Journey to Mommyhood Part 4

At my 28 week appointment I once again mentioned the contractions (which I thought were Braxton Hicks). The doctor decided to check my cervix. She said it was soft but long and closed. Since my uterus was measuring a little smaller than it should she sent me for an ultrasound to check my fluid levels. This ultrasound showed that the baby was really low (the tech had a lot of difficulty getting a head measurement because he was so low but finally did). My fluid levels appeared fine and my cervix was long and closed.

I think I mentioned the contractions again at my 32 week appointment only to be told that the ultrasound had showed that my cervix was long and closed. She never checked me at this appointment. (By the way, the fact that my cervix was soft at 28 weeks probably should have been considered abnormal as this normally does not happen until much closer to labor). So…I kept doing my normal daily stuff (with lots of breaks to sit or lie down). On March 5-6 we had our childbirth class. When we got ready to go to the class on Saturday morning, March 6, I noticed that I had some mucus with just a little blood when I went to the bathroom. Since a woman can lose some of her mucus plug a week or more before labor I tried not to think too much about it. However, during the childbirth class I kept having pretty regular contractions. When we left the class around 5 or so I called the OB on call who told me to come to the hospital immediately. (He sounded kind of panicked when I talked to him…especially since I was only 33 ½ weeks at this point). When they put me on the monitor at the hospital I was contracting every 3-5 minutes (feeling them all in my lower back). My doctor had the nurses give me a shot of terbutaline (which worked for about 5 minutes). When he checked my cervix he said I was 3 cm dilated and 80-90% effaced. (Basically my cervix was thinning and opening in preparation for birth). I was admitted and started on Magnesium sulfate via IV to try to stop my labor. I ended up on that for 2 ½ days and then switching to terbutaline pills every 4 hours. All total I spent 5 days in the hospital. I was sent home on the terbutaline and on bedrest. My due date was April 22, 2010.

Have any of you been hospitalized during your pregnancy? How about on bedrest? How did you handle this?