You may now be asking how did I notice and honestly, I think it was my mommy instincts kicking in as I did not have any real pain. It started mid afternoon on Monday while I was at work when I felt how my belly would tighten and loosen without a real pattern or any pain. I thought I was having Braxton Hicks contractions so at first didn't think anything of them. However, after half an hour I had quite a few and even though I was sitting down with my legs up and drinking as much water as I could - as dehydration can cause contractions -, they didn't seem to go away. After an hour of my belly tightening, I decided to call my OB GYN office and was told to head to L&D as I had more than 6 in an hour.
On the drive to the hospital, I kept feeling them which made me nervous. As soon as I got to the hospital, I was put on the monitor to check on the baby's heartbeat and contractions. In the period of an hour, the monitor picked some contractions but not many and I didn't feel any real pain so I thought everything would be fine. The nurse checked me for dilation and everything seemed fine. However, the doctor gave orders to keep me overnight in observation just in case. At 4am, the doctor came to check up on me -she had been called in to attend an emergency delivery-, and she said that my contractions had stopped so maybe it was due to dehydration and that if I was at 0 dilation, I would be discharged. Little did I know what was coming next.
The doctor proceeded to check me and I knew something was wrong when I saw her face completely change. She then asked me if I had a baby before and how long ago. I also told her that I was being monitored every 2 weeks for incompetent cervix after a procedure I had done and she said that was a cause for concern. She then told me that I was 1cm dilated and the cervix was thinner than she'd like for 28 weeks gestational period. She told me that I would be admitted and be given steroid shots for the baby's lungs and medicine to stop contractions and labor. Hearing those words made me really nervous, especially since in the Observation area of L&D I had to be alone. Obviously, I called my husband at 4am to tell him what was happening.
After being admitted to the hospital, they gave me Procardia twice a day to stop contractions plus an IV line to keep me hydrated. Even though I was given medicine, I still kept feeling some menstrual-like cramping sporadically which meant that I could not go home. At one point, the cramping got constant plus dull lower backache which led to 3 dosis of Brethine injections to stop contractions. On Friday, my doctor came to check me and told me that if I remained the same, I would be able to go home on bed rest and still taking the Procardia. However, if I had dilated some more, they would keep me in the hospital until I gave birth. Thankfully, the checkup revealed that labor had not progressed so I was discharged. We are all relieved as it means that baby boy can keep "cooking" longer.
Preterm labor is labor that happens at any time before 37 weeks gestation and it can happen to anyone. It is important to keep in mind symptoms of preterm labor and contact your doctor if you experience any of the signs. These are: contractions every 10 minutes or less, change in vaginal discharge, pelvic pressure, dull backache, menstrual-like cramping and abdominal cramps. For more information, visit Signs of Preterm Labor, March of Dimes. For any mommy-to-be preterm labor can be scary, but there are drugs that can be given to stop labor and help baby mature his or her lungs. For more information, visit Drugs for use in preterm labor.
My family and I want to thank everyone who has been praying and thinking of us so that baby boy can be born as close to full term as possible.
Many thanks!
-themomthelawyerthehousewife
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are welcome! Positive feedback is greatly appreciated.
Please no spam. All spam will be deleted.