Contractions, Emergency Hospital Runs and Mucous Plugs, Oh My!!!

For all of my loyal blogging friends, I thought I should give you an update on my pregnancy.  Tomorrow I will be 39 weeks pregnant.  Yes, folks, I am 10 months pregnant and looking every bit of it!  Well, the last few days have been a little dramatic.  First off, I have started going to the doctor weekly for about a month now and at my first check at 37 1/2 weeks pregnant, I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced which I was shocked about.  With Haisley, I was 1 cm a few days before I had her but up until that point of getting checked, there was nothing, notta, no progress.  I ended up getting induced on her due date and had a normal, vaginal birth with that amazing epidural I might add.  Well, this pregnancy has been, let's just say, different.  For 7 weeks now, I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions and the past couple of weeks, they have become a lot more intense.  With Haisley, I started having them a couple weeks before I had her.

When I went to the doctor Monday, I was 3 cm dilated, 50% effaced and at a -1 station.  I couldn't believe it!  My body actually knows I'm pregnant this time and is making preparations for labor and delivery.  Amazing!  Yesterday, I started having contractions around noon and they started getting closer together and more uncomfortable as the day went on.  So frequent and uncomfortable, I decided we should go to the hospital to check it out after calling the on-call nurse to make sure I wasn't crazy.  We went, and after three hours of getting checked, filling out paperwork and answering 101 questions on how many piercings and tattoos I have, surgeries I've been put under for, family medical history and walking around the labor and delivery ward, they sent me home.  Of course when I got to the hospital, the contractions lessened and weren't as frequent.  Ahhh!  So frustrating.  I left being 3 cm dilated still but an increase of 60% effaced and at a -1.

This morning, I was getting ready and realized I lost my mucous plug.  If you don't know what this is, be thankful.  It sounds as disgusting as it is.  I thought that meant I was going into labor so I called the on-call nurse again and she said it's just the beginning stages of labor and I possibly won't go into labor for a few days or so.  Really, are you kidding me??!!  So, it looks like I am still pregnant and who knows how much longer I will be.  If I wasn't paranoid already, I truly am now.  Every time I stand up or move too quickly I think my water is going to break.  I think I need to invest in some Depends!  To Be Continued...