Here we go again...

I had my 30 week appointment with Dr. L last week and everything was great. I don't think I've mentioned how happy I am with her. The rumors were true, she is just like a midwife, only she has an MD. For mamas that intend to go natural, she encourages small snacks and drink during labor, no IV, intermittent monitoring, can't remember the last time she had to cut an episiotomy, waits for the cord to stop pulsing before clamping/cutting, etc, etc. She never makes me feel rushed and even after just two appointments, makes me feel as if she knows me and I am not just a number. While I realize this is probably because she reviews each chart carefully before entering the room, it still makes me feel good.

At my last appointment (Thursday), we discussed all of the typical things, belly measuring appropriately, heartrate is great, contractions few and far between, etc, etc. We thought everything was great and were thrilled that I had been having only a few contractions a day.

That is, until Friday morning came around. I was feeling crampy and having an off/on backache when I realized that these were contractions. Feeling my tummy, there was no doubt. I was a little concerned because these were not my typical, painfree BH contractions and they were coming every 3-5 minutes. Since the office closed at noon, I told Kyle I would give it until 10:15 before calling. They went away around 10am, after a couple of hours of contracting.

A couple of hours later, though, they began again. Some crampy, some not. Again, after about 2 hours, they went away. At 5:30, though, I got in the car and they started yet again. This time 2-3 minutes apart, but not crampy. They did last, though, for a solid 16 hours straight before giving me a bit of a break. Saturday morning, Kyle was really trying to convince me to go to the hospital, but given that the contractions were relatively painless and not increasing in intensity, I chose to stay home, rest, and drink a lot of water.

Today, at 31 weeks exactly, I am still contracting frequently, but they have slowed down a lot from the weekend. I called Dr. L's office this morning and will be seen tomorrow. I told the nurse that I am not particularly worried about them, but that I am going out of town over the weekend, so I want to get checked to make sure all is well. She agreed that as long as they have slowed down, I am probably ok, but that I should take it easy and be checked before leaving town. She also said if they pick back up today, to call and she would try to fit me in or send me to the hospital.

So, here we go again. 9 weeks to go, give or take.