False Alarm

When I sat down to watch TV with Tom last night, I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I had felt Sheemee move.  Since the first time I felt her move last fall, she has gone from a fluttery minnow to a belly-shaking monster.  While her movement isn't as constant now that she is bigger, it's still regular and unmistakable like someone dropped a rock on my bladder.

Figuring I'd been too distracted to notice her, I sat down to pay attention.  Nothing.  I drank a quick glass of straight juice.  One feeble kick.  I got into bed and rolled way onto my left side which never fails to piss her off.  Nothing.  So I did what I always do when I get scared.  I fell asleep.  Best sleep I have had in weeks.  What kind of horrible mother am I?

When I woke up this morning, I realized that she wasn't abusing my full bladder like a normal morning.  I poked, prodded and kneaded my belly like raw pizza dough.  Still nothing.  Faster than you can say, "Full-fledged terror", I was on the phone with the on-call OB and off to the maternity triage desk.  Sheemee wasn't fighting the seatbelt like usual which only increased my worry.

Thankfully, they weren't busy and I was whisked right through triage to an exam room.  Nurse Pamela found a strong, steady heartbeat right away and once she strapped me into the very tight fetal monitor belt, Sheemee roared to life and let us know she didn't appreciate the squeeze, rhythmically kicking the monitor in the same spot over and over and over.  It sounded like the back beat of a techno song.  I was so relieved, never so happy to look foolish for overreacting.  I laid in bed on the monitor for almost an hour, bored, sore and ready to go now that I knew The Girl 2.0 was okay.  When the doctor came in to take my history, I expected her to send me on my way but she didn't because they saw...something on the monitor print-out whose technical name escapes me.  She said that it probably wasn't a big deal but coupled with my history of pre-eclampsia and the GD danger this time, she wanted me to have a biophysical profile.  Fine by me, check and double check to your heart's content, lady.

The biophysical profile was fine.  Fluid levels are normal, Sheemster was doing her practice breathing throughout most of it and though she was very quiet again and not even very responsive to the tech's pushing on her, she did complete the 4 necessary movements to pass the test within the time frame.  Satisfied with the results, the doctor sent me on my way.  I came home and passed out in post-stressed relief.  (Seriously, negative emotions always knock me out.  I could barely stay awake at my brother's funeral!  That is how my psyche protects itself from fear and pain.)

All is well that ends well.  Did I look like a hysterical preggo for going when Baby was perfectly fine?  Probably but as the nurses were kind enough to say, "Come in and feel stupid every day if you need to.  We'd rather see you for no reason than have you ignore something important."  Everyone was very kind and I really appreciated their care and understanding.

Oh and as a side note, I'm definitely having a girl.  Lately I've been really worried that the tech who did the big u/s was wrong but this morning's sonogram confirmed that Natalie is indeed having a "stister."  Thank goodness because it would really stink to have to explain to the world why my sweet little Matthew wears pink 24/7.