Five Days: Biophysical Profile, Non-Stress Test, and Contractions

Last night I woke up at about 2 am feeling uncomfortable. My stomach felt sort of crampy, and so did my back.

It felt a little too ironic to consider labor on my sister's very first night in Brooklyn, but I wandered out to the living room to discuss it with her. (She was still up reading, so I didn't feel guilty... though it does feel odd to barge in on someone who thinks they are alone, without a way to knock and warn them.) She encouraged me to go back to bed, wisely pointing out that even if it was early labor, the best thing I could do was get some sleep.

I dutifully went back to bed... and couldn't sleep. Of course. Because I was too busy monitoring the cramping in my stomach and back, wondering how far apart they were (variable, 3-10 minutes apart, how long they were lasting (hard to tell), and how painful they were (not too bad at all). Then I started wondering if I should text the doula, and also my friend the labor coach, you know, just in case it went on to become "real" labor. Eventually I decided that I would never go back to sleep if I kept thinking about it, so I turned the light back on and read for a while. I stopped noticing them while I was reading... a good sign that it wasn't true labor. I went back to sleep about 4 am.

This morning I drove myself, courtesy of my sister's car (I am incredibly grateful to be done with the subway... I just don't have the energy for it anymore) to the office of the chiropractor and acupuncturist. The chiropractor seemed to think I was making good progress -- it was much easier for him to align me today. And after the manipulation, he said that I no longer had a leg length discrepancy! Amazing. He suspects that he may have bruised me a bit last time, pressing too hard (easy to do with pregnant women, apparently -- all that relaxin hormone), which led to the soreness. And gave me permission to not worry about cat/cow poses and my posture!

Then I saw the acupuncturist, my friend Anne. She decided to get aggressive, and put needles in my toes, legs, and sacrum. Then she attached some of the needles to the TENS machine, to provide electrical stimulation to the needles. Yikes. It felt a little like being tapped and a little like being stung by a bee... over and over and over again. I practiced my Hypnobabies techniques and that helped pretty well... but it definitely wasn't an experience I would describe as enjoyable. But not terrible, either. I go back to her tomorrow, and to both of them the following day.

After that, I met my sister for lunch before going to the Biophysical Profile and Non-Stress Test. The BPP was uneventful -- 15 minutes of being attached to a fetal heart rate monitor and monitor for contractions. After a long wait, I saw the ultrasonographer. She said my fluid pockets were a 13, which is well within the range of normal. She said the baby's head is LOW! Hallelujah! And estimated her weight to be 7 pounds, 3 ounces.

This sounds like an excellent birth weight. I am hereby serving eviction notices.

After dinner out (sushi) and a visit to Emily, who got a job today!, we returned home so I could hook my exhausted self up to the breast pump. I will try anything (that isn't too unpleasant) at this point. Not quite ready to commit to castor oil, never mind Pitocin.

Belly Dancing