Is it time? Do we know what we are doing?

Well kind of a busy week.....

MONDAY 22: Monday afternoon at 2 PM I started having these weird feelings in my stomach it would tighten really hard and then let go... at first I figured it was just the silly "Braxton Hicks" everyone talked about. Then they started to hurt and I could hardly breath. So I called my aunt to ask if she thought I was in Labor and if it felt like that for her. She said no, but that it didn't sound normal either. I just let them go and when Jon came in we went home and I layed down and rest. They kept coming but nothing too bad. So I went to sleep. About 1:30 AM they woke me up and were more painful. I started timing them they were coming every 15 mins and lasting for about 5 mins. I finally decided to wake Jon up. I nudged him and he looked at me and closed his eyes again. SO I started to shake him, finally he woke up and I said, "I think I need to go to the Hospital", and he just looked and me and said "What?" I said, " JON! I need to go to the HOSPITAL!" that got his attention. We all ready have everything packed and in the Jeep, so we put on some shoes and a coat and headed out the door. I called my mom and told her we were on our way over to come get her.

When we got to the Hospital it was the same as before we went right back to Labor/Delivery and they hooked me up to the monitors. I layed there and the contractions were still coming steady. She checked me and said I was not dialated but they would check me again in a hour. She came in and said my contractions are defintly labor contractions, but they were irregular for my size. I would have 3 or 4  big ones at one time and then small ones in between. So she said we would give it about another 15 minutes and she would check me again. 15 mins later she checked me again and she had a hard time cause his head was in the way of my cervix. So she moved him out of the way and said, "nope still no change, but your contractions are looking more like what I would expect your labor contractions to look like." She explained that if I was 38 weeks she would just start me on patozin and help me along my way, but it's hospital policy that if your not 38 weeks they can't... I'm only 37 weeks. She also said its hospital policy if your not dialted then we cant keep you here either. So she suggested to either go get a hotel room, or go to wal-mart and walk around and see if things get worse we could come back and they would check me again. But we decided to go home.

TUESDAY 23: I spent the next day resting and taking a bath to try to calm the contractions and my nerves, but it didn't seem to help. About 3 AM the next morning same thing but this time they hurt and I really couldn't breath. I knew they couldn't do anything for me unless I was having at least 10 contractions in hour. So I started to time them same thing every 15 mins but only these lasted for about 10 mins each. I felt like I just got time to relax and another one would hit me. This went on for about an hour, and finally they stopped and I was able to go to sleep.

WEDNESDAY 24: Wednesday I got dressed and decided to go into work. My mom called and asked how I was I told her I was still having them, and about that mornings episode. She suggested that I move my appointment up with the doctor to today instead of Friday. So I called ver and explained to them I was still having contractions, and they agreed I better come in. I only worked half a day and then went to Mtn. View (my doctor was in Mtn. View today). We listened to the heart beat and it was good and strong, then she checked me again. Still not dialted. I explained to her my contractions and what has been going on, she agreed I was starting the begining of labor what they call "The First Stage of Labor" which I guess the first stage begins with the onset of contractions that cause progressive changes in your cervix and ends when your cervix is fully dilated. She said woman can be in this stage for days or hours, it just depends on how fast your body changes. She said I was 50 % effaced so I was starting to show some progression. We asked about the head being on my cervix and she said it is, he is laying on my cervix and is in possition, but not in the birth canal yet. I started to cry ( Damn pregnancy hormones ) and told her I was sorry for being such a pain, but I just dont know what to expect, and everything I hear or read is something different. I have always been told once you can time your contractions, you should be on your way. Then I get here and I feel like I'm crying wolf. She assured me I was not crying wolf, and there is things starting just not to the point where we can actually do anything about it. She told me I was not a pain that she didnt hear from me nearly as much as she does her other patients, and every baby is different so there is really no way to know what is going unless you come in and get checked. I asked her if my contractions were already painful and I can time them how do I know its time then? She said for me instead of letting them last an hour lets go 2 hours then if they are still steady and strong to head for the hospital. She said normally she would tell someone to wait to they were to the point where they were right on top of eachother and they couldn't stand them anymore, but she said that's for someone who lives right next to the hospital, I want you to come sooner. She said the other thing to watch for is if my water breaks then head to the hospital. She said to hang in there she will not let me be pregnant for ever. She said see you next week or maybe sooner we will see.

THURSDAY 25: So we are doing just that hanging in there. I came back to work today and I'm feeling ok I have been having small contractions off and on, but nothing exciting yet. As excited as we are to have this baby here, we all agree that he is better off inside for right now. My mom said, "to think of him as a loaf of bread. He is raised, but hasn't finished fully baking yet, and if we take him out of the oven he will be cooked on the outside, but still doughy on the inside." LOL HAHA I'm not sure how really to picture that, but I understood what she told me. I am excited to have him here, but I also agree that I want him to be healthy, my major concern is just that I know what is going on, and how to read the signs when it is "the right time. " I feel like I'm being teased and that's kinda tuff on me... I keep hoping that when it is the right time that my water will break, or something very obvious so I don't have to play the guessing game... "am I really in Labor, or is this still the begining stages?" We are only 20 days away from my original due date, then with her telling us she is pretty sure it will come early. I know it could happen at any time, so we are ready and just waiting for when God is ready to hand this little guy over to us.