Holidays and Braxton Hicks

I optimistically thought I would still find time to post while traveling for the holidays but I was very very wrong. Now that I’m back home, I can reflect on the last week. The biggest thing that happened would be the start of Braxton Hicks contractions which started on Christmas morning and scared the crap outta me. I had read that BH contractions were painless and these most certainly were NOT. It didn’t help that I normally have breakfast but on Christmas morning we decided to open presents first and though I usually eat breakfast by about 8:00 or 8:30, it was about 11:00 that I felt my blood sugar dropping. Previous experience has me prepared for how emotional and kooky I get until my sugar gets back to normal. Pete got me some juice and some banana bread both of which helped but by the time my sugar was regulated, my BH contractions were still there. The combination of the low blood sugar, wonky emotions, contraction pain and being scared had me just sitting there crying not knowing what the hell was going on. Thankfully, we consulted the internet and read that the BH contractions are normal. I had no other side effects indicating early labor and I wasn’t getting more than 4 an hour. So I went to noon mass with my mom and once I got the 4th contraction at church I told her we had to leave which timing-wise worked out well because she was able to take Communion before we had to go. Back at the house, I put my feet up and relaxed a lot. Later we went to my brother’s for dinner and I stayed off my feet as much as possible. I didn’t have any more the rest of the day. What I was feeling was definitely contraction-like. It was low beneath my belly and lasted between 20 – 45 seconds each. The next day we were flying back home and the flight was supposed to leave at 2:30 but it was delayed because of weather, air traffic control, stupid people, etc. We boarded at about 4:00 but didn’t actually take off until about 5:30. What a headache. I tried to stretch my legs as much as possible and walk around but it wasn’t fun. I was uncomfortable and cramping. I had a few more BH after we landed when we were walking to get the luggage. It felt so good to be home and I stayed off my feet the reminder of the day. I’m glad we flew back on Sunday so we didn’t have to go back to work right away. We spent the day relaxing and enjoying being home. I had the great idea of taking the dog for a walk so he could enjoy all of the new snow. I wanted to walk him to the park so we could let him run around in the tennis court. It would have been a great idea if the cramping didn’t start on the way there. It wasn’t quite the same as the BH but it was painful and uncomfortable and a little scary. Luckily I had a doctor’s appointment already scheduled for Monday so I tried to stay off my feet once we got home. It seemed to get worse when I was walking or laying down. So I lay on the couch – but propped up and with my feet up. It felt weird to be couch-bound and ask Pete to get me things. He was so sweet and he made me dinner and brought me water and whatever else I needed.

I had my doctor’s appointment today and after an internal exam, she assured me that everything is ok. It is definitely BH and not pre-term labor. Cervix is closed and baby’s head is down (which doesn’t guarantee he won’t move later on). I was told to stay off my feet as much as possible until the pains get better. Since they seem to be triggered by walking too much, she says to limit my walking. (Sorry, Samson, no long walks for you from me for awhile.) Basically, it’s common sense and if I’m doing something that triggers the BH, stop doing it. But she definitely wants me to call if I get more than 4 BH in an hour. Pretty basic. While at the doctor’s I also had the glucose screening test to check my sugar and the risk of gestational diabetes. I’m feeling pretty optimistic that everything’s fine and I tried to not over-indulge in Christmas cookies which would adversely affect my blood sugar. My mom gave me cookies to take home and they came in very handy at the airport on Saturday. I’ll have the glucose results in a few days. Blood pressure was fine and weight was great! I only gained 3 pounds since the last visit which is exceptional given all of the holiday eating I had done. Yay me! They recommend gaining a pound a week from now until I deliver, so I actually had a pound to spare. I’m eating Junior Mints right now to reward myself. So overall the appointment went well. I met another doctor in the practice and I was not crazy about her. I love the other doctors and nurses so far and this was the first one I was “meh” about. She wasn’t bad, she just seemed to be rushing me along and none of the others have been like that. She answered all of my questions and explained things to me but if I had to pick who would deliver my baby out of those I’d already met, she would not be my top choice.

So, overall my Christmas was great. I enjoyed seeing my family and even got to hang out with an old college friend for dinner one night. Pete and I took my nieces and nephews to lunch and a movie and it was a very relaxing and enjoyable trip. But I am glad to be home. It will probably be the last time we go to Virginia ON Christmas because I will want Banjo to wake up at home on Christmas mornings. We’ll still make the trip in the future, but probably the week after Christmas when possible. It’s very important for Banjo to know his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. My parents will be able to visit us some but it won’t be as easy for him to see the rest of the family so we’ll have to work at it. I hope as he gets older, we can take advantage of the technology and use webcams to say hello every now and then.

Banjo got some of his first Christmas presents. He got an outfit from my brother, John and his family (I have a feeling John’s not the one who picked it out…more likely it was his wife, Eileen or my nieces), also a HUGE stuffed monkey from his cousin, Jenny. Grandma and Grandpa got him a little outfit as well. My 2nd cousin also gave us a present – a blue suede baby boy scrapbook. Banjo came in handy for being the gift giver as well. Pete and I had a limit on how much we’d spend on each other for Christmas and he was able to bypass that rule by making one of the presents from Banjo, not Pete (thus staying closer to the dollar limit). I could get mad at his trickery but he bought me the Roomba (for floor and carpet) and I wanted this so so badly that I can’t complain at all. Thanks, Banjo! Hope you didn’t have to dip into your college fund to get it! The other great present is that Pete actually ventured into a scrapbook store and bought some scrapbook stuff for Banjo’s scrapbook. I’m trying to get ahead of the game and organize my scrapbook stuff as much as possible – that includes completing the books that are on my to-do list so once Banjo’s born, I can concentrate on his book alone! I'm looking forward to another long weekend since I don't have to work on Thursday or Friday so assuming the BH have stopped, I want to clean out and organize my scrapbook room.