Bad blogger

I have been such a bad blogger! I apologize. Life has been a little hectic lately, and I can't believe I'm so close to the end of the second trimester. I'm 24w5d today, so about 2 weeks from entering the third tri. Time to start nesting!

I've had a rough few weeks and I'm ready for a break. It started about a week before our "babymoon". The friends we were supposed to go to London with found out they couldn't go because of work scheduling issues. Two days before we left, I got a flat tire after running over a HUGE screw. I fried my flat iron in London because my converter wasn't working. (Bad hair makes for a very unhappy pregnant chick!) When we got back, we found out DH's car had been towed from his dad's condo and it cost $650 to get it back because it had been there for over a week. That same night, I went to pick the dog up from boarding and when I got back to my car it wouldn't start - my battery was dead! The next day I came down with a sinus infection, which is just now going away after almost 2 weeks. I had a bit of a scare about a week ago where I was having menstrual-type cramps. I ended up going to L&D to get checked and everything was fine - no contractions, probably just GI upset. And finally, I got my first ever speeding ticket a few nights ago. I once heard that pregnant women are supposed to be good luck. Not so much!

But enough of that. Let's discuss my L&D experience for a second. I was at work when my tummy started to feel upset. At first, I figured it was just something I ate, but then the menstrual-type cramps started. It was a dull, achy kind of pain. I started to do some research online and everything I read pointed to getting checked out.

Here's what I found on the March of Dimes website regarding preterm labor:

Warning Signs
Here are the warning signs:

• Contractions (your abdomen tightens like a fist) every 10 minutes or more often
• Change in vaginal discharge (leaking fluid or bleeding from your vagina)
• Pelvic pressure—the feeling that your baby is pushing down
• Low, dull backache
• Cramps that feel like your period
• Abdominal cramps with or without diarrhea

What Should I Do If I Think I'm Having Preterm Labor?
Call your health care provider (nurse, doctor or midwife) or go to the hospital right away if you think you're having preterm labor, or if you have any of the warning signs. Call even if you have only one sign.
Your health care provider may tell you to:

• Come into the office or go to the hospital for a checkup.
• Stop what you're doing. Rest on your left side for one hour.
• Drink 2-3 glasses of water or juice (not coffee or soda).

If the symptoms get worse or do not go away after one hour, call your provider again or go to the hospital. If the symptoms get better, relax for the rest of the day.

After work, I went home and showered, then I laid down for a little while. The cramps didn't let up. Since it was Saturday and my doctor's office was closed, I decided it was better to be safe than sorry and I went to the hospital to make sure everything was okay. I felt a little unsure about going, but I'm glad I did. They put me on a monitor to check the baby's heart rate (which was fine), and another to check for contractions. I was there for a couple hours and was relieved to find out that I wasn't contracting. The nurses and my doctor (who happened to be on call that day) assured me that I did the right thing by coming in. So if any of you experience any symptoms, don't be afraid to go to the hospital (or your doctor's office if they're open), to make sure that you're not in preterm labor.