Praises

I have pondered whether or not to tell you all about this because I don't want to scare you, but I think praises are in order and I want to thank God for it.

Apparently hiking may not have been a good idea since it was combined with a weekend in higher altitude and more walking! By Saturday night, I was feeling more frequent tightening and even some pressure in my lower abdomen. I was a little concerned, but I thought I would just take it easy for the rest of the weekend and things would be fine. Well, Sunday came around, and even though I walked really slow everywhere I went, I started getting the same sensations after walking any distance. Even on Monday after returning to my normal activity level at work (sitting at a computer with occasional office walking or copy machine standing), I experienced the same symptoms.

So I called my Dr. and was advised to go to the OB Triage at the hospital right away. I called Kevin and he met me there. We tried not to be too alarmed or worried, but we were a bit on edge. I was especially concerned that I may have put Baby Boy at risk.

Once in our own room, the nurse hooked me up to some machines to monitor my heartbeat and the baby's heart beat, as well as my contractions... yes, I said contractions. Apparently my uterus had crossed into a state of "irritability" and if left untreated I could have progressed into premature labor! I had to get a shot of something to make my uterus calm down and stop overreacting. The nurse said it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what might have caused this, but it could have been a combination of all the walking and needing more water. I was let go with strict instructions to drink more water (a gallon per day!!!) and to be aware of my limits. And if this happens again, I know where to go!

Here is where the praises flow.... After all was said and done, Baby Boy was found to be just fine and unaffected by the contractions. We got to listen to his sweet heartbeat for three hours, which was like music to our ears. We love hearing him! And he was so active while we were there, he kept kicking the doppler strapped to my tummy and making it bark with each pass. My tummy was moving all around, and it provided entertainment for Kevin and I, as well as Wendy our nurse! :)

I praise the Lord for keeping Baby Boy safe and for teaching me my new limits without putting Baby Boy at risk. It's difficult to know my limits when they keep changing! But now I've learned my lesson and will be more careful from here on out!