29 Weeks, the LONGEST week EVER

This post is very long.  I am doing the quick answer to the questions before the long story.  Below those, you will find the story of the longest week of my life... 

How far along? 29 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? +26

Maternity Clothes? yes

Stretch Marks? no

Sleep: Good.  I just have to remember to push the fluids earlier in the day or I am up all.night.long.  Also, hospital beds suck (see the long story below)

Best Moment this Week: Nolan having a strong heartbeat through everything we went through.

Maternity photos.  EllieFay Photography & Design did AMAZING!  We have 10 preview photos and I love them all!  I cant wait to see all of them!

Miss Anything? Not worrying about every single thing that happens.

Movement: He never stops. I don't get a lot of actual kicks so it doesn't hurt, but he does move a lot.  I almost get sea sick he moves so much.  I love it.  I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Food Craving? no

Anything making you queasy or sick? no

Bellybutton in our out? out

Wedding Rings on or off? on

Happy or Moody most of the time?  I was very moody this week.  Understandably so, see below.

Looking forward to? Relaxing on my modified rest.  I am officially on summer vacation and I am supposed to rest so that is what I am going to do.  My baby shower is next weekend so I plan on resting up so that I can make it to that!

Labor Signs? Yes, unfortunately.  Read below for the long drawn out story of my crazy week.

Anything Else? 

     Tuesday was graduation day.  I had prepped for graduation for 3 weeks.  I love graduation.  I love hearing them sing, I love showing them off to their own parents, I love thanking the parents for a great year, and I love the closure it brings to the school year.  
     Tuesday was also my doctor's appointment-a normal 15 minute doctor's appointment.  So Alex picked me up from school and I grabbed my cell phone and my water bottle and left.  At the appointment it started normal.  They weighed me, took blood pressure, and then asked if anything new has been happening.  I mentioned that I had been having what I thought was braxton hicks and wasn't sure if that was normal or not (or if I was even right).  The nurse said she would tell doctor.  Doctor came in with a monitor to look to see if anything was registering.  They hooked me up to the machine and it revealed I was not only having contractions, I was having them every 3-5 minutes.  He checked my cervix and there was NO dialation.  They did a fetal fibromectin test.  This is apparently a protein that is released withing 2 weeks of labor.  They also did a Strep B test in case I went into labor.  They then decided I was going to have to go to Theda Care Hospital in Neenah (half an hour away) because they have a NICU and the hospital my clinic is located in did not.  They wanted me by a NICU if worse came to worse.  
      I broke down and cried and cried.  I was going to miss graduation.  I was devastated.  The nurse came in to take me to get my blood work done (before my Rhogamm shot because I am O- to make sure I wasn't exposed to any antibodies).  They saw how upset I was and had the lab tech come to me rather than me go there and not have to walk through the waiting room crying.  They then gave me my Rhogamm and then sent us on our way to the hospital.  I still couldn't get over that I was going to miss graduation.  I had been feeling the exact same way for weeks now (pretty sure 2-3 weeks), and I just knew things were fine.  I hated that I was missing graduation for a precaution.
      We arrived at the hospital and I was relatively calm.  I went to check in and they checked me in immediately because my doctor had called ahead.  Apparently, when I started crying again, they reassured me that they knew I was missing graduation but all would be ok.  When they called ahead to tell the doctor I was coming they also shared I was crying about graduation.  Poor Donna, my aide had an hour's notice she was running the whole thing!  
    When the kind lady brought me to my room, she handed me a gown to change into.  That's when it hit me, I am in the hospital because something is wrong.  As I am dressing in my gown, I am crying, "I just want to go home"  I repeated it over and over.  Alex just sat there and held me while I cried.  He tucked me in bed, promised he was not going ANYWHERE, and pulled the recliner in the room as close as it could go.  
     They hooked me up to the machines to monitor my contractions and Nolan's heartbeat.  They also came in to do an ultra-sound to check cervical length and make sure it wasn't coning (closed when he checked but opening where babies head was).  Doctor came from our clinic to check on me and my tests.  Fetal Fibromectin came back negative (good news), cervix was closed inside and outside (good news), and contractions were slowing while laying in bed.  He found some bacteria in my urine (bad news).  I was prescribed medication-Procardia- to control the contractions, an antibiotic for the possible UTI, and he said was was staying overnight to continue monitoring.  I just heard all the good news of tests being good and getting meds, why did I have to stay!?!  

     By the time I had truly missed graduation, I was rather calm, but I just wanted to go home.  They continued to monitor through the night, Alex was a champ and NEVER left my side.  Mark and Katy (Alex's parents) came and took our dogs for the night.  In the morning, everything checked out so they ok'd me to go home.  I was still to be off of work Thursday (because it was a fully day of school with students all day).  I could go back Friday because it was a half day. 
     Nolan was a champ through it all.  He was very active, playing with the monitors and kicking them, kicking me like crazy and doing some crazy barrel roll.  His heart rate never dipped, he never showed a sign of weakness.  Nolan is doing so wonderful I am so proud of him already! 
   
     I forgot my first dose of meds on my own because I went to sleep at 9pm and I needed them at 10.  I then had contractions in the morning, so I had to lay low.  I rested all morning and set alarms to take my meds.  It is really helping to just take the meds when the alarm goes off. 
     Thursday morning, I was going to go into school for an hour, sit in a chair, and say goodbye to my 4k students.  Well, I was all ready to go, to show up at 10am like I told my aide, Donna, I would.  I was about 2 miles from home when a woman who was in the left turn only lane decided she needed to be in the left straight lane--my lane.  I was slowing to the yellow light and she was already stopped when she decided to switch lanes...so we were NOT  going fast by any means...but contact was made.  We made it into the bank parking lot, I called Alex then the Police.  I then had to make the dreaded call to work: "I am on my way, I am perfectly fine, I just had a minor, minor, minor car accident."  I didn't want them to worry I was late because I had more contraction problems so I had to tell them what was going on.  After exchanging information on the police report, we are ok to go.  I got in the car and continued to go to work.  I decided I had to call my mom and tell her what happened because the 2 miles from home I was was on the road to her work and only 2 blocks from her work.  I didn't want someone to say something along the lines of they saw me with the cops, etc when they came into the store before I could tell her.  I look at the clock. Great, 15 minutes to say good bye to my students I spent an entire year with!  I got there, I was able to sit, hug, and promise to send them a picture when baby comes IN AUGUST.  

Thursday had a happy ending. EllieFay Photography & Design took our pictures and they turned out so nice!!  Check Ellie out on Facebook, follow her page!