Visit to Emanuel

So yesterday I was greeted with more than my usual braxton contractions in the morning. I was folding some laundry before I went to work when I started to feel the sort of low-level cramps I usually get about a week before my period starts. What I call my "early warning system" of things to come. They don't hurt very bad, they just make themselves known. So I continued with getting ready for work, and taking care of Token, until I collapsed on the bed with him for a few minutes, just wishing I could stay with him and rest all day because my whole being just didn't feel good.

I made my drive to work, at this point in more pain, feeling worse. I made it through one blood draw and watched a bleeding time (blood clotting test) when Colleen noted that I didn't look good and I sort of described how I felt. At this point I felt like I had cramps at the level of your first and second day of your period along with braxton hicks. The ladies who have had children widened their eyes a little bit, and it made me start to feel nervous. I was actually have a rising in the pain I was experiencing, even if it wasn't unbearable, but I was not feeling well. Colleen convinced me to call the nurses and tell them what I was experiencing. After talking to two different nurses and describing (do you have any bleeding, no; any increase in mucus, not really) they did ask me to go over to Emanuel Hospital's Labor and Delivery to be checked out.

I left work (after only being there an hour) and called Matt on the way to the car to tell him what was going on. He knew that I hadn't been feeling well that morning, but didn't know that I was feeling worse.

After putting me in a labor and delivery room (the nice big ones), Tyler and I got hooked up to monitors. One for his heartbeat, which was good and strong! And one to me for contractions, which were real enough to be tracked. They took a urine sample, did a cervical exam and a FFN (Fetal Fibronectin) test. And waited for test results. I got lots of water, which I promise I had been drinking a lot already for how far we were into the day! and the midwife found me some lunch. It just so happened to be the last midwife that Matt and I met, when I was crying over my 10lb month. She was very nice, very reassuring, and explained what they would look for. The nurse that helped take care of me was also very nice. After about 3.5 hours, Tyler still looked good, I felt better resting and laying down, if still not good. One of the possible causes could have been infection, which was ruled out. My cervix is still closed and the FFN test came back negative. The way she described the FFN is that a no means there is a very good chance that you will NOT go into labor within the next two weeks. A positive really just leads to more questions, and does not mean you will or won't necessarily go into labor soon.

All in all, Matt and I spent many hours in the hospital, but I decided not to feel to silly for thinking something might be happening since they were the ones who asked me to come to hospital, and they saw fit to monitor me for so long...I asked her if I will keep feeling this way, seems like the chances are good that I just might get to feel this yucky until it is really time to have a baby. So I asked how am I supposed to know the difference now that I've had two kinds of contraction, crampy things going on?
Simple answer.
They'll hurt about 10 times as bad.