34 Weeks and Counting!

We hit the 34 week mark on Friday!

According to babycenter.com, Reagan weighs about 4.75 pounds, is about 18 inches long, and is the size of a cantaloupe.

My cravings are pretty much gone, as well as any aversions I had had. Mostly I have been dealing with the constant trips to the bathroom, heartburn, swelling (I now need to wear my wedding rings on a necklace instead of on my fingers. I have been avoiding this as long as possible.) and being uncomfortable all the time. Scott likes to tease about my heavy breathing and sounds I make. I never realize I am doing it until someone points it out. 

It seems like Reagan is moving almost non-stop. I once heard a friend describe baby movements as being similar to a bumble ball inside your stomach. At the time I laughed about it, but right now I have to say it seems pretty accurate. If you don't remember what a bumble ball is - it is one of those old yellow shaking ball toys like this ...

Last week we had a little bit of a scare with some preterm labor. We were relaxing and taking a little nap on Sunday when my lower back started to hurt. It started out just feeling achy and I thought maybe I had fallen asleep in a bad position and was now paying for it. Slowly it was getting worse and worse. The pains were getting stronger to the point that it hurt to move and no matter what position I stood in, sat in, or laid in, nothing relieved it. After a little while I decided to take a bath and drink lots of water to try and help. Instead the pain in my back (which at this point was much worse than a typical back ache) had also moved into my abdomen. It was a constant pain and wasn't coming in waves, but I called the after hours doctor anyways. They told me to go into the hospital to be monitored. I was also feeling like I needed to go to the bathroom every couple minutes. Even for being pregnant this is a little much. After asking my parents to watch Chloe, Scott and I headed to Skyridge Hospital. By the time we got there the pain was so bad I couldn't lift up or move my right leg, and the pains in my back and abdomen (though still constant) would peak and get sharp, coming and going in waves every couple minutes. After being moved into Labor and Delivery and waiting for about 40 minutes, a nurse finally came in a hooked me up to a monitor. I couldn't see much of the monitor, but what I could see showed Reagan's heart rate. In between the waves of sharper pain, Reagan's heart rate would settle around 140. Then it would jump up to 180-190. After the pain ended, it would drop to almost 80 for a second before getting back up to 140. I don't know much, but I know that didn't seem good to me. The nurse then checked me and said I had dilated a little bit, but not enough to be concerned. After being monitored for a while, my doctor came in and asked how I was doing/feeling. He quickly ignored my concerns that I was having contractions, never once checked the monitor, and told me he thought it was an kidney infection instead. I was hooked up to an IV, given antibiotics and tylenol, had blood drawn, and gave a urine sample. The antibiotics weren't helping at all. Finally my doctor came back and told me everything came back normal and there was no sign indicating any kind of infection. When I mentioned again that I still thought I was having contractions, he said he seriously doubted it, but as a last result he could give me a shot which would stop the contractions almost immediately if I was having them, but if I wasn't (like he thought) it wouldn't do anything to help or make a difference at all. I was just thinking, "UMMMM YES PLEASE! GIVE ME THE SHOT!" They got it and the nurse gave me the shot. And guess what... within two minutes, my pain was almost completely gone. I felt so much better. The only side effect of the shot was that it made me really shaky, but I will take that over the pain any day. 

Scott ran into my doctor in the hallway and told him what happened. His response, "Oh, I guess she was having contractions." DUH!  ISN'T THAT EXACTLY WHAT I WAS SAYING THIS WHOLE TIME! All I could think is how mad I was that he didn't listen to me to begin with. I am no doctor, but I know what contractions feel like. I experienced it with Chloe. I was just so upset that it wasn't resolved as soon as it could have been.

They decided to keep me overnight to monitor me. The contractions never came back and Reagan looked good. Monday morning I was discharged. I was hoping that they would give me a prescription to stop or slow down the contractions if they came back. (I went through something similar with Chloe when I was also 33 weeks pregnant and they gave me this prescription to help.) Instead he gave me a prescription of antibiotics. WHAT? I though we ruled out any type of infection. There was nothing to show any sign of any kind of infection. I was just so anxious to get home though that I didn't argue. Monday I was a little sore, but I am pretty sure it was just as a result from the contractions. I have had Braxton Hicks on and off all week (though the ones in the hospital were definitely real) and have been feeling rushed to finish getting things ready in case Reagan decided to show up a little sooner than planned. I am just hoping she can wait it out at least 3 more weeks until I am full term. At that point I will be ready for her to make her debut whenever she likes. 

 For the record though, I have never really liked this doctor and plan on switching once Reagan is born. I just don't want to switch so late in the pregnancy, especially since I normally see his nurses anyways. Any other time I voiced any concern to him before I have always felt like he didn't take me seriously, or would jump to conclusions (most often that I had an infection when I didn't). Sorry for the rant, I just realized with this experience how extremely important it is to have a doctor who you like and feel comfortable with. 

I am getting anxious for Reagan to come! But here is to hoping we don't have anymore scares like this one.