Uterine Irritablility
I am back from Colorado and it was a good trip. I'll write more about that later.
The day after I got back from Colorado my face broke out in this crazy rash or acne. I couldn't tell what it was. I've never broken out like that in acne before but it also wasn't super itchy at first so I didn't know what it was. I had my doctor's appointment the next day so I waited until I saw him to do much about it. He couldn't tell either what it was but told me to take Benadryl and a steroid cream for acne to cover my bases. I tried the Benadryl and didn't notice any change and so I switched to Zyrtec and continued the steroid. It took a good week to go away and I'm still not sure what it was but my face is finally back to being clear.
I got back to Knoxville on Tuesday afternoon. I was tired for a couple of days but felt fine as far as pregnancy stuff goes (and besides the weird face thing). I saw the doctor on Thursday and it was a pretty quick appointment without too much to chat about. He asked me how I was feeling and I told him I felt about like I should for 32 weeks. Nothing really to complain about. I had been having contractions but nothing that I wasn't used to for this far along so we didn't even talk about any of that. My next appointment was supposed to be this coming Tuesday but since he is out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday all week, I set it up for the following week. I went home and everything was fine.
I woke up Sunday morning to go to the bathroom while Mike showered at 5:30. He left around 6:10 and I got up for good around 6:45 and showered. I got myself and the kids ready, fed them breakfast, and we headed off to church. I had actually had the thought as I got ready that I was feeling better this time around than I usually do this far along. As I drove to church I noticed that I had a couple of contractions and the only reason that caught my attention was because it takes about 15 minutes to get to church so feeling a couple during that drive seemed a little close together but nothing more than just recognizing it. After we got there and we were all settled in a pew though, I started feeling crampy and gross. Mike asked me how I was doing and I told him I didn't feel very well all of the sudden. The meeting started and things just kind of went downhill from there. I started counting the contractions and they were coming about every 7-10 minutes but closer to the 7 minute mark. I was worried I was going to have to leave and motion for Mike to come to the hallway. He stayed on the stand and kept watching me wondering if I was in labor. Thankfully, once second hour started, I felt like things were slowing down a bit.
Over the next few days I noticed that things were continuing in the same kind of way that they had on Sunday. I'd have hours where they came close together and then they might slow down a bit for a few hours and then pick up again. I have been in labor enough to know that I wasn't in labor but I was really confused about why they were coming so close together so soon. I was also having a hard time telling when some were starting and ending. Finally, after Mike, my sister, and my mom, told me I should go get checked out, I caved.
The nurse I called really wanted me to come in right away and get checked so I headed into the office. They immediately hooked me up to a machine and started monitoring me. It was a short non-stress test, which was nice, because the ones I had to take with Laila were always long. As I sat there watching the monitor I realized I wasn't crazy and stuff really was going on. I had two nice sized contractions that lasted longer and then two shorter contractions that were a sharp spike. The rest of the time I kept thinking one was starting but then it never got really bad and then it would never really relax either so it was confusing. Anyway, 4 contractions in 20 min is a lot for someone only 32 weeks.
The nurse practitioner came in and asked me how many babies I'd had and if I had any preterm. I told her I had a baby at 36 weeks and she asked if it was my last baby that I had early. I told her no. She said that I definitely wasn't crazy and then said I had an irritable, angry uterus. She said that I was having contractions about every five minutes and then the times when I felt one was coming but then never felt it relax was my uterus having spasms. She was sure I was dilating already. I told her that I generally have a lot of contractions but that I'm not usually dilating too fast. She checked me and was surprised that I wasn't dilating already. She also checked for infections to see if that was causing me to contract so much. I didn't have any infection. She told me that I needed to go home and rest as much as possible and take this oral medicine that would stop contractions.
To make a long story short, I didn't end up taking the medicine. After a couple failed attempts of getting me medicine in at the pharmacy, doing some research online, and asking a pharmacist about the medication, I felt uneasy about taking it. I contacted my sister-in-law who has an OB friend and Mike contacted our friend who delivered Laila and we asked both about the medication. Both quickly responded that I should not take the medicine. Instead, I've been trying to take it easy.
Mike left town for a few days and things got gradually better while he was gone. Things were pretty much back to normal in my opinion so I've increased my activities the last two days (getting errands done and buying some things for when the baby comes) and found that they are coming back again. I guess that means that the next few weeks I just need to relax and even when I feel like things are getting better, just take it easy.
Truthfully, after the doctor checked to see if I was dilating and I wasn't, I felt really calm about things. I know that sometimes dilation doesn't really indicate when the baby will come, but at least I know that I've got some time. I was barely dilated at all when my water broke with Isaac at 36 weeks and I was dilated to a 5 with Laila and having very regular contractions and they still had to break my water at 39 weeks for me to have her. So, who knows? It could just be that this is how things will be until her due date or maybe she will come early like the others. I don't know. Maybe this is just Heavenly Father's way of making me slow down and take it easy. I'm not very good at that. It's hard for me to sit and not do much. I think I'll just really view this as a gift before life gets crazy. I'm being handed a "take it easy" card for a few weeks and I don't have to feel guilty about it. Though, I do feel weird about it. In the meantime, Mike and the kids have been so good about helping me. They run upstairs to grab things for me, help with the dishes, make breakfast, grab me drinks, etc. I've been very thankful for them.
Anyway, I'm 34 weeks now so even if she goes until her due date, it's coming really fast. It's hard for me to believe that she is coming so soon. It seems like time has flown by.
The day after I got back from Colorado my face broke out in this crazy rash or acne. I couldn't tell what it was. I've never broken out like that in acne before but it also wasn't super itchy at first so I didn't know what it was. I had my doctor's appointment the next day so I waited until I saw him to do much about it. He couldn't tell either what it was but told me to take Benadryl and a steroid cream for acne to cover my bases. I tried the Benadryl and didn't notice any change and so I switched to Zyrtec and continued the steroid. It took a good week to go away and I'm still not sure what it was but my face is finally back to being clear.
I got back to Knoxville on Tuesday afternoon. I was tired for a couple of days but felt fine as far as pregnancy stuff goes (and besides the weird face thing). I saw the doctor on Thursday and it was a pretty quick appointment without too much to chat about. He asked me how I was feeling and I told him I felt about like I should for 32 weeks. Nothing really to complain about. I had been having contractions but nothing that I wasn't used to for this far along so we didn't even talk about any of that. My next appointment was supposed to be this coming Tuesday but since he is out of town for the Thanksgiving holiday all week, I set it up for the following week. I went home and everything was fine.
I woke up Sunday morning to go to the bathroom while Mike showered at 5:30. He left around 6:10 and I got up for good around 6:45 and showered. I got myself and the kids ready, fed them breakfast, and we headed off to church. I had actually had the thought as I got ready that I was feeling better this time around than I usually do this far along. As I drove to church I noticed that I had a couple of contractions and the only reason that caught my attention was because it takes about 15 minutes to get to church so feeling a couple during that drive seemed a little close together but nothing more than just recognizing it. After we got there and we were all settled in a pew though, I started feeling crampy and gross. Mike asked me how I was doing and I told him I didn't feel very well all of the sudden. The meeting started and things just kind of went downhill from there. I started counting the contractions and they were coming about every 7-10 minutes but closer to the 7 minute mark. I was worried I was going to have to leave and motion for Mike to come to the hallway. He stayed on the stand and kept watching me wondering if I was in labor. Thankfully, once second hour started, I felt like things were slowing down a bit.
Over the next few days I noticed that things were continuing in the same kind of way that they had on Sunday. I'd have hours where they came close together and then they might slow down a bit for a few hours and then pick up again. I have been in labor enough to know that I wasn't in labor but I was really confused about why they were coming so close together so soon. I was also having a hard time telling when some were starting and ending. Finally, after Mike, my sister, and my mom, told me I should go get checked out, I caved.
The nurse I called really wanted me to come in right away and get checked so I headed into the office. They immediately hooked me up to a machine and started monitoring me. It was a short non-stress test, which was nice, because the ones I had to take with Laila were always long. As I sat there watching the monitor I realized I wasn't crazy and stuff really was going on. I had two nice sized contractions that lasted longer and then two shorter contractions that were a sharp spike. The rest of the time I kept thinking one was starting but then it never got really bad and then it would never really relax either so it was confusing. Anyway, 4 contractions in 20 min is a lot for someone only 32 weeks.
The nurse practitioner came in and asked me how many babies I'd had and if I had any preterm. I told her I had a baby at 36 weeks and she asked if it was my last baby that I had early. I told her no. She said that I definitely wasn't crazy and then said I had an irritable, angry uterus. She said that I was having contractions about every five minutes and then the times when I felt one was coming but then never felt it relax was my uterus having spasms. She was sure I was dilating already. I told her that I generally have a lot of contractions but that I'm not usually dilating too fast. She checked me and was surprised that I wasn't dilating already. She also checked for infections to see if that was causing me to contract so much. I didn't have any infection. She told me that I needed to go home and rest as much as possible and take this oral medicine that would stop contractions.
To make a long story short, I didn't end up taking the medicine. After a couple failed attempts of getting me medicine in at the pharmacy, doing some research online, and asking a pharmacist about the medication, I felt uneasy about taking it. I contacted my sister-in-law who has an OB friend and Mike contacted our friend who delivered Laila and we asked both about the medication. Both quickly responded that I should not take the medicine. Instead, I've been trying to take it easy.
Mike left town for a few days and things got gradually better while he was gone. Things were pretty much back to normal in my opinion so I've increased my activities the last two days (getting errands done and buying some things for when the baby comes) and found that they are coming back again. I guess that means that the next few weeks I just need to relax and even when I feel like things are getting better, just take it easy.
Truthfully, after the doctor checked to see if I was dilating and I wasn't, I felt really calm about things. I know that sometimes dilation doesn't really indicate when the baby will come, but at least I know that I've got some time. I was barely dilated at all when my water broke with Isaac at 36 weeks and I was dilated to a 5 with Laila and having very regular contractions and they still had to break my water at 39 weeks for me to have her. So, who knows? It could just be that this is how things will be until her due date or maybe she will come early like the others. I don't know. Maybe this is just Heavenly Father's way of making me slow down and take it easy. I'm not very good at that. It's hard for me to sit and not do much. I think I'll just really view this as a gift before life gets crazy. I'm being handed a "take it easy" card for a few weeks and I don't have to feel guilty about it. Though, I do feel weird about it. In the meantime, Mike and the kids have been so good about helping me. They run upstairs to grab things for me, help with the dishes, make breakfast, grab me drinks, etc. I've been very thankful for them.
Anyway, I'm 34 weeks now so even if she goes until her due date, it's coming really fast. It's hard for me to believe that she is coming so soon. It seems like time has flown by.
Comments