Wiggle Worm, NST, & Contractions

Last Thursday was my first non-stress test (NST) for this pregnancy.

They are so easy. You just get hooked up to the monitor, lay back for 20-30 minutes, and hit the button every time you feel the baby move. Simple and relaxing.

Because of the insulin, I have to go once a week to the OB for an NST from weeks 32 - 35. Week 36, I start going twice a week for NST's until I deliver.

This morning was my normal NST visit. I got to the office and the baby was moving like crazy. As usual.

Sidenote: Honestly, I'm a little scared of this child who has yet to be born. She is a mover! EJ was so calm when she was in my tummy. It was weird how shy she would get during every NST -- it's like she knew what was going on and quit moving as soon as I got the monitor hooked up. Her calmness extended outside of the womb to a very laid-back, sweet tempered baby. This baby, however, moves SO much that I'm slightly scared at the wild child I may be carrying!!

Anyway, I get comfy and situated on the table and the nurse put the monitors on my belly to get the baby's heart rate. She catches it for a second and then it's gone. This goes on for about 5 minutes! The nurse is practically chasing the baby around my belly looking for her heart rate. It's like the baby is playing chase and keeps moving just out of her reach.

Finally we get her where she needs to be and I lay back to monitor every movement I feel.

This NST chart (below) shows just how much this child moved. The graph on the left is her heart rate. The tick marks in the middle are the movements I felt. I think this was over a 15 minute period.

Usually, after the NST, I see my doctor who does a quick belly measure and I'm done.

The nurse put me in the room and told me the dr would be in to measure soon. A few minutes later the nurse comes back and tells me the doctor will need to actually examine me because of the contractions I was having. I looked at her kind of funny and she asked, "You didn't feel any of those contractions you were having?"

Um, nope. The doctor comes into the room and says that I had 6 contractions in 30 minutes show up on the monitor. She said typically it's ok to have 4 in one hour. Yikes!

I've been having Braxt0n Hicks since very early on, but they are so consistant that I almost don't notice them any more. Since I didn't go into labor with EJ, I have no idea whether they are real or not and it never crossed my mind that I could possibly be having real contractions.

She did a test to check my membranes, mentioned some stuff about if the test was positive I had to go to Labor & Delivery to be monitored and stop the contractions, checked to see if I was dilated, and then told me to go home and basically sit for the rest of the day.

So much for those last minute errands I was going to run today.

Thankfully, I'm still very closed and haven't dilated. I just heard back from them that the test was negative and I just need to keep resting and monitoring the contractions. No more than 4 per hour.

EJ was at my MIL's, so we hung out there most of this afternoon so I could just sit.

I had so many things to get done this week, but it looks like I'll be taking it easy instead.

I guess it's better for me to rest and not have this baby yet than it is for me to make all those fun goodies I've found on pinterest :)