False Alarm

When I was pregnant with Caleb, we made two false alarm trips to the hospital. The first one was when I called my OB's office about a problem I was having and they told me to go. The second one was when I had nearly unbearable back labor that ended up lasting about 2 weeks until "real" labor kicked in and the child actually decided to roll over and be born.


Last night was our first (and hopefully only) false alarm with Nola. I came home from work with a splitting headache. I laid down on the couch, fell asleep and woke up when Rudy and Caleb got home at 5:00. Almost immediately, I started having contractions. They were strange contractions - not entirely regular and not the usual start/stop pattern that you expect, but contractions nonetheless. I did all of the things that you're supposed to do when that happens: walk around, drink some water, change positions, get as much pressure off of your back as possible, etc, etc, etc. At 6:00, I was hurting pretty badly, so I called my doctor's exchange. She called me back pretty quickly and said that if the contractions got within 5-10 minutes of each other or if the pain got worse that I needed to go to the hospital. An hour later, the pain was so definite that I knew I had to go in. I called Stacy and packed a bag for Caleb while Rudy gave him a bath. I put my toiletries in my bag just in case and we loaded up the car. We dropped Caleb off at Stacy's in his PJ's and told him that we would either be back to get him that night or someone would come get him early in the morning for school. He was fine with it and didn't have any problems when we dropped him off.

We got to the hospital and I got hooked up to an external monitor. Sure enough, my contractions were about 5 minutes apart. BUT...the pelvic exam told a different story. I wasn't dilated at all and not effaced. The nurse took a urine sample and kept me on the monitor for about an hour and a half. Rudy sat there beside me and we listened to Nola's heartbeat and watched the contractions that I was feeling show up on the monitor regularly. The nurse finally came back in and told me that my urine sample showed that I was dehydrated. She gave me a big cup of water to drink, gave me a dose of Ambien and a dose of Vicodin and sent me home. I was crushed. All of those contractions and all of that pain - only to find out that I'm dehydrated despite my efforts not to be. And...I got sent home. So frustrating.

We picked Caleb up, took him home and Rudy put him to bed. I ate my dinner at 10:00, took my medicines and crawled into bed. I slept like a person should sleep on Ambien and Vicodin, but woke up feeling like I had taken both of those as well.


I called my principal and took the morning off. There was just no way I could shake the cobwebs enough to be productive at work. I only went in at all because I was supposed to have a 2:00 parent conference - which ended up being cancelled. Oh, well. I got paid for that 1/2 day. I spent the morning taking care of a few things here at home and adjusting my mental attitude to get me through the next 2-3 weeks of pregnancy. I spent a lot of time crying for no particular reason at all, getting some thoughts out into words and basically making some decisions that needed to be made. I went to work and saw several groups of kids and handled some tasks there as well. After work, I went in to see Dr. Ford for my regularly scheduled appointment. She asked how I was doing and I told her that my contractions were still evident. However, when she checked me, I still hadn't dilated. She did the usual measurements and heartrate, which were fine. She noted that my feet and legs are swollen, which I hadn't noticed as much in the past couple of days. But - I did wear socks today for the first time in a while and when I took them off, there was a massive indention in my calves. My skin on my calves and feet is very red and tender. For the first time in my life, I have cankles! (This is not a good thing, BTW.)


I left the appointment feeling defeated and frustrated, but somehow, recharged. I think I've finally reached my "get over it" point. I am not a weak person. I don't like feeling weak and I don't like feeling like something has beaten me. So - I pulled myself up by the bootstraps and decided to quit spending my time waiting for the baby to come. I'm now spending my time doing what I want and need to do until the baby comes. I have made a personal vow to suck it up and quit complaining about the aches, pains and discomforts. So far, I've held to it. Contractions continue to come and go, I am still short of breath when I do small tasks and my back continues to tweak when I turn the wrong way or get up from a sitting position, but I'm not going to complain about it until it becomes unbearable. I'm trying to focus on the privilege that I have to bring a baby girl into the world...whenever that may be.


When Rudy and Caleb got home from school, I had started some laundry and straightened the house a little. We went out to dinner at Whole Hog Cafe. I was craving BBQ - which, coincidentally, is what we had the night before Caleb was born. So far, Nola is doing a lot of moving and grooving, but I'm not buying it. My contractions haven't stopped since last night, but they aren't intense enough to take my breath away very often, so I'm breathing right on through them.


We got home from dinner tonight and spent some time together as a family before Caleb went to bed. I finished up some laundry and had some nesting time. Our bill-paying desk was piled high with papers, so I sorted those and got things reorganized for paying and filing. I cleaned out some unnecessary stuff and feel much better about the way that area looks and feels. I'll do the actual filing another time, but at least it's all together in one place now.

Tomorrow is my shower at work and I'm so excited. I didn't expect a shower for a second baby, but I'm humbled that my co-workers have offered to have one. I've heard through the grapevine that there will be cupcakes, which makes me immensely happy. :)


On a somewhat funny note, I had a conversation with Caleb on Sunday night about what to expect when it's time for us to go to the hospital to "get Nola." I told him all about staying with Mrs. Stacy or Mrs. Stacy coming here to stay with him. He was fine with all of that. I told him how we will wake him up if he's asleep and let him know that we are going to the hospital so that he won't be scared if he wakes up and we're not there. He was fine with that. I told him how someone will come get him - either Daddy or LaLa & Pops and take him to school until it's time for Nola to be born and then he'll get to come to the hospital too. Not a problem from him. He seems to realize that we have him in mind and we're taking care of his needs all along the way. When I asked him if he had any questions about it, he dropped the bomb on me: "Mama, how Nola gonna' get out of your belly?" Oh, boy. I hadn't prepared for this one. My answer (on the fly): "Well, Caleb, there's a special door for babies to come out of that only the baby and the doctor can see. When that door gets unlocked, she'll come out." His answer: "Okay, Mama." Whew! I was shocked that he didn't asked about a key or ask to see the door or ask where the door is. He just took it for what it was worth. Hallelujah. I was not prepared to discuss the cervix and birth canal with my 3 year old.


The next morning, he came into my bathroom where I was getting ready for work and very timidly said, "Did Nola come last night while I was sleeping? " He was so disappointed when I said no, but managed to distract himself with play and a snack. Last night when we picked him up from Stacy's, he asked me if Nola was born yet. He actually seemed a little relieved to hear me say no. I wish I could peer into his little mind and see what he's really thinking about it all and know what he expects. It should be interesting to see what his actual reactions are...when she does decide to stop dancing the salsa on my rib cage and make her entrance into this big old world! (which according to my LilyPie ticker is in about 17 days...give or take a few)

Whew - gotta shut this down. I took an Ambien about an hour ago and the computer screen is starting to get a little wavy. I'll come back tomorrow to check for typo's and grammatical clarity. For now, good night...