our long night

We certainly didn't think that Ethan would come so early, but last night there were lots of signs that he might! After timing my contractions, I determined that I'd had them about 5 minutes apart and I was in a lot of pain. With that much pain, sleep certainly wasn't in the question. I called the on-call line for our doctor's office and they instructed us to go to the hospital for monitoring.

We arrived around midnight, waited for a room, and were monitored all night (long story short there). Around 3 am I got a shot for pain, which eventually helped slow the contractions but I was still in pain for a while. By the time my doctor came to check this morning at 9 am, my contractions had spaced to 10 minutes and were slowing. After determining that my water had not broken and that I had not dilated any more, I was released this morning at 9:45 am on about one hour of sleep accumulated between contractions. I was exhausted, and so was my poor husband. He did manage more sleep than I did, but he was working at the hospital to meet deadlines for today, and being my gofer when I needed more water or had questions.

Austin sleeping on Ethan's nursing pillow. He said the chair wasn't bad!

We've been home sleeping and resting all afternoon, and look forward to a relaxed weekend. I return to the doctor Monday, when she will check to see if we are any more dilated. The contractions have subsided for the most part, and aren't as painful when they do come. Unfortunately, we decided to call off the baby shower we had scheduled for this weekend, as we have instructions to take it easy and rest, but we have to do what's best for Ethan!

The doctor said it may have been early labor, or just preparations for labor, though early labor can last for days. Needless to say, we're on high alert! (And we learned a couple lessons on our dry run, too!)

We appreciate the prayers, and we will keep you all updated!

love,