False Alarm!

So Kieryn and I spent two hours in Labor & Delivery last night, but all seems okay. I was having some bad aches/cramps before I went to bed, but that is not unusual. Around 12:30, however, the pain was so intense that it woke me up, and it was coming in waves (like contractions). To make sure I wasn't overreacting, I asked Kieryn to put his hand on my belly, and he was able to feel it go from relaxed to rock hard when the pain started--again, classic contraction. And since they were coming pretty regularly and frequently, and since my doctor has always said more than four contractions per hour warrants a visit--and given my history--we both decided a little trip to the hospital was in order, just to be safe.

Now, it is common to have episodes of "practice" contractions in the third trimester in a healthy pregnancy, so we were well aware that it might very well be false labor. We were not panicked or scared, just trying to play it safe. I felt in my heart that Miran wasn't trying to make his grand entrance just yet, and that even if it was labor, it would stop or be stopped in time. Despite all the anxiety I have been feeling, last night I truly felt calm and okay.

The pain was already getting less intense by the time we got to the hospital and gradually subsided during our stay. This made me feel silly for going in, but the doctor said we had absolutely done the right thing and that we should come in again if it happens again, as a precaution. She said they'd always rather have you come in for a false alarm then possibly risk not coming in if true labor has begun. She also did a fetal fibronectin test which came back negative, meaning I have a 90+% chance of not going into labor within the next two weeks. It's not a guarantee, but it's good to know!

We were in and out of the hospital within two hours, which is pretty impressive. Within minutes of calling my doctor's emergency answer service to let them know I was on the way, the main on-call doctor called me back. She said yes, definitely go in, and she alerted the docs at the hospital that I was coming so when I got there, they were ready to see me. No long waits, no hassle. The nurse was kind, the resident doctor was warm and attentive, the room was clean and private, and overall it was about as good as you can expect for going to the hospital in the middle of the night. We left feeling really good about our hospital and knowing that we're in good hands whenever it's time to go back (hopefully not for another couple of months, though!). Also, getting there was a breeze--10 minutes in a cab either direction.

So this morning we're a little groggy but doing okay. :-) And we're 30 weeks in two days!