Bedrest - Intro

So I go for my scheduled check-up on Tuesday. Peggy and I talk about my pains (she doesn't suspect SPD, rather pulled ligaments & wants me to try physical therapy) and the continuing contractions. She writes me a prescription for a different med to try and stop them, then decides to send me over for a quick ultrasound to check my cervical length and make sure the contractions haven't been doing anything untoward. I schedule to come back in 2 weeks and head over to ultrasound, then presumably to go home.

So I see my buddy the ultrasound lady (hmm, I don't actually know her name, though I've been in there I think 5 times.) and all goes like normal, then she gets to actually looking at my cervix and stops chatting. She gets much more serious and then says I have some funneling of my cervix. I ask if that shouldn't be happening yet, and she says it's really not very good. She walks me back to the office, orders them to get me a play to lie down, then says I need to wait to talk to Peggy and make a "game plan".

So I lay there freaking out but trying hard not to for the next 45 minutes (Peggy is now quite backed up). I call PJ and he Googles "funneling of cervix", so we find out that no, this isn't good. It means the cervix is opening from the inside, and "baby can potentially fall right out". So I'm in labor, right? Awesome. And one of the nurses comes in and chats with me, then says we just want to get me to 34 weeks. Wow.

Peggy makes it in and I learn the news: my cervix was 3.5 cm long at my last ultrasound 3 weeks ago - it's now 2.5 cm. She isn't too concerned about the funneling, but wants to get the contractions much more under control so they stop working on my cervix. So she orders "modified bedrest" where I can get the kids to school, take care of Monster and myself, but try to be down as much as possible. However, if this all doesn't work, the next step is bedrest in the hospital, nothing in between.

So I drive myself home, get in the recliner and start making calls. I line up rides to school for the boys, because I figure even if she said I can take them, it might be nice if they can just hitch a ride with someone else. PJ has lots of questions for me which I just don't know the answers to, so I leave a message to have Peggy call him and address them. So around 7 pm, she calls him and it turns out, she's changed her orders - I am now on bedrest. I can be up to go the bathroom, get food for MaraJade and myself, but nothing else. She stresses the importance of me staying down, and that this is the last step before staying in the hospital. In the hospital, they can hook me up to IV drugs that completely stop the contractions. Yeah, 6-8 weeks there ought to be real cheap. Plus, with me completely out of the picture, the difficulties I'm trying to figure out now will be just impossible. PJ would have to stay home; I'd miss the holidays. Oh, and kids aren't allowed in L&D these days because of swine flu, so I wouldn't even be able to see the kids until this is over. So we absolutely don't want to end up there.

PJ is angry. I'm freaking out in twelve different directions. It's awesome.

Measurements:
Waist: 35"
Belly Button: 39"
3" Down: 39.50"
Hips: 41.5"
Weight: 157.6