36 weeks: My Last Week of Pregnancy

I'm having my c-section next week! I can't wait! I'm so ready to be done being pregnant. I'm huge, hopped up on meds, and I'm tired of being in the hospital already. I guess it's time to start making my blog nice and pretty because from here on out there's going to be a lot of updating to do. Until next week it's just a waiting game though. And I don't have my camera USB cable with me here at the hospital although I have been taking pictures. So this is a picture from my phone and for now it's going to have to do until my husband can bring the USB from home.

Well, I guess I'll just go over the whole story of how I landed myself here! The details are a little blurry because this medication is disorienting and I've been on it for a week so things have tended to slip out of my mind. I have a hard time forming coherant sentences and I'm pretty sure it's going to show in my blogging, but oh well. I'll try to make it understandable!

So two Saturdays ago I woke up in the middle of the night with back pain that lasted for about two hours and I couldn't sleep. But then it went away so I just went back to bed. It happened again the next night and although I initially wondered whether it was back labor or contractions, I noticed it was right on my kidney and whenever I touched my kidney it was tender. Monday I had a dr's appointment and I mentioned it to my doctor and he said just to keep an eye on it because sometimes the kidneys can become blocked in pregnancy. Also, at the doctor Monday we found out that the baby's head is about 50 cm. If you want to know how big that is, measure your own head, you may be surprised! It's huge. Anyway, Tuesday morning the pain in my back came again and became painful enough that I was having to breath through it and so I called my doctor and they told me to come to the hospital to get it checked out. I thought that was a little excessive since I could still talk through the pain.. I didn't think it was THAT bad, but I came nevertheless. When they hooked me up to the monitor they could see that I was indeed having contractions and they started coming closer and closer. My doctor said, " Well, I can tell you now you're not going home tonight" and they put me in a room. As soon as he left my contractions started coming like 3 minutes apart, it was crazy. Apparently they were pretty strong too but to me it just felt like some pain in my kidney and honestly not even as bad as periods I've had before. Just goes to show how stupid I am, I didn't even know I was in labor! You always hear people say, oh you'll know, but I did not know at all. And I don't think I would've known unless I had been here.

So they started an IV and got me on magnesium sulfate to stop the contractions which is a muscle relaxer and pretty potent stuff. It makes you feel like you have the flu as well and you can't focus on things. I managed to read a book, but it was difficult and not very enjoyable because I just felt like I couldn't care about it or get into it. It kinda makes you feel ho hum about things... it's weird. They tried to wean me onto a pill instead so I could go home for a little while, but that didn't go over well. As soon as they dropped the medication levels my contractions and pain came back. So here I've been since Tuesday... Thankfully they've dropped my medication levels twice just so I can be a bit more comfortable. It starts feeling like you're trapped in your own body and furthermore I'm trapped in this room and not allowed to even get wheeled around the halls. I really feel for people who have to spend their lives in the hospital! Especially people who don't have family or other support. Kenny has been sleeping in a chair next to me most nights. I feel so bad for him. He's trying to keep going to school and he's doing great even though all of this is going on on the sidelines. I know it's not easy but he's really supportive and I look forward to when he comes to see me during the day.

Jake is getting so huge, he just hurts. I told the doctor "it feels like I'm having twins, seriously" and he said "well, in a way you are because your baby's head is just so big". I LOOK like I'm having twins and I know I'm way bigger than I normally would be. I'm all swollen from the medication, which is super attractive also, haha.

So the doctor says I'm in here for another week and my c section will be next Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday: he's trying to get it scheduled. He said for sure I'm getting the vertical (or classical) c-section cut in the skin, but depending on how things look he may be able to go horizontal on my uterus, which would be awesome! Hopefully that would work but no guarantees. I know it's going to be hard to get the baby out as it is. The doctor said he's going to have forceps and a vacuum ready because he'll probably need one or both of them.

Well, that's about all. Meanwhile I'm just waiting. I can't wait to get this baby out of me even though I know the c-section is going to be difficult because he's so huge. I just can't wait to get on the road to recovery and get back to a somewhat normal life. And hopefully Jake's surgery (or surgeries) will go smooth as well. It's just hard to sit here and think and speculate~ let's get going! :)

well I think that's about all. thanks everyone for your thoughts and prayers, we love you and we think of all of you too.