Saturday, November 10, 2007

Let the Wild Rumpus Begin!

At least, let the wild ride begin -- I'm not sure I'm feeling enthusiastic enough this morning to call it a rumpus knowing that in the book that leads to a big wonderful party. Currently I don't feel like we are headed for a big wonderful party at all, I just feel like I am headed for a world of hurt!

I'm really grateful that this was my last week of work. I'm officially on maternity leave and feeling really happy for that, as for the last few days I've been having intermittent contractions, and growing increasingly uncomfortable and irritable. The contractions at times have actually been quite intense, but nothing consistent or regular, and nothing that could be considered productive.

I'm basically copying and pasting the rest of this installment from a message board where I communicate with other pregnant women about what's going on for us (which I know is kind of a cop out, but you'll see why I am too tired to type much after reading the rest)...

We had just about the worst night ever around here last night... I went to bed around 11, woke up at 12:30 when Henry got home from train club, and found I was having another one of my irregular contractions. I also felt sooo incredibly sick. Somehow I managed to make it to the bathroom in time to vomit up everything I'd eaten since lunch (I wish I were exaggerating), while riding out a contraction at the same time. In the process I managed to throw out my upper back. We didn't know what to do, the pain was so intense, and I didn't even realize that I had thrown out my back, I just thought it was part of the contraction. I could barely breathe, and I certainly could not get on top of the pains that kept coming and going. Henry called our doula who told us to call labor and delivery, and who also came over. I was in way too much pain to talk to either the hospital or the doula.

By the time the doula arrived, I was having contractions about every three minutes, but they petered out after an hour or so. It really looked for a while there that we might be having a baby last night... When it was pretty clear that my body was done doing whatever it was going to do for the night, our doula went home with instructions to call her if anything started up again. She also counseled me to consider going to the hospital for some IV fluids, given how much I have still been throwing up. She also told me that if friday had not have been my last day at work, she would have forbidden me from going back.

It was 4 a.m. by this time, and we tried to get some sleep. Henry fell asleep almost immediately and slept like a rock. Thanks to the spasm in my back, I could not find a single comfortable place anywhere in our apartment, and I think I've had a total of an hour of sleep since this ordeal began at 12:30 (it is now 9:30 a.m.). It has been such an awful night. Heat didn't help the spasm, tylenol didn't touch it, a shower didn't work. I've coincidentally got a massage scheduled for this morning, so hopefully that will make a difference. There's no way now that we'll be able to check anything off our baby to do list, which of course has me fretting away over here, because our doula thinks we've got maybe two or three days before it is go time, and we are both way too tired (and I am in way too much pain) to even consider running any errands. If my massage therapist can just make me comfortable enough to lie down and get some sleep today, I'll be happy, and I guess I'll just have to deal with everything else when my body is ready to deal again. man. what a hellacious night.

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