On Tuesday, 12/9/14, I drove myself to the hospital because of pelvic pressure and a change in cervical mucus that I had experienced over the past two weeks.  I didn't think much about it until it would go away after about 2 weeks.  After an office check up I was sent to labor and delivery triage.   Test results came back inconclusive which meant that my symptoms could very well be preterm labor.  So I was checked for dilation - 1 cm.  The baby was also checked for position - head down.  Then I was hooked up to the baby heart rate and contraction monitor for about an hour to see what was going on.  At this point they also made the call to give me the first round of steroids in case the baby did come.  The steroids help speed along lung development, a critical organ that's not quite done until 28 weeks gestation.  I was 25 weeks 5 days on Tuesday.

An hour or so later I was checked again by the same Doctor - 2-3 cms dilated.  I hadn't taken any birthing classes yet and didn't study up on the different dilation amounts and how they relate to how labor is progressing.  I was in disbelief that it was even possible to be this early.  They said I was going to be admitted and staying overnight.  At that point I became so scared and called my husband to get to the hospital as soon as he could.  Once admitted things got very blurry - I was given a tocolytic medication to calm my uterus and then began 48 hours of magnesium sulfate.  It's used to slow contractions and also to protect the baby's brain.  Half way into my 48 hours I also got my other steroid shot for the full dose.   

While these drugs were trying to stop my labor i had to meet with the anesthesiologist and the neonatal pediatrician to be educated and prepared should the baby come.  I was still in disbelief this was even a possibility.  My doctor also stopped by and it was made very clear that if this labor could be stopped, I was still not leaving the hospital until I reached at least 28 weeks gestation.  Possibly longer.  A baby this early would need a level 3 NICU, something not available at all hospitals. (I'll also learn preterm labor can progress to delivery very quickly.  Much quicker than a ride to he hospital)

I was checked a few more times during the 48 hours and there was no change from the 2-3 cms of dilation, so I left labor and delivery and was sent down to the Antenatal floor around 10pm on Wednesday night. I didn't even know antenatal was a thing!  It's basically a bunch of women trying to not have their babies.  Thursday and Friday i tried to absorb the fact I'd be living in the hospital.

 Friday night and Saturday morning I began having more cramps. At first I was really scared to tell my nurse about the increased pain, but eventually called her in to check some red spotting and the cramps.  She thought it was still the aftermath of being checked so many times upstairs and that the cramps were just that my baby was super active.  Right after I finished lunch (about 1pm) things got really uncomfortable, so I asked the nurse to hook me back up to the monitors.  A half hour on the monitors and they still did not detect contractions.  The nurse still attributed the pain to the baby moving around, but I was thinking "Unless the baby has knives for feet, those are not kicks." I tried moving around and go to the bathroom to see if that would relieve some of the pain, but after using the bathroom I "assumed the position."  I was bent over and not unbending myself.  At this point, the nurse called the doctor.  I'd guess it was about 1:45pm.

The Doctor checked me and said so calmly - "We'll I'm not sure exactly how far you are, but it's more than 6 cms, your cervix is gone, and I can feel the sac.  Let's get you upstairs to labor and delivery."  They were wheeling me to the labor and delivery floor as my husband walked in.  To give you an idea on time his parking ticket for the garage said 2pm and it takes about 5 or 10 minutes to get from there to Delivery putting us around 2:10.

We went into the delivery room together and were met by a lot of familiar faces that we had seen over the past week. It was hard to wrap our head around exactly what was happening, but when the doctor looked me in the eye and calmly said "Today is going to be this baby's birthday," I all of a sudden wasn't scared anymore.  The worst part of this whole experience is that I had to be told to fight everything my body was feeling and trying to do.  Preparing for birth I'd been working on the exact opposite - getting as in tune with my body as possible.  Once I got the "go ahead" to listen to it again I felt in so much more control.  While I was prepped for delivery the contractions rolled through - they were very very strong, but meditating each time got me through them.  I didn't want to look at anyone, so it also helped that the room was filled with so much sunshine from the huge window.  The baby was constantly monitored and showed a strong heartbeat the whole time.  The anesthesiologist came in to ask if I wanted an epidural, but the doctors and nurses said there wasn't time and that I wouldn't be able to sit still for it.  Also, since it had been a few days since the magnesium treatment, they put in an IV to administer a dose prior to birth to get one more chance to add protection.  That was it - I was prepped so fast, that only 3 or 4 contractions went by and then I began to deliver the baby.  They asked if I wanted to push - I had no idea.... I never took a class.  I remember asking someone to just tell me what to do so they said to push on the next contraction.  I pushed on 4 of them.  On the second my water broke (and by broke, it exploded everywhere) and on the fourth contraction I pushed 5 times and delivered my baby.  I was so glad I could feel everything, it allowed me to control the pushes and even though this all happened in less than 30 minutes it felt like a gentle trip into this world.  It all went so fast that I wanted to be sure the baby was ok and that I was ok down there and they assured me we were good.  Then I heard the little squeaks and saw the little hat.  August William was delivered at 2:38pm.  About 25 minutes after I climbed up on that delivery table.  

Preterm labor is no joke, you never think it could possibly happen to you.  And now we're starting the parenting portion of our life in the NICU.  

I was brought to a floor for recovering moms who can't have their babies with them.  It's nice of the hospital to do that.  I changed into my own clothes immediately and we made our way to the NICU to meet August.  He was the smallest, most beautiful thing I've ever seen.  They showed me how to open the incubator and he grabbed into my finger.  It was still three more days until I finally got to hold him.  

We're on day 67 now and he's doing well. We're hoping he'll be home around my original due date in March.(pics are day 4 and today!)