So, here I am 33.5 weeks pregnant. So far, no complications…until yesterday.
It all started Thursday night: I took Henry to Farmer’s Market in SLO. After we (slowly) walked around, we stopped by to see the end of Daddy’s basketball game at church. I sat on the floor on the sidelines, and when it was time to leave, I asked Andy to hoist me up. Not quite sure what happened, but it ended in him dropping me and falling to the floor himself…and both of us laughing hysterically.
Later that night, I felt some weird cramping in my lower back. I didn’t think much of it.
Friday morning as I drove Henry to daycare, my back started cramping…slowly at first, in a rhytmic spasm…it got worse and worse to the point that I thought that maybe I was going to have to pull over from the pain.
As I reflected on the morning, I realized that I had been having A LOT of braxton hicks contractions. BH are normal, but become worrisome when you have 6 or more in an hour. I had easily surpassed that.
“Is this pre-term labor or is this from being dropped last night?” I asked Brenda.
I actually expected her to tell me it was nothing and to just sit down and drink some water. Instead, she expressed concern and told me to go see a chiropractor and see if I can book a prenatal massage. That way, if it was just back pain from the fall, it would get better…although she admitted that the back pain I was experiencing sounded more like back labor than it did from the fall.
Well, my chiropractor appointment and massage were HEAVENLY…both of whom also suggested that what I described sounded more like back labor contractions…
Fortunately, my braxton hicks stopped…unfortunately, to be replaced with real contractions. Nothing too painful, but definately real ones.
I was pretty convinced that we were going to be having our girls this weekend.
Brenda gave me some suggestions to help stop labor, but said that it was unlikely that it would work.
Crap.
Well, somehow, someway, it all stopped. My back quit cramping, my contractions went away.
Until suddenly, an hour later, I was laying on the couch watching a movie, when I suddenly found myself completely out of breath, my heart was pounding and I felt like it was 110 degrees…I really felt like I had just taken a jog… I took my blood pressure and it was through. the. roof.
Out of the blue.
Brenda’s last suggestion was to take a 1/2 hour bath in epsom salts. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate…which is what they give you in the hospital via IV to lower blood pressure. I had to hope that I absorbed enough mag through my skin to lower my blood pressure…if that didn’t work, I was going to have to go to the hospital and likely have my babies that night.
Andy took a shower and started putting a bag together for himself. We were pretty sure that this was it.
After my bath…my blood pressure was per.fect. And stayed that way.
I still half expected my water to break or for my contractions to start back up again all night. But it never did. It all stayed away.
For now, I am basically on bedrest for a few days (can’t be on my feet longer than 5-10 minutes)…see if we can figure out what the heck was going on and if maybe it was just a false alarm.
I haven’t contracted anymore today and my blood pressure has been fine…but I certainly feel major tightening whenever I stand up for more than 2 minutes…
Hopefully I can keep these girls baking for just a couple more weeks…if they were to be born now, they would ultimately be fine, but we wouldn’t be able to bring them home with us…they would need about 2 weeks of NICU…so sad.
Anyway, that’s an update. Let’s hope we can keep baking!!!
Latest posts by jeannett (see all)
- Dirt in a Jar, Laundry Scientists, and Clean Water - October 20, 2015
- Because Cake. - October 11, 2015
- How to design a luxury bathroom for less - August 12, 2015
wow! i will pray. keep those girls cookin'!
Wow.. that's a heck of a lot going on. I hope you can rest and stay prego for another month:-)
Goodness. Little ones, we want to meet you and hear your names very badly, but you must stay in!
Thanks for filling us in – glad things subsided, but we'll continue to keep you in our prayers regardless.
Jeannett Gibson! Can I bring you dinner on Monday?
I am thinking of you. I came across your blog recently. My twins have been in the NICU for almost 4 weeks now! They were born at 30w but have been doing fantastic! I was only a few days behind you in gestation… hang in there!