When It Rains It Pours

It seems like things just keep piling up.  If it's not one thing, it's another.  So we had the lovely flood in our basement.  A pain, but nothing that can't be fixed.  Then add the minor, but semi-annoying health problems some of my children have.  Hoping some of those will go away soon... the health problems, not the children.  Then baby boy decides he wants to start trying to join all the craziness at 32 weeks and I end up on bed rest.  Ugh!

I felt fine (fine enough that is) then woke up last Saturday (March 3rd) feeling different.  I couldn't pin point it at first, but all day was having more contractions than I normally do (which is quite a few on a regular day).  I took it easy all day.  I felt guilty.  Saturdays always have long lists of to do's not counting the extra basement construction.  By evening I decided I was okay to go out to dinner with Nate.  All I was going to do was sit and eat.  How bad could it be?  By the time we got home I was still having contractions and decided to have Nate take me to the hospital.  When I got there and told them things just felt different today and something was "off" they kind of just looked at me like I was a crazy first time mom.  Then Nate spoke up and said this was my 6th baby and every one's attitude changed.  Kinda funny.  So they hook me up to the monitors and the contractions are 4-6 minutes apart.  They check me and I'm 1 cm dilated and 60% effaced, but that could mean nothing or something they say.  Hmmm.... I'm thinking it might mean something.  I had concluded before I went to the hospital that the little mister had "dropped".  My ribs that have been killing me were no longer bothering me and I could tell my heartburn was minimal compared to just the day before.  But now have so much more pressure down low and my hips kill, kill, kill.  It's the only explanation.  And I'm convinced it's why I'm having so many more contractions.  Anyway, I end up getting 3 shots of Terbutaline to stop the contractions.  The 3rd one did the trick, but can I just say OUCH!  That stuff stings like crazy.  We were able to go home after 3 hours of hanging out in triage, but I was put on bed rest until I could meet with my doctor on Tuesday.  So I was a good little patient and stayed in bed for a few days.

Then to add to this long story, Nate's mom has a random seizure last Sunday and my mom has hurt her back.  Oh my goodness.  What is going on??  I made Nate take work off this week (meaning no traveling, but he still had plenty to do in-town) so we could figure things out.  With both our moms not being able to be our backups we were scrambling a bit.  Now, I don't want to sound like all I care about is myself because I really don't.  I am worried about them and don't find my problems any worse than theirs.  My problems are manageable without them... they are usually just the most convenient ones to have help so it put a kink in our options.

My doctor on Tuesday said I just need to take it easy.  I need to stay down more than up.  If something starts giving me contractions, stop!  No vacuuming, no heavy lifting, and Nate's favorite... pelvic rest.  Ha, ha!  Sorry, I just had to put that out there.  When Nate learns a new term like that he runs with it.  We've had a fun time joking about it. TMI?  Sorry.  Any who, I feel like a lump on a log, but the more I do the more contractions I get so I'm trying to take it easy even though I so don't want to.  Nate this week has been a fabulous dad/mom/nurse/contractor/maid/chauffeur/chef.  The list could go on.  I have seen him less in this past week than I do when he travels!  It's been busy to say the least and I feel guilty because I'm mostly sitting around.  I go from one end of the spectrum to the other... this baby will definitely come early to nope, he's going to go full term then back again.  I know I'm not the first and not the last to deal with preterm labor and this is minor compared to something happening at 24 weeks or whatever.  I know, I am aware that it could be worse and has been worse for others.  I'm not complaining.  It's just what's going on in our lives right now.  I would rather be decorating the nursery (which is still Nate's makeshift office at the moment) or enjoying the beautiful weather we are having.  Oh well.  I'm trying to enjoy this moment in time even though it's not ideal or anything that I'd choose to be doing right now.  And thank you to all my wonderful family, neighbors and friends who have offered their help, their food and their homes to my kids.  It is appreciated more than you know.