Fast forward to the beginning of February. The start of another busy school year, but one I only have 10 weeks to fly through before I go on leave in preparation for my second newborn adventure. I'm under prepared but cruising through the first week with few minor discomforts (yes, I should have done my pelvic floor exercises more regularly) and even manage to fit in an aquanatal class, the first formal exercise I've done since... I'm not sure.
Then comes Friday. I like Friday. A half day of work with a late start. I'm looking forward to spending some time with the Bright Spark that evening while his Dad enjoys a well earned Boy's Night. After a takeaway dinner at Nana's we're on our way home for a shower and bed. We curl up together with his current favourite "Wacky Wednesday" and I notice that my uterus is working a little too hard. A very distracted reading session drags out and after a few minutes of lights out I kiss him good night an promise to check on him in a few minutes.
By this point I'm starting to worry. I lay down to time the contractions. Still painless, but definite tightening of my little 20 week uterus. I time them and they are regular and too frequent. I put in a phone call to the husband.
"I'm having contractions. They're about 10 minutes apart. I think you should come home."
"OK. Are you going to call Healthdirect or something?"
"I'm going to call the hospital."
So now we're both scared and worried. Me at home with the Bright Spark and him now speeding through the southern suburbs on his hour long drive back from the boys night.
So I called the lovely little private maternity hospital our obstetrician delivers at and spoke to a midwife who said she'd contact our ob, but that we may have to go to big public maternity hospital. Hell no! We know our hospital well. The Bright Spark had come into the world there, I'd spent the better part of a month lounging around on the maternity ward on bed rest and getting the Bright Spark to establish breastfeeding. We know this place and the faces are familiar.
A call from the ob calms me a little but we decide that there is not margin for wait and see. Let's make them stop with a night in hospital and some drugs. So I put in the call to my mum to come and sit with the bright spark. She arrives minutes before the husband. I pack a bag and we make the 10 minute drive to hospital.
And now for a quick lesson in Human Physiology.
Muscles are made up of two microscopic fibres known as actin and myosin. For the muscle to contract the myosin fibres walk along the actin and calcium is required to facilitate this movement. The calcium gets into the muscle cells via channels called calcium channels. All muscles have this basic action, from the heart to the uterus.
So when I arrived at almost 10.30 pm I was given calcium channel blockers to stop the contractions. I'd been through this before with a threatened preterm labour with the bright spark. They make you feel pretty crappy with heart palpitations and dizziness. Combined with anxiety and tiredness I felt really crappy but I'd been told after three doses 30 minutes apart I'd get some lovely sleeping tablets and would sleep til dawn.
The problem with being on a maternity wing through is the babies. At 2 am I was woken by a very unhappy newborn screaming at the top of his lungs. This seemed to go on for hours and eventually the screaming disappeared into the background as I assume he was taken off the the nursery. Then the sky starts to brighten and the new day begins.
The contractions have reduced to niggles again. No rhythm, no regularity. Just annoying. I'm given the option of going home to take it easy and I'm out of there. Home to the Bright Spark who woke up to find mummy gone but scored another addition to his Duplo collection. Home to rest and take it easy in bed until our next appointment at 22 weeks.
Yesterday we reached 28 weeks. We've managed to keep the uterus relatively quiet with rest and light duties. I managed a total of 3 days in the classroom this year before going on extended sick leave. The washing basket seems to be always full, the garden is in desperate need of TLC but I'm taking it easy and saving my energy for the Bright Spark and husband. As we get further along I'm pushing it a little more. I've been behind the wheel of my car a few times after a 6 week break. I did two hours of tidying yesterday before our cleaner arrived. The husband has been a pillar of strength and domestic productivity. My friends and family have rallied. They've helped me spend time with the Bright Spark and come for long chats and many cups of tea to quell the bordom.
I'm looking forward to meeting this baby, just not yet. For now I want to feel his kicks and rolls inside me. We both need to be patient for a little while yet.
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