Crazy Day

Early this morning I awoke to mild contractions. They weren't strong, but they were consistent. After very little sleep, I quickly got ready for the day and furiously put in four hours of work, paying special attention to last minute details - just in case. We headed to our appointment with some anticipation since I was going to be checked for signs of progress (I'll spare you all of the details). In a nutshell, Vivienne continues to ace her biophysical profile test, and my body is getting ready for labor. No induction please, little miss Viv!

After the prenatal visit we met with a lactation consultant to learn all about breast pumps. You may think this appointment was mainly for mom, but Dave ended up receiving a lengthy list of instructions. The CHOP dads are known as the "milk men." Mom is in charge of supply; Dad is responsible for everything else (cleaning parts, labeling bottles, storage, and delivery). It's nice to know that Dave will be suffering with me every 2-3 hours, 24 hours a day. Did I say suffering? I meant supporting of course. Seriously though, the power of breast milk is pretty amazing. Your body is able to tell what your baby needs and adjusts the composition of the milk accordingly. It also acts as a vaccine, immunizing your baby from disease and helps the GI tract to function properly. Vivienne won't be able to receive any feeds until after her repair surgery, but Dave and I will be able to participate in what is called oral care. This is where a swab is saturated with my milk and rubbed throughout the inside of the baby's mouth. It's a very important activity with many benefits.

Finally, we checked in with the psychologist to round out our visit. Our anxiety levels have been rising as Vivienne's due date approaches. This isn't unexpected, and it's good that we can get a mental tune-up when we need it.

I started to feel very uncomfortable on the way back from CHOP. The "check" I mentioned earlier was very unpleasant, and it sent me into 4+ hours of regular and intense contractions. After we hit the four hour mark, we decided to call the hospital, which then turned into a late night visit. Of course as soon as we got in the car my contractions seemed to taper off a bit, but we pressed on anyway. At the very least we saw it as an opportunity to become more familiar with the route to the hospital and a chance to learn how to navigate the late night security/elevator procedure. We arrived at the Special Delivery Unit and entered the triage room where I got into a gown and was hooked up to monitors. The good news is that Vivienne was handling the contractions like a champ. The bad news is that I had to get yet another "check" (though this one was much less traumatic, thank goodness). We stayed for about an hour and then made the quick journey back to Camden. I'm still having contractions now, but they are much more manageable. Hopefully, a good night's sleep is in the cards.

We have another appointment scheduled for next Tuesday, but we're hoping we won't need it. As always, we will update the blog with any news.