Last night we had a major false alarm.  We had spent the day over at Tanya's house for her Memorial Day/Fight Party, hanging out with friends & enjoying a bbq and the UFC fight.  Thanks again Tanya & Nick!  We had an awesome time!! 

The UFC fight ended about ten oclock, so that's when we headed home.  At midnight I started to get some contractions.  They were pretty intense, moderate in pain level, and were lasting a few minutes each time.  Dave started to time them, and they were 6 minutes apart.  That was the first time that I had had any timeable & regularly steady contractions.  This went on for two hours.  The doctor had told us on Friday that if they were regular contractions and lasted for more than two hours that I should go into the hospital.

Now how many blogs have I written about how beneficial it is to stay home?  How many times have I sworn that I was going to stay home and labor as long as possible.... and possibly even give birth at home if I felt comfortable? 

So of course I don't listen to myself.  I told Dave we would wait one more hour & see how things were going.  He could use that hour to get the last minute things into the hospital bag & load them into the car.  Needless to say, this woke up my mom & my grandma (both of which are adamant about me going to the hospital to have this baby).  My mom is a bit of a wound-up person... I think she has a touch of anxiety that's never been diagnosed.  She comes in & is asking me a ton of questions about the contractions.  This makes me feel like she thinks I don't know what I'm feeling, so I go on the defensive.  I tell her that we're going to the hospital, and that there's no reason for her & grandma to come until we're for sure it's real labor.  So she goes and gets grandma & tells her the same thing.  Then I have grandma in my room asking me a million questions.  All of this while I'm trying to breathe through contractions and put my make-up on (in case it is real & I'm going to be on film).

The contractions were so much easier to deal with when I was just laying in bed, the lights dimmed, with my husband rubbing my back & telling me everything would be okay.  It was actually serene & beautiful.  The pain didn't even bother me that much.  I would moan through them, and ride them out.  Contractions are like waves, they start as a cramp & build to become more painful and powerful, then they crash & you have a minute or two to rest before the next wave hits the shore.  Why oh why didn't I just stay home?!

So then we get to the hospital.  My body, brain, soul, and natural instincts are all telling me I should just go back home.  But we were already there in the parking lot.. so in we go.  I've been through this before with the braxton hicks contractions that I had in the 2nd trimester... go up to floor 3, talk to a nurse, get changed into a hospital gown, get strapped down in bed.  They hook me up to the blood pressure machine & the electronic fetal monitor (that measures the baby's heart beat and my contractions).  The nurse was a nice lady.  Dave had to go downstairs to admitting to give them my insurance information.  I'm in the middle of a contraction & the nurse says she wants to check me vaginally to see if I am dialated any farther.  Okay.  This cervical exam was SO PAINFUL!  It was ten times worse than any of the contractions.  She said she was having trouble getting to my cervix.  I swear it felt like she had her whole arm inside me.  Oh my goodness.  When my OB gives me the exams they are uncomfortable, but nothing like this!!  She finally gets to my cervix & informs me that I'm still at 2 centimeters. 

Because of the vaginal exam & how brutal it was, she caused me to bleed.  I had alot of bloody show, and I believe she dislodged some of my mucous plug.  She noticed this as well and told me that this was most likely early labor, and that they would monitor me for an hour, but most likely would discharge me and send me home.  She would check me again vaginally at the end of the hour.  I can tell you that I dreaded the coming of 4:00 am yesterday morning!

4 oclock rolls around, and here comes the nurse.  This time Dave is with me, and gets to watch the vaginal exam.  He remarked later at how brutal it looked and that he was pretty sure she had her whole hand in there.  This one was even more painful.  I can see why women would be begging for drugs after being checked like that over & over again for hours on end.  By the end of the second exam the pad on the bed was covered in blood, and I was still bleeding.  She let me get up & get dressed, and advised me to go ahead and go home to rest. 

When I went to change, she gave me a pad because of all the bleeding.  I could not wait to get home, and Dave & I hobbled out to the car.  I was so sore I could hardly walk.  The car ride home took forever it felt like, and we only live five minutes from the hospital.  I normally don't take any pills other than my Zoloft, but last night I took a Tylenol PM so that I could sleep through the pain.  I was still having random contractions (they were no longer regular - another reason they sent me home).  The contractions hurt more because of my irritated cervix. 

I have slept most of the day today.  I am worn out.  I'm also a bit depressed... I really thought I would be bringing Olivia home.  Not to mention I'm kicking myself for going to the hospital in the first place.  I honestly think that if I had stayed home in the quiet of my own room with my loving husband, and not gotten stressed, poked, or prodded, that it would have turned into real labor.  It is proven that stress or anxiety can cause a woman to stop laboring.  I can tell you with 100% certainty that last night was stressful. 

Next time I start having labor pains, I am going to stay home.  I mean it this time.  Last night was proof that I absolutely do not want to go to the hospital too early.  To be honest, I still don't want to go at all.  Especially after last night. 

So hopefully it will still be soon.  The nurse said it may turn into active labor because of all the bloody show (which is still happening).  If not, I'll see the doctor again on Friday for my weekly check-up.  As for now, I'm going back to bed.  Love you all.

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