Tag Archives: baby movement

In Labor…Got Sent Home

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Major TMI alert…if you don’t want to know the details, just know that I’m in early labor but was sent home from the hospital.

If you’re still reading, here goes…

I’ve had spotting since last Thursday, which is a bit concerning for a pregnant woman!  When I saw my OB on Friday, she said that it was probably from my cervix dilating and I didn’t have to worry about it as long as it continued to be spotting and didn’t get any heavier or redder.  Well, last night it definitely got heavier.  When I woke up this morning, I noticed that there were also some clots.  RED FLAG!  I was pretty freaked out.  It was 7am and I had gotten up early to get ready for my 9:45am doctor appointment (where I was hoping to schedule an induction for next week, since I’m overdue).

The clinic wasn’t open yet, so I called Labor & Delivery.  They couldn’t consult my doctor because she was in surgery but they must have talked to someone else who suggested I come in.  We got ready and got to L&D around 8:20am.  Thankfully, the bleeding was not from a placental abruption or anything equally terrible.  All the cramping I’m having turned out to be contractions.  They were not regular, but all 3-8 minutes apart.  Was still bleeding, but had not made any dilation progress.  In fact, I’ve been dilated the same for about three weeks.  Every hour was spent walking for 30 minutes, then monitoring for 30 minutes.  My doctor decided to keep me there for monitoring until 1pm to see if I was dilating.  While there was a small cervical change, there was no progress in dilation.  My contractions remain irregular and I was sent home.

So here I sit, with contractions that bring severe cramps and back pain (albeit irregular) and continuous bleeding.  I can’t believe I was sent home and not induced.  I’m past my due date, for goodness sake!  They said early labor could last like this for hours or days.

While we were walking the halls at the hospital, we saw a couple there who had been in our birthing class.  She was only due one day before me.  They were headed HOME with their baby.  We were excited for them when we saw them.  After being sent home, it’s just severely depressing.  :-/

Well, Baby C, after a month of false alarms and this morning, we are definitely ready for you to get here.  I’m convinced you’re never coming out and my body has no idea how to get you out.  Hopefully this will all be over soon.

My Belly’s the Size of a Watermelon

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I have a few different pregnancy apps on my iPhone, and for the past few weeks my baby’s size has been the equivalent of a watermelon.  This week, that watermelon is now between 6-9 lbs (goodness, I hope he’s not 9 lbs!).  I can definitely tell that my belly is huge, because it’s getting in the way quite often…

  • Every time I get something in/out of the microwave, I knock the towels off of the bar of the oven.
  • C’s feet often take up residence inside my rib cage (thanks, short torso), so it’s nearly impossible to bend over the sink to wash my face.
  • Turning over in bed is like running a mini-marathon.
  • Yesterday, I had an itch on my foot.  I couldn’t reach it.
  • The majority of my maternity shirts no longer completely cover my belly.  The Bella Band was honestly the best maternity purchase I made (outside of my pregnancy pillow), because now I have to use it to make sure the bottom of my big ol’ watermelon isn’t hanging out.
  • If I drop something on the floor, I have to spread my feet real wide and do a squat to pick it up.
  • It feels better to sit on my exercise ball, because my belly hangs so low that it can then rest on the surface of the ball.
I hope this watermelon doesn’t turn into a pumpkin (overdue)!

Please Keep Your Hands and Feet Inside the Baby-Making Vessel

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I can tell Baby is really running out of room in his temporary home.  He’s always been one to stretch out (that’s why they thought he may have been ginormous), but now that he’s getting bigger and stronger, it’s really getting uncomfortable for me.  I often have a foot or two sticking out just below my ribs.  He stretches his arms to put enormous pressure on my bladder.  Last night I tried to push his foot back in.  It kind of made me chuckle when he “listened” to me for a while, but then he won out and I had both feet sticking out of my belly.

Dear Baby, please keep your hands and feet safely inside your baby-making vessel for the time being.  Thank you, Your Mama.