B.R Day 4

Pretty much an uneventful day. Spent most of it on the couch until I started getting really bad indigestion and a few contractions so back to my bed I went. I discovered that I get a contraction every time I stand up so bedrest is definitely where I need to be! I had at least 8 contractions over the day but most were just from standing up to go to the bathroom or to switch rooms. Natalie is still a bit confused why I can't get up to play or get her some juice, but I think she is adapting well to this change. We just keep telling her that Baby Fi is making it so that Mommy needs to rest a lot. Tomorrow is the big pasta dinner at church. Hoping that everything goes well. Really glad that we were able to help Natalie's school raise so much money but I will be happy when Paul's stress level can go back down. Then he can just come home and relax!!

B.R. Day 3

Rough night sleeping last night due to the fact that I basically laid down all day yesterday. Went to the doctor this morning after having a few contractions. Basically still only having contractions but no other signs of labor. Still on modified bedrest but he said I could walk around the house a bit and can go to my baby shower on Sunday at the church. Have to go back again on Monday for another check. Hoping we can make it a few weeks longer but we are at the point where there isn't really much that any medicine that would stop labor could do that would be more beneficial than harmful. So hopefully my contractions will stay only a few a day (had 2 all day yesterday). If they get more frequent and closer together, then it is back to the hospital.

Update: Ended up having 7 contractions over the day. Not too bad. As long as they stay that infrequent, everything is ok! Paul is just hoping she hangs in there through tomorrow night since he is cooking dinner for 140 people as part of a fundraiser for Natalie's school! Natalie is having a blast with her Nana! It is so hard to not be able to do much with her. We did some crafts yesterday from the couch but I can't even brush her teeth or put her to bed so it is an adjustment for all of us. Apparently the fact that I had a positive result on this preterm labor test means I am more likely to have her in the next 2 weeks. So we may meet her sooner than we thought which means she will be smaller than we thought!

Bed Rest Day 2

Got a good night's sleep last night! Don't remember waking up due to contractions so hopefully that means I didn't have any. Hips were very sore from being in bed all day so woke up several times from that. Poor Paul spent the morning running around like a chicken with his head cut off. He had to get breakfast for all of us (which means cooking eggs for me due to my gestational diabetes) and get himself ready and Nat ready and anything that I needed. Then he took Natalie to school and came back to keep me company for a while. Mom should be here soon! I've spent the morning either on the couch or in bed watching TV and working on a Christmas stocking for my friend's little boy. Hoping this means I get more time to work on it! Paul has to take Natalie to get a flu shot this afternoon. YUCK! Feel so disconnected from life today. I miss picking Natalie up from school and hearing about her day. I miss picking her up period. And it is hard to explain to a 3.5 yr old that Mommy can't get up to help with anything, including tooth brush, bed time, etc. Hopefully this will get easier for all of us.

Update: Mom got here and helped out with Natalie. Her flu shot went well and now that is one less thing to worry about! Having a hard time staying on the couch or in bed though.

Bed Rest Day 1

So I woke up at 1:30 this morning with awful pain in my stomach - like the organ not my intestines. Figured it was heartburn or indigestion since it was so far under my ribs. Would cramp up and release but figured there was NO WAY it was Miss Fiona. Called my dr's office when they opened and they managed to fit me in an hour later. Told him what was going on. Had my normal check-up with Fiona measuring at 35 weeks (actual gestational age was 34 weeks, 3 days) and my blood pressure was nice and low. Decided to do a pelvic exam. He told me that my cervix was still closed (yay!) but that he had felt me have a contraction. Said he thought maybe the pain was my gall bladder. Since I got rid of mine in 1999, that seemed highly unlikely!!

Instead I got my first glimpse of the labor and delivery floor at our hospital. They hooked me up to a monitor that measures fetal heartrate, uterine contractions, and all that fun stuff! After a million questions, they left me watch TV and Paul (who had been teaching) finished up his classes and came to keep me company. (I told him to finish his classes since I knew I wasn't in "real" labor yet!)

2 hrs of monitoring later, they told me that I had tested positive on the fetal fibronectin test which indicated preterm labor. Also I had four REAL contractions in an hr of monitoring and had earned myself bedrest! Luckily I didn't have 6 of them or I would have had bedrest in the hospital. So I was sent home with directions to only get out of bed (or the recliner or couch) to go the bathroom or take a fast shower.

So I spent the rest of the day watching TV and lying down. As most of you know, I am not a sit-still kinda person so this has been a hard day. Luckily, I am also a prepare-ahead person so Fiona's room is done, bags are almost completely packed for hospital, carseat is in the car, and we are ready whenever Fiona is!

Hoping to make it through the Cowboys game tonight but not sure I can stay awake. My mom is flying in tomorrow to help out and Dad will drive out once we know for sure what is going on. I go back to the doctor on Wednesday for another check-up. The contractions have slowed to 1-2 per hr so hopefully Fiona will stay in the womb and bit more and grow a bit more. I'd love to make it to at least 37 weeks.

Fiona's Nursery

With the exception of a few things here and there, we have gotten Fiona's room all ready for her arrival. 95% of the room is just recycled furniture and decorations from Natalie's room when she was a baby (and one of the night tables that matches Paul's and my bedroom set). The rocking chair was my great-grandmother's. My girls are the 4th generation to be rocked in it. Still need to add a TV in there for me when I am feeding her and some other odds and ends but I LOVE the way it turned out. Here are some pictures:

Baby Moon

Paul and I went away to Charleston this past weekend as a last weekend before we have 2 little ones. I still have 7.5 weeks to go but you just never know! We rested Friday night and went out to eat at a place called the Charleston Crab House. We didn't know it when we made our reservations to go to Charleston, but it was restaurant week so we had lots of fun choices of dinners at cheaper prices.

Saturday we started out at a wonderful little cafe with really good food! (We even went bakc for breakfast there again on Sunday). We then explored the Old Market in downtown and picked up a few Christmas presents (I have a baby coming between now and Christmas, remember?). Then we took a one hour tour of Charleston in a carriage. It was really nice and we got to see so much of Charleston without wearing out this preggo. We then checked out a park that was right on the water before heading back to our room to rest and watch a little football. We ventured out later for a FAB.U.LOUS dinner at Carolina's restaurant. My steak was so tender it basically melted in your mouth. I snuck a few bites of the dessert - a pecan praline basket that held ice cream, hot fudge and fruit. We then headed back to that park for a few pictures.

Sunday we did breakfast and then went to Trader Joe's. Can never pass up a trip there if we are near one. We came back up well-rested (we slept til 8:30 BOTH DAYS!!!) and were delighted that Natalie had had a wonderful time with my parents all weekend.