, LOL?).

Then what's with all these cramps, you say? Well, the resident said it was most likely round ligament pain, or else it could be my fibroids acting up. I'd rather it be RLP, but I do go for a growth ultrasound tomorrow morning, so that should help determine whether my fibroids are behaving themselves.

The resident discharged me, telling me that pretty much, all looks normal, and I can take Tylenol to relieve the pain, but to come back if the symptoms persist or worsen, or if I don't feel the baby move. I felt the baby move a bit last night, but s/he's been quiet today so I'm trying not to get anxious, as the cramps haven't really let up... and of course I forgot to bring my Tylenol with me to work. :(

Cramps? :(

For a while now, I've felt tightness in my lower abdomen at times, which seemed to correlate with sitting for "too long." The length of time varied, and might have had as much to do with the pants (and underpants) I was wearing as anything else -- if the pants cut into my belly at all, I'm sure that hastened the discomfort. Usually this tightness has gone away after moving around or shifting positions (leaning back, etc.), or both.

Well, last night, the tightness changed a bit. Instead of just tightness, I was really feeling cramps, like when I get my period. Lasted a couple of hours and didn't really let up until after I fell asleep.

I have this sheet given to me by my doctors on signs of preterm labor. One of the symptoms is:

Menstrual-Like Cramping: Cramps low or near your pelvic bone, like before or during your period. Cramping may come and go or be constant.

Ugh. I'm only experiencing this one symptom, so I'm not sure if this is normal or a warning sign. Guess it's time to call the doctor, just to be on the safe side. I have my next growth ultrasound at the perinatologist's on Tuesday, but I don't think I should wait until then. It's all fine and dandy that I've reached the viability stage of my pregnancy (24 weeks), but I do not want my baby born too soon!

By the way, I feel the baby kick and can tell s/he is getting stronger... so it's reassuring to feel those pops and punches while all this stuff is going on.

And... we're okay!

Called the doctor's office as soon as they opened and was able to be seen in fairly short order. My regular doctor (Dr. K.) is out on Thursdays (it's the day she does surgery), but since I will rotate through the other doctors in the practice throughout the pregnancy anyway, I was just glad that someone could see me today. Today it was Dr. P. She's awesome (and, by the way, I love it that all the physicians in the practice are female).

So, it does seem that the bleeding is all due to the second sac resolving itself -- being reabsorbed, squashed out by the thriving fetus, whathaveyou. I just hadn't expected to experience this much bleeding (this morning when I woke up, it was like being surprised by getting my period). Dr. P. said she can't tell me how long to expect the bleeding to go on for, but she showed me that the second sac is much smaller than the healthy one, whether through its own dissolution or because the other one continues to grow, or both. Eventually though, it should disappear.

Otherwise, cervix looked good, which was very reassuring, and the baby looks great. Saw the heartbeat again, and the baby jiggled around a little while we watched. It wasn't waving its arms as much as the last time, but what amazed me this time was how much more developed it seemed, even after only three days! On Monday, it looked more blob-like, but today, I think you can see one of its eyes, and maybe its face! And the hands and feet seem more dense, if that's the right word. I might be imagining all this, but see for yourself:

I am fascinated, much relieved and, definitely, in love. Both today and on Monday the baby measured two days ahead of its due date (May 28), but since it's only two days, Dr. P. didn't want to change the EDD.

Next up: NT Scan on November 9, and next OB visit on the 15th. Really hoping I don't have to go back to the doctor before either of these dates, though Dr. P. said that if anything comes up, or I needed reassurance, I shouldn't hesitate to call them and come in. I am so glad they are cool like that!

A bit scared...

Went to the doctor on Monday morning to follow up on the spotting I'd experienced over the weekend. Turned out everything was fine. Heartbeat good and baby measured another two days ahead of where it was last week, and I got to see it wiggle its wee arms for a second or two.

And, better yet, the spotting had stopped. Petered out by Monday afternoon, and nothing Tuesday or Wednesday.

Until this morning, when I woke up to go to the bathroom an hour before my alarm was to go off and found that I was, not spotting, but bleeding. Oh God.

So I'm on my way to my doctor's office. They don't open until 9, but I plan to call them from their parking lot and see if they can see me. I'm cramping just a little bit off and on.

I hope this is not what I fear it is. Thoughts and prayer would be appreciated. I'll keep you posted.

The Week in Review: 10-9-10

I spent half of last week riding 2500+ miles in a tractor trailer, voluntarily.* Why, you ask? You mean other than the obvious (that I must be a masochist)? I was on the truck acting as an art courier, tasked with making sure that a bunch of crates packed with loaned art made its way safely back to its owners. The museum I work for organized this traveling exhibition, and as the current Registrar-in-Charge (well, technically, I'm not anymore, as my boss is now back from maternity leave) it was my job to make sure all the return shipping was arranged and everything got back to the lenders where it belonged. Fun times full of mental gymnastics. Reminds me of why I loved doing logic problems as a kid. Yup, masochist. *The truck you see above is the actual tractor trailer.

The road trip was uneventful, for the most part. The drivers were friendly and the truck was pretty well tricked out; all I can say is, thank God it had a toilet on board (I am convinced I have a bladder with compartments)! The flat screen satellite television was a nice touch as well.

Warning: this next section contains some pregnancy-related TMI.

I did freak out a bit on Tuesday (day 2; we left Monday afternoon) when I discovered some pink spotting upon using a truck stop rest room. A short time later I experienced some cramping that was stronger than normal, but it lasted only about a minute or so. The spotting continued on and off through Thursday afternoon, though the stronger cramps never made a repeat appearance - whew!

I've been off the truck since Thursday, and haven't had any spotting since - YAY! I also called my doctor's office yesterday (Friday) morning, just to be on the safe side, and they sent me to get blood drawn for an hCG beta and to check my progesterone level. Had pretty much given up hope that I'd get results when the doctor-on-call finally rang me, an hour after the office had closed (very sweet of her)! The numbers:

hCG: 51,265

progesterone: 30

The doc said that these were really good numbers, indicating a nice and healthy pregnancy - YAY! I was so relieved that I forgot to ask her if it means anything that my progesterone number is lower than it was three weeks ago (it was 43.5 at 12 dpo), and I sort of wonder if I ought to do another beta to make sure things are still progressing at the right pace since the cramping on Tuesday.

BUT, the progesterone is still at a normal and healthy level, even if it's lower, so I think I might be all right with waiting until my first ultrasound on the 18th. I'm so tired after the past two busy weeks on the road I kind of don't feel like worrying too much right now. AND, I hear the level tends to fluctuate too. If there's any more spotting, though, I will be calling my doctor pronto!

In the meantime, I will try to enjoy the company of my new BFF, Morning Sickness (total misnomer: mine hits in early afternoon and kicks it with me for the rest of the day)! To be honest, though, feeling sick is actually the most reassuring thing of all...

Is it nap time yet?