Tuesday, October 09, 2007
35 weeks
Hurray, I got here. Last night I read through my postings around the same time in my pregnancy with Bacon. I do think it was worse last time. Largely because I didn't have the benefits of having gone through it and also, I wasn't on so many meds so early. The lack of months and months of contractions with a hospital visit thrown in here and there was stressful, not to mention painful and seriously tiring.
Unlike last time, the contractions generally don't get worse in the middle of the night. And if they do, I have some handy medication to take. My sleep is only disrupted by the standard late pregnancy things like needing to use the bathroom or wanting to roll over.
I'm still having periods of contractions that are 4 minutes apart, but the terbutaline has slowed them all down. The pelvic pain is there, but not crazy bad. I got the okay to take Vicodin if the pain is too much. Since last Friday I've taken one. But knowing that I have help to handle things when they get to be too much is seriously helpful to my peace of mind. I know that labor may be hard and the sleep deprivation is likely to start right after that. Trying to stay out of a deficit and keeping my sanity now are the only things that I can think to do to help.
I'm not absolutely certain that I will be able to tell the difference between the contractions I'm having and labor. Last time, my water broke about 12 hours before I started having any cervical changes - and they may have only come with help from pitocin. Thinking back, there is definitely a difference in intensity so I'll rely on that. (The worrier in me keeps remembering other people's blog entries about "mild" contractions and suddenly being in labor.) I tell myself that people have been doing this forever and that I'll figure it out when the time comes.
Today seems to feel a little different - more pelvic pressure and a slight bit of blood. This week's OB appointment is tomorrow, so we'll see what's happening then.
Unlike last time, the contractions generally don't get worse in the middle of the night. And if they do, I have some handy medication to take. My sleep is only disrupted by the standard late pregnancy things like needing to use the bathroom or wanting to roll over.
I'm still having periods of contractions that are 4 minutes apart, but the terbutaline has slowed them all down. The pelvic pain is there, but not crazy bad. I got the okay to take Vicodin if the pain is too much. Since last Friday I've taken one. But knowing that I have help to handle things when they get to be too much is seriously helpful to my peace of mind. I know that labor may be hard and the sleep deprivation is likely to start right after that. Trying to stay out of a deficit and keeping my sanity now are the only things that I can think to do to help.
I'm not absolutely certain that I will be able to tell the difference between the contractions I'm having and labor. Last time, my water broke about 12 hours before I started having any cervical changes - and they may have only come with help from pitocin. Thinking back, there is definitely a difference in intensity so I'll rely on that. (The worrier in me keeps remembering other people's blog entries about "mild" contractions and suddenly being in labor.) I tell myself that people have been doing this forever and that I'll figure it out when the time comes.
Today seems to feel a little different - more pelvic pressure and a slight bit of blood. This week's OB appointment is tomorrow, so we'll see what's happening then.
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Hooray for 35 weeks! A few more days and you're probably in the clear for lung maturity/NICU time, right? With D, they did an amnio at 34 weeks for lung maturity and it wasn't great then, but my doctors siad 7-10 more days should do it. I have no idea how widespread that sort of timing is, but I'm still excited for 35 weeks.
I was a little worried about telling full-blown labor, too. What I was told was that if anything about the contractions felt different, to just head for the hospital. Of course, I woke up at 4 AM with a contraction that was so much stronger than anything I'd ever felt that we were out the door inside of 10 minutes. After all that worry, it was terribly obvious in the end.
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I was a little worried about telling full-blown labor, too. What I was told was that if anything about the contractions felt different, to just head for the hospital. Of course, I woke up at 4 AM with a contraction that was so much stronger than anything I'd ever felt that we were out the door inside of 10 minutes. After all that worry, it was terribly obvious in the end.
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