Yesterday around 2:30 p.m., I started experiencing some mild cramping. I decided to get on the couch, drink some water, and take it easy. However, at 4, the cramps had not let up so I called my ob. She called me back and told me to meet her at the hospital. Alice said to get ready because they were going to lock me up and throw away the key. I was very nervous that I would end up on hospital bed rest for the next 10 weeks of this pregnancy!
When I arrived there, they hooked me up to a monitor and were able to see that I was indeed having contractions. They gave me Terbutaline shots to get the contractions under control and that seemed to do the trick. Terbutaline is actually an asthma medicine, but is used for pre-term labor because it relaxes the uterus muscles. However, it does have side effects: rapid, pounding heart beat, jitters/shaking, and restlessness.
They held me overnight for monitoring, and although I didn't have contractions through most of the night, they started again around 5 a.m. I had to have more Terbutaline then. They had given me an Ambien the night before to help me sleep so I was so tired still at 5 a.m. Then, the Terbutaline kicked in, and I wanted to fall back to sleep so badly, but I couldn't because I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest and my body was shaking. That sucked.
The nurse said that my ob was saying I may have to go home on a Terbutaline pump and be on complete bed rest. The other option was to stay in the hospital for the duration of the pregnancy. I was starting to get very concerned about the situation.
Later in the morning, my perinatal specialist measured my cervix again. The main indications of pre-term labor are contractions AND cervical changes. Thankfully, my cervix was still long and closed. My ob referred to it as a "cervix of steel." Therefore, I was able to pack my bags and head home!
I am on an anti-inflammatory medicine every 6 hours for 48 hours. They think that this is a period of rapid growth for the babies and that their growth triggered the contractions. The anti-inflammatory should help my uterus.
I am also on modified bed rest. This basically means I can still get up and go to the bathroom, shower, prepare light meals, etc. However, I am no longer allowed to walk Winnie, do housework (how sad) and I need to limit my trips outside since I have to go up and down stairs. I am now a prisoner in my home, but that sure beat being a prisoner in the hospital!
No comments:
Post a Comment