32 Week Bump Date

Before I get into this week’s bump date, I wanted to talk about the little scare we had last week. If you follow along on Instastories {which you totally should!}, you probably already know some of these details.

I’ve talked about the stomach cramps I’ve been having in previous bump dates, so when I had them last Tuesday I didn’t think too much about them. I kept track of the contractions on an app for an hour and when they wouldn’t stop, I told one of my co-workers. She pretty much forced me call my doctor to make sure it was normal. “If worst comes to worst, it’s nothing,” she said. So I called, and the doctor wanted me to come in for a non-stress test to make sure baby was okay and to find out if I was actually having contractions.

The non-stress test was easy. I sat on a comfy recliner for 30-40 minutes with one monitor on baby and one monitor at the top of my stomach. I could see on the monitoring machine that I was definitely having contractions, because the lines looked like little rollercoasters. My doctor came in and “Are you feeling those?!” Obviously I was, so she told me I’d need to head over to the hospital right away because although the contractions weren’t regular yet, there were way too many for her to just send me home.

Bryan met me at the hospital, where we headed to the triage area of Labor and Delivery. I’m glad he was with me, because the pain was so intense that I could barely walk into the elevator. Everything from here on out seemed to go very quickly, but in reality we were at the hospital for at least 4 hours. The midwife checked my cervix for dilation {it was closed} and performed a fetal fibronectin test, which tests whether I’m likely to go into preterm labor in the next 14 days {results came back negative}. After those tests were done, the nurse hooked me up to an IV of fluids and monitored baby’s heartbeat and my contractions. Towards the end of the first bag of fluid the contractions were getting more painful and closer together. I remember not even realizing that I was in tears when the nurse walked in. They hurt SO bad. At one point she told me that the contractions were 1-2 minutes apart, but since I wasn’t dilated, they would just give me some more fluid and see how my body reacted.

After the bag of fluids was in my system, they gave me a second bag and continued monitoring. Nothing was getting any better, so the nurse came back in and said that she’d need to give me a shot of trebutaline to stop the contractions and relieve my pain. Let me tell you… I’ve never been so anxious in my life. There was no time to research this medication, so I asked the nurse two questions – 1. What were the side effects? and 2. Was this safe for my baby? The only side effect she mentioned was that it could increase my heart rate and make me feel jittery, so they’d have to monitor me for 30-45 minutes after the shot to make sure I was okay. And of course, this was safe for the baby. I signed off on the shot and within 10 minutes, the contractions were gone. I couldn’t believe it. Soon enough, I was discharged and sent home. 

32 WEEK BUMP DATE

Baby is the Size of a: Jicama {approx. 18 inches long, 3.75 pounds}

Gender: We’re having a girl!

Names: Keeping it quiet until she’s here.

How I’m Feeling: When it rains it pours because now I’m battling a nasty head cold. I’m telling you… this third trimester is testing my patience! The only thing I can really take for my congestion is Mucinex (the version with just guaifenesin) and Tylenol, which I’ve been using along with nose strips at night. Let’s hope this cold is gone before the holiday.

Recent Purchases: When we have family come to the hospital, I want to be 100% comfortable, you know? I don’t think I’m going to want to put on real pants and a sweatshirt, so I picked up a few lounge-wear pieces from Gilligan & O’Malley at Target – this black robe and these black button down pjs {on sale for $15!}. I plan on buying a few other button down pjs which will make nursing so much easier!

Cravings: I haven’t really had much of an appetite this past week due to the contractions and the cold I have now. I’m just drinking a lot of water and eating toast, clementines and cereal.

Aversions: None.

Sleeping: Since I’m drinking more water these days, I have to get up to go to the bathroom at LEAST 3-4x each night. That’s obviously hindering me from getting any solid amount of sleep, but I know I need to stay hydrated so it’s just something I’m dealing with. I figure it will prepare me for when the little one is here and I have to feed her at all hours of the night.

Rings: Just wearing my wedding band for now.

Baby Movement: I was so happy to know that even through the contractions I had last week, baby girl is doing fine. She’s still moving around just as she’s supposed to.

Labor Signs: Thankfully none for now.

Looking Forward to: Packing our hospital bags and finishing up the last few things in the nursery.