24 hour bug

Spoiler alert: Content includes some ugly bodily functions.

Well, it was a good thing I had packed that bag...

Monday night Brian and I were both doing work on the couch, and I kept saying to Brian, "I am a contraction fiend tonight!" I tried to go to bed at 10:30 but contractions kept me awake. Brian came to bed around midnight and I was increasingly convinced that I was actually in labor with contractions coming around 4 minutes apart. They weren't terrible, but they were definitely consistent and something I couldn't sleep though. I decided to go back downstairs to try to wrap up some work stuff and give Mom a call to see if she could come watch stay with Nathan if indeed this were the real thing.

I threw all the rest of my work stuff together in some emails (Sorry Vanessa!) and around 2 am things started getting more intense with the inclusion of some major vomiting (sorry, I warned you). Since I remembered throwing up once or twice with Nathan this actually just worked to convince me that this was the real deal. Mom stayed up with me to keep me company for this part, for which I am eternally grateful because I started throwing up about every half an hour or so while contractions became more intense and closer together. We finally decided to wake up Brian when I was starting to get a little light-headed. I figured even if I wasn't far enough along to be in active labor, I did need to get some fluids in me and maybe something for the nausea.

We got to the hospital somewhere between 4 and 5 and after getting me into a triage room, hooking me up to the monitors, and me throwing up once again, I was really feeling just awful. I was ready to ask for an epidural right then and there because I just didn't have it in me to deal with hours more of contractions. Since my water hadn't broken and I wasn't very dilated, my midwife (the one I usually see for checkups was actually on call which was lovely) wanted to get me hydrated before admitting me for labor. Apparently they have been seeing this happen a lot, especially as people get in later stages of pregnancy and a nasty stomach virus has been going around town. Lo and behold, with the insertion of an IV and some Zofran (anti-nausea medication - I threw up again as they were injecting it) my contractions slowed WAY down. I got about 2.5 liters of IV fluid and was still feeling awful, but I was out of the woods as far as dehydration. We came home around 9, and I pretty much crawled into bed and didn't stray far for the rest of the day.

I can't say enough how amazing my mom and Brian were about everything. After we left for the hospital Nathan threw up 3 times himself. Mom took care of it all, including the laundry. Clearly we had caught  the same bug, but thankfully he was able to keep down water and food by later that morning and was in relatively good spirits the rest of the day. He and Brian got some serious quality time, and I had about as much energy as a slug. I woke up this morning feeling like a whole new woman. Intense, but short lived thank goodness!

I'm a little embarrassed to have to go back to work now saying, JUST KIDDING! (so did Brian) but the reality is that I certainly FELT like I was in labor, and when you are having intense contractions 2-4 minutes apart, there's not a whole lot to indicate otherwise.

They did check in on baby girl, and she's definitely head down and doing great. I am about 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced. So now we know.