Saturday, October 15, 2005
Did I Say Too Many Good Things
Yesterday was a day of pre-term contractions. Much better than pre-term labor (especially at 22 weeks), but still scary. Standing and walking were uncomfortable. Then came the "clenching" - at least that's what it felt like. I thought about just going home and laying down, but instead called the doctor. They had me come in and put me on a monitor, after first checking the baby's heartbeat. It was going strong. The monitor confirmed the contractions.
Very wonderfully, an exam showed that my cervix was closed and long (which I understand is good). The doctor even commented that with my history of miscarriages and accompanying D&Cs, she was surprised at how good it was. They gave me Advil - you know the drug they say not to take when you're pregnant? Apparently, it stops pre-term contractions.
But, unfortunately, not right away. Because the contractions weren't stopping, they wheeled me over to the hospital for an ultrasound. (The doctor's office is connected via a sky bridge to the hosptial - very handy.) After more monitoring showing more contractions, they had me lay on my side and left me waiting for the ultrasound to become available. After an hour and a half, still no ultrasound, but the contractions were much better. They sent me home with directions to seek an ultrasound through my doctor's office on Monday.
It was scary. I can't seem to help but think the worst. But, it really wasn't that bad. One nurse said the contractions looked like I had an irritable uterus. The doctor simply said it may be something or it may be nothing. My blood tests came back normal (except for borderline anemia which calls for an iron supplement) and my blood pressure is great (105/54).
The contractions weren't painful, just uncomfortable. I felt like a sissy calling the doctor and getting checked out. But, I also felt very relieved that I did. Although the doctor's office and the hospital were very busy, I didn't feel neglected - just the opposite. It was a good hosptial experience to have after my last one (a very unpleasant D&C) and will likely make any future visits better.
Very wonderfully, an exam showed that my cervix was closed and long (which I understand is good). The doctor even commented that with my history of miscarriages and accompanying D&Cs, she was surprised at how good it was. They gave me Advil - you know the drug they say not to take when you're pregnant? Apparently, it stops pre-term contractions.
But, unfortunately, not right away. Because the contractions weren't stopping, they wheeled me over to the hospital for an ultrasound. (The doctor's office is connected via a sky bridge to the hosptial - very handy.) After more monitoring showing more contractions, they had me lay on my side and left me waiting for the ultrasound to become available. After an hour and a half, still no ultrasound, but the contractions were much better. They sent me home with directions to seek an ultrasound through my doctor's office on Monday.
It was scary. I can't seem to help but think the worst. But, it really wasn't that bad. One nurse said the contractions looked like I had an irritable uterus. The doctor simply said it may be something or it may be nothing. My blood tests came back normal (except for borderline anemia which calls for an iron supplement) and my blood pressure is great (105/54).
The contractions weren't painful, just uncomfortable. I felt like a sissy calling the doctor and getting checked out. But, I also felt very relieved that I did. Although the doctor's office and the hospital were very busy, I didn't feel neglected - just the opposite. It was a good hosptial experience to have after my last one (a very unpleasant D&C) and will likely make any future visits better.
