contractions feel quite lovely

this is a pretty detailed post about my medical travails that is basically intended as a sort of journal for me to remember what went on today, as well as to inform those who want to know what's going on with the pregnancy. if you don't wanna know...don't read it!!! :)

so some of ya'll have heard about the craziness inherent this past day. we went to labor & delivery at about midnight and stayed till 3am, because of some sharp pains i had, general (very much) increased abdominal sensitivity, and the fact that Jenna was seemingly not moving much, which worried me. got conflicting reports from nurse and doctor; the nurse seemed to think it was a UTI (b/c of bacteria they found), and the doctor latched onto a miscommunication that i was dehydrated (which i sincerely doubt, b/c i've been better about drinking the past few days at least), and, let's just say, other indications, as well as possible ligament stretching. the miscommunication was that the doctor asked me how many CUPS i'd had of fluid, and when i answered, i was thinking FREAKING BIG GLASSES in my head, although apparently i said "cups". the mistake was pointed out later when we were on our way home. anyway, the doctor didn't seem to think it was a UTI. i'm supposed to get a call tomorrow about the urinalysis, and whether i do have a UTI, in which case they'll get me started on some antibiotics.

so we got to bed about 3:45am, and then i woke up a little after 6am with pretty severe cramping and pain. no position seemed to lessen the pain, and it even increased sometimes. pretty much i was having regular contractions, 5 minutes apart. last night, the nurse gave us the impression that i was pretty effaced, and then when we went in this morning, the new doctor said that last night the nurse put 25%, and he was guesstimating 40-50% effaced...and yet, they said i wasn't in labor b/c the contractions weren't doing anything, i.e. causing dilation. whatever. anyway, of course, when we got to the hospital, the contractions had stopped. i did not have a single one while i was there, which was another 3 hours or so. it bites, b/c last night on their monitor, i was having some mild contractions, but the ones i had this morning were significantly more painful, and i really would have liked to see what they were registering on the monitor. anyway, this morning, the diagnosis was, "we don't know why you're having contractions. go home, rest, drink lots, eat and come in again if x, y and z happen". boo. i suppose every couple goes through the "go home, ya freaks, you're not in labor!" but i AM very glad that i'm not in labor; it's not time yet! Jenna is doing great; the nurses and doctors all commented how wonderfully healthy she looks (on the monitor), with one nurse even saying that she is "perfect". so that's great news.

anyway, i'm still having the constant dullish pain in my abdomen, which increases to very sharp pains when Jenna moves or when i shift position at ALL. so that is a little worrisome to me, b/c no one can give me an answer as to what that is, but it is definitely a new thing for me, and i don't know what it means. it's not contractions, though. and when i asked if what i was having before were actual labor contractions or braxton hicks, they said "contractions are contractions". so they don't distinguish b/t the two. i'm pretty sure that the dull cramping i was having since last wednesday were braxton hicks, and if what i had today and yesterday are also BH, then they are certainly manifesting themselves differently.

oh, and the doctor today mentioned that one thing that worries him is that i'm measuring small (when they measure my uterus), and i actually have been for at least a few weeks. he said that he would recommend an ultrasound to my doctor, who i am seeing Friday. so that's a concern; mom seems to be concerned about it, too, so i hope everything's okay. that could mean that the placenta is not functioning properly, or that maybe the baby is small or not getting enough nutrients...i hope they do an ultrasound to see, and i will discuss that with my doctor on Friday. and i know i've been measuring small for a little bit, so i wonder why my regular doctor didn't mention that or seem to be concerned. i wasn't concerned before this morning because i had heard that the measurement wasn't really that accurate anyway. dunno.

so that's the lowdown. for those of you who made it this far and maintained interest...my guess is that you've probably been prego yourself! ok, probably not everyone. :)