Some excitement I didn't need

Yesterday on my way to work I felt what seemed like the little lady trying to escape. Or at least she was trying to thump me some kind of message. It felt weird. Not painful, just weird. I swear when I went to the bathroom I though she and I might have a little tug-o-war with the tp. I had meetings all morning, but at around noon I called my OB. I continued to feel the escape antics, but didn't really feel anything else throughout the day. I got a call back at 5:10. (Just long enough for me to well and truly freak out, of course.)

He said the feeling was pretty normal and was probably due to fetal position. But he added that if I felt any contractions, peed more often or noted any discharge overnight that I should come in today for a check up. I could only feel the contractions if I had my hand on my stomach, but they did seem to be happening. I also went to the bathroom a lot more than normal overnight, but I think a lot of that had to do with my general nerves. I couldn't fall into a good sleep, so every time I woke up I figured, why not pee?

ANYway...this morning I went in to my OB at 11. He did a fetal fibr0nectin test, manually checked my cervix (closed, but slightly soft) and then sent me down to L&D for some monitoring. I ended up being there for about 4 hours. I had quite a few contractions while on the monitor, but when my lovely nurse gave me a shot of hellfire...uh, I mean terbutaline, they stopped pretty immediately. Seriously, though, I never feel it when nurses say a shot is going to burn or sting, but this one? Felt like she administered it with a flamethrower! Incredibly quick and encouraging results, though, and the burning stopped pretty soon.

Thank god I had a book with me. I might have died of boredom otherwise. I also had a chance to sample the hospital fare and I have to give my Tuscan Chicken sammie an enthusiastic thumbs up! Of course I would have enjoyed gnawing on a piece of cardboard by the time they brought it to me.

Finally the nurse let me know that the fFN was negative, which is great news. She also gave me a presciption for more hellfire, but I assume that taking it in pill form doesn't result in the same burning. I hope so anyway! I'm to take it if I feel more than 6 contractions in an hour. The nurse said she'd take one if she felt 3 in 30 minutes. I like her assertiveness! If they don't go away over the weekend then my doc wants to take me out of work for the duration. He asked me to take it easy this weekend, but said I could go to our Newborn Care class on Sunday. I've loaded myself up with trashy magazines, so I'm ready to couch surf for the rest of the time.

I had a little talk with the babes last night explaining that it's just not time for them yet and urging them to hang on for a few more weeks anyway. I hope the teary breakdown I had while I was talking to them sufficiently demonstrated my lack of readiness and discouraged them from any further escape attempts.