Long week in labor and delivery

Last Thursday morning about 1:30am  I started having some discomfort. As weird as it sounds, I wasn't sure if it was heartburn or BH because of where it was at and how everything seems to hit in a different spot during pregnancy. I decided I would take a bath to try to relax my muscles and get ready for bed which got me pretty much nowhere. At about 2 I started keeping track of when these waves of discomfort were coming and found that they were about 2 min. apart and getting more intense. After about 20 min. I had FI call the on-call doctor. I wasn't sure at this point if it was BH or real labor since this is my first baby, but I knew either way I was supposed to call. He told us to go ahead and go to the hospital. On the way to the hospital the contractions slowed and were far less intense (our hospital is an hr. away) and I almost told FI nevermind. I didn't want to be that first time mom freaking out over BH for them to just send home, but I decided that I should go ahead and get checked out anyhow.

We got to the hospital and up to Labor and Delivery at about 3:30 and were put into a Triage room. The nurse came in and asked questions and the resident Dr. also came in to get some tests done. They did several swab tests and checked me which is more painful than I ever imagined it would be. I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. They did an ultrasound to verify the information and to check on our LO. They estimated her weight at 2lb. 4oz. and she was head down ready to go. They told me that since we had been sexually active within 24 hrs. that one of the tests wouldn't be accurate so I was kind of bummed about that. They gave me a shot of steroids to help get her lungs ready, started me on an antibiotic for strep B until the results came back (just in case) and hooked me up to an IV. They also gave me a med. to help ease contractions. I was then moved to the high risk unit where I stayed for 1 whole week.

Yesterday, my Dr. came in bright and early with some news. Aside from the other good things that had happened before then, such as being able to come off the IV and antibiotic bc the strep B was negative, we were going to do another ultrasound and do the FFN test which would have been inaccurate when I was first admitted. The FFN tests for a protein that could predict labor up to 14 days. If it came back positive, it didn't guarantee I would go into labor, as there are many other things that can cause false positives, but a negative would be much better. The test, thankfully, came back negative! Next was the ultrasound to check how my cervix was holding up and to get a fetal weight. The resident Dr. did the fetal weight ultrasound while waiting on the other Dr. to come in and said she was still head down and she was weighing about 2lb. 7oz. which is only 4 days ahead of where I'm at. It's where she's been measuring since the beginning, so still well within normal range. The Dr. then came in and they did the internal ultrasound to check the cervix. This was the scary part for me, because any increased change could mean I was there for the duration of the pregnancy, and after 6 days i was already stir crazy and wanting to be in my own home. Thankfully, there had been no change and I was finally discharged this afternoon.

I am still obviously on bedrest and will be for the next 5 weeks min. but there are no further indications that she is coming early just yet. I'm just glad to finally be home. Bed rest at home is likely to be harder than the hospital, but at least I'll be more comfortable.