36-Week Bumpdate (Drama Included)

Yesterday morning started off like any other Thursday morning - I woke up, got ready for work, and then got Owen ready and dropped him off at my parents' house. I even stopped by Starbucks to get coffee because I knew we had a busy schedule. Within 10 minutes of clocking in at work, I started having painful contractions. I kind of ignored them because I had similar contractions a few days ago, and they went away after a couple of hours. And no, these weren't the regular Braxton Hicks contractions that I've been feeling for the last month or so - these were painful to the point that I couldn't move or talk.

Still, my stubborn ass (pardon my French) was determined to push through and continue working. After two hours of consistent contractions, I finally had one that was a 7/10 on the pain scale; I couldn't even breathe. At that moment, I snuck into one of the patient rooms and called Ralph to come and get me. At the same time, I called the hospital to let them know what was going on - the triage nurse on the line instructed me to drink a bunch of water and check in at the hospital.

(Honestly, if it wasn't at the urging of my fellow nurses, doctors, and managers, I probably would've stayed just a liiittle bit longer...but that painful contraction worried me, and I wanted to make sure the baby was okay.)

Within an hour, I was hooked up to a fetal monitor, and a nurse was checking the frequency of my contractions. At first, they were every 5 to 6 minutes, and I rated them being low in pain (they were so much worse when I was standing up and walking around). The on-call doctor came in a little later and examined me and said I was only about 1 cm dilated. 

He fell asleep to the cool room and soothing sounds of the baby's heartbeat LOL!

I was monitored for an additional hour then had a repeat exam - my contractions weren't getting worse/more frequent, and I wasn't dilating any further. So, just as I had suspected and hoped, the doctor said the baby isn't coming just yet, and Ralph and I were sent home.

Currently, I'm still having contractions (about 4 an hour), but I was told that this is my new "baseline". If it starts to get worse, then I need to drink a bunch of cold water, lie on my left side, and wait...and if the symptoms don't go away, then I give the hospital a call.

Needless to say, this was a huge wake-up call for me and Ralph. I went to the hospital without a hospital bag. Our infant carseat is not yet installed. The baby's clothes still need to be washed. I need a pedicure (lol, I'm kidding...sort of). I could go on and on. This baby is coming in 20 days IF I can make it to my c-section date. At this point, I'm really just hoping to make it to 37 weeks.

Hang in there, Rerun. Just wait 6 more days...pretty please!

Here's my 36-week bumpdate:

Dress is from PinkBlush - exact dress can be found here!

How far along?: 36 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +16 lbs

Sleep: Waking up more frequently to use the restroom.
Best moment this week: Having breakfast at Off Street Cafe where my buddy Jacqueline works...best cinnamon roll I ever had.
Movement: All the time. In fact, I had my 35-week check-up this past Monday, and the doctor said the baby flipped and is breech again...which explains why I'm constantly feeling the baby kick my bladder, haha.
Symptoms: Back pain, BHC, fatigue, frequent urination (day and night)...the usual.
Symptoms I DON'T have: GERD, swollen feet/legs.
Food cravings: Cinnamon anything. Also, I really wanted chocolate cake while I was at the hospital. 

Food aversions: Nothing at the moment.

Gender: Boy!

Labor Signs: Read story above.
Belly Button in or out?: Out.
What I miss: Sushi.
What I am looking forward to: My "Sprinkle" tomorrow that Ralph's aunts and cousins were veeerrry determined to throw. :) 

**Disclaimer: The clothing showcased above was gifted to me by PinkBlush in exchange for a review/social media post.**