I owe you an apology

I do, really. It's been so long since I've posted to this blog, and that's mainly because I've been dealing with some preterm labor and bad pelvic inflammation. Yeah, I know, no excuse, but I had to throw something out there. Still, I should have been posting because a lot has been going on lately. First, what I was just referring to is that last week (Monday 1/12) H took me to the hospital because I was having contractions that had started on the weekend and kept on through all day that day. As it turned out, I was 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced, and the doctors told me that I was in preterm labor. They dosed me up with a bunch of medicine that was supposed to stop the labor, since they really didn't want me to deliver so early (at 35 weeks), and then sent me on my happy(ish) way. The good news is that the preterm labor did not progress, but the bad news is that I am still dilated the same amount and still having god-awful contractions about 6 to 7 times an hour. Yes, it's unfortunate, but my doctor told me that I sadly fit into a small group of women who experience high levels of uterine irritability due to extreme responses to low levels of oxytocin in the body. Lucky me. The good news, however, is that it hasn't hurt little H and he is doing fine and dandy inside of me, and will do even better when he comes out thanks to the fact that he's been able to stay in there for a few more weeks. As of two days ago, there had been no change in the cervix, so the doctor is pretty confident that we can at least make it to term, which is technically on Sunday of this week (Jan. 25). That day, I'll be 37 weeks. So, I apologize for waiting so long to tell you all about this, but it's been a serious emotional rollercoaster. I was so excited about finally getting to meet little H that it was hard to accept that I'd have to wait longer, not to mention that the pain I'm having is pretty intense and makes it almost impossible for me to get around even my own house. At the same time, it gave H and I a wake-up call to get all of the last-minute baby things done around the house, and my mom came for a few days to help us with the cleaning. So, all in all, I guess it was all for the best. That's what I keep focusing on so that I don't lose my mind being stuck in this house, in all this pain, just waiting to meet my baby. Please keep us in your prayers in these last few weeks, that all goes well and just as it should, and that we can all come through it safely and soundly....and very, very soon.

Oh, and just for your amusement, here's a little picture of me right before we went to the hospital last week. You can see the aching on my face, and for the record, it's officially the first picture that I looked at and said "gee, I look WAY bigger in person!". Go figure!