our great adventure and the hospital

Ok, in order for me to tell this story I need to rewind back to Wednesday. I had really severe cramping/shooting pains "down there" and I couldn't find relief for 4-5 hours. Finally, after about half an hour in a hot bath, the pain went down to more of a dull ache. Well, the baby was pretty lazy after that and I didn't feel it moving around too much. I can't remember though, my focus was on the pain not on how often Baby jabbed me. I do remember feeling it kick me a few times "down there" because it made the pain worse, and at some point it wedged itself up into my ribs and caused more discomfort.

So Wednesday came and went... Thursday morning I woke up as Matthew was leaving for work and the baby kicked me softly a couple times. I distinctly remember this because when I felt the kicks I thought "I haven't really felt that too much lately". I went back to sleep and woke up about an hour later, and then decided to start my day. I cleaned the bathroom, crocheted a little bit and wrote. Matthew came home at noon for lunch and I felt the baby kick once while he was here, and that was it. So by the time my husband got home from work I was concerned, four-thirty hit and I'd only felt Baby kick twice. Matthew told me we'd go get dinner and see if eating helped. Well we had errands to run so we didn't end up eating until about 7. I waited two hours, still no movement. Now by this time I'm really scared. Earlier in the week someone had a still birth because the baby had wrapped the umbilical cord around its neck and died. She wouldn't have gone in if she hadn't noticed a decrease in movement.

So since my doctors office was closed, I had to call Labor and Delivery. I told the very nice nurse on the phone my symptoms and she said I should come in so they can monitor everything. Sometimes in preterm labor women don't feel the contractions, so I could technically be "trying" to give birth and not know it. So we got in the car right away and drove 25 minutes across town. I spent maybe two minutes in the ER before they took me down the hall to L&D.

Now let me tell you, this hospital is a LOT nicer than I expected it to be. All of the birthing rooms are private, and she said almost all of the postpartum rooms are private as well. This room was about twice the size of our bedroom, with a couch and rocking chair and kitchenette. There were hardwood floors, dimmer switches on the lights, and even a place to play music during labor if you want. I was excited; it was nice to know that they do really take care of you. :) Anyway, they had me change into a gown and hooked me up to monitor the baby's heartbeat AND to see if I had any contractions.

Well, at first the nurse (who was so incredibly nice and very helpful, she did everything in her power to keep us calm) couldn't find the heartbeat. I looked over at Matthew, and saw that he was crying. I had cried all the way to the hospital, scared out of my mind. And he was so calm and comforting, that I knew if he was scared I should be too. She did find the heartbeat by the way, but seeing the look in my husbands eyes as he realized we could very well loose this baby... that was a life-changing experience for me. Anyway, everything is fine, I wasn't having contractions. They don't know why the baby was so lazy yesterday, but it sure did kick up a storm once the monitors and straps were in place! I'm glad I went in, and the nurse thanked me multiple times for getting checked out. I knew that if I brushed it off and something WAS wrong, I would regret it for the rest of my life. I couldn't take that chance, this is, after all, a life that's at stake.

I'm glad we went in, too, so that I could actually see what the Labor and Delivery section of this hospital was like. Its so much better than the one back home in Junction! I really feel like God has lead us to this place, and that this will be the perfect hospital for my first birthing experience. Alright, the dogs are barking at the neighbors trying to move in, so I have to go let them out.