{duckies & updates}

We walked to the park down the street to feed the ducks on Sunday afternoon. This took some convincing for Devin because he was bitten by a brown recluse spider on Saturday morning and his foot was swollen to about 8 times its normal size (no joke, it jiggled when he walked - photos below don't do what it really looked like at first any justice). He decided that he could manage the hobble there and back with us, after all, and off we went.

After we returned from the park I started having really sharp pains in my back and abdomen that were consistent with my growing-in-frequency contractions. We didn't hesitate long on the decision to go to the hospital just in case they could do anything about it. When we arrived there, they admitted me without any monitoring and started timing the contractions. When I first arrived my contractions were 6-7 minutes apart and I was still only dilated to a 4 and 70% effaced (good news). The next two hours the contractions came every 4-5 minutes with growing back pain. I was 80% effaced and 4.5 cm dilated at my next cervix check (not so good). They offered a terbutaline shot to stop labor, once again, but couldn't give it to me because my heart rate was already too high to tolerate it. So they pumped Stadol and Phenigren into my IV instead hoping that they would act as a relaxant to my uterus. Well, I was relaxed, that's for sure. (I couldn't even utter two words without slurring and nearly drooling. Haha.) My contractions intensified over the next couple hours but when a cervix check was done again at midnight, no change since the last. So, I asked if we could go home because I was SO uncomfortable. They said no. Then I begged if we could go home. They still said no.

By 2am the contractions were every 3 minutes and by 4am they were every 2 minutes but my cervix and effacement stayed the same. At this point they confirmed that I was definitely in labor and gave me three bags of Penicillin to counteract Group B Strep just in case (I already know I'm negative, but whatever) and gave more Stadol and Phenigren for the pain. The doctor finally said if there was still no change by 8am that I could go home but when the time came they said never mind and that I couldn't leave until noon. Urg! We just kept saying the WHOLE TIME "we don't want to have her yet" and "If you are sure I am not progressing, I would rather cope with this pain at home in my own comfy bed" but they wouldn't allow it. Once they finally did released me, they didn't give ANYTHING for the pain which, truthfully, I think was an accident and an oversight, but still ridiculous. Oh, and my discharge instructions from the hospital were: STRICT BED REST! (I scoffed that off pretty quickly because I knew that they assumed we hadn't tried that yet and my Doc said "no way, don't bother" about it today when I asked him. I agree with him.)

The contractions finally died down to bearable again by late yesterday afternoon and are not painful at all today. Sorry to everyone calling yesterday. The phone was ringing off the hook and I was ignoring it because it was too difficult to maintain conversation through the contractions. I am okay and our sweet girl is hanging in there. We are 36 weeks tomorrow and, with a little luck, we will make it to our goal of 37 weeks next week. My Doc said that if I do happen to dilate even a little more (to a 5 or more) it will probably throw me into labor but since I am past the safe-zone tomorrow (36 weeks) that I don't have to limit myself in any way. So, RELAY FOR LIFE, here I come this Friday. I may only do a lap or two, but I'll be there unless I really am in labor. Thanks for all the phone calls and concern everyone. We're fine, happier, and MUCH more comfortable today. Oh, and Devin went to the Doc and got some antibiotics for his foot, so the swelling has gone WAY down.

{normal foot}

{the cankle}