I went into pre-term labor.

I was 36 weeks pregnant and had been having crazy braxton hicks for a week. One afternoon the contractions were coming every 5 minutes. I hadn't even gotten approved for state health insurance yet!



Leo spent the entire day, racing back and force between home and the Dept. Of Economic Security and home, trying to get me qualified and covered as soon as possible. Finally, he comes home and says "You've qualified. Do you still need to go to the hospital?"

"YES!"



We head to the hospital, and walk up to the L&D floor. The nurse in triage says to me, "I don't think you're in labor. You don't seem very uncomfortable. It's probably just braxton hicks contractions. You can stay, if you want, and we can monitor you, but it's your choice. Do you want to stay?"

"Yes I really think I need to stay."


She hooks me up to a contraction monitor, and I was contracting regularly, every 2 minutes. She rushes in "I need to check your cervix! You're contracting a lot!" -- "Oh my! You're 3 cm dilated and 75% effaced. The head is engaged. You'll probably have this baby tonight!"

The nurse began me on an IV Drip, and gave me a shot of terbutaline to try to stop my labor. The drug increased my heart rate to 120 bpm. It was not helping, so they gave me an additional shot of it, which raised my heart rate again. Now my heart was beating at 150 bpm!
She had to draw 4 vials of blood, and I started feeling dizzy. Everything started going black. I got really light headed and the entire room was spinning. My heart was throbbing in my chest, and I couldn't see straight. Leo was getting worried, and angry at the nurse for doing this to me.
10 minutes later, my eye sight was coming back and I was beginning to feel better. My heart was still beating at 150 beats per minute, but I didn't feel so crappy anymore. The nurse had to draw one more vial of blood.

The contractions weren't stopping, and they needed me to go to a biophysical ultrasound, ASAP. I got one last shot of terbutaline before I left, which raised my heart rate to 180 BPM! I felt like I was having a heart attack.

The biophysical went great, except they determined that she was only 34 weeks gestation, instead of 36. She was doing her practice breathing, and her fluids were looking good.

I went back to the hospital room, and stayed there for 4 days while the nurses gave me Magnesium Sulfate and Nifedipine to try to stop my labor. Those were the WORST 4 days of my life. I was placed on 3 grams of mag sulfate an hour. The most they can give you is 6, and the most they had given anyone before was 4 grams/hour. I wasn't allowed to walk, and I had to use a bed pan to pee. It was so horrible. I couldn't wait until I could just go HOME..