The Waiting Game

  Bed Rest: Day 6. Time to update - as much of an update as we have right now.

  On Wednesday (our third anniversary), David and I went to see my midwife's consulting physician. After talking for a minute, the doctor recommended a fetal fibrinectomy (read what that is here) and/or a sonogram to check my cervix. The test, he said, would show either a negative result which means that I only have a 5% chance of going into preterm labor in the next two weeks or a positive, which would then mean a 50% chance of going into preterm labor in the next two weeks. After learning that the test was non-invasive for the baby, we decided that we wanted both.
  The sono showed that my cervix looked good on the inside, was at least 3 1/2 centimeters thick and had no funneling, so the doctor didn't think that sending the test off to the lab was even necessary - until I told him exactly how much I have been contracting. He said that even though my cervix looked good, the fact that I was having up to ten contractions an hour when active was abnormal - though he said he would be surprised, based on the sonogram, to see a positive result from the test. He would send the results over to our midwife the next day.
  David and I left encouraged, hopeful that we would receive a negative result on the fetal fibrinectomy although unsure what that meant for my contractions. We enjoyed a nice lunch at Olive Garden, hit two 7-11's in our anniversary tradition, and then put me back in bed.
  Late Thursday afternoon I called Kathleen to see if she had received the results yet from the doctor's office. She hadn't, so I called the doctor; they hadn't received the results back from the lab. They would "hopefully" have them in on Friday. When I mentioned that Kathleen doesn't keep Friday office hours, they assured me that they would fax them over to the office and call Kathleen's cell phone, should they come in. They didn't. When I asked their office why a test that was supposed to take 24 hours hadn't been received yet, I was told "the lab must be backed up."

  And so David and I have been relegated to going back to the original plan of waiting until Monday afternoon to see Kathleen again to have any answers. I have been frustrated by this - since I feel we were given some false hope on Wednesday - but am still managing to find peace and understanding. I have remained more patient, in fact, than David has which is highly unusual. I truly believe that my peace with this has only come from the prayer coverage we have right now, and so I again thank you.
  I am still averaging 2-5 contractions and hour in bed, am still guaranteed at least one contraction whenever I stand even just to go to the bathroom, am still contracting more at night (8 an hour last night for two hours). It seems to David and me that even if the results from the test are good that I will have to remain on bed rest to keep our anxious little boy in me. Several people have suggested that my uterus might be more excitable because of my Endometriosis; we don't know. The doctor said that if the test showed my chances small of preterm labor then I might be allowed to "just contract away" and return to normal activity. Yes, it was a man.
  We are hoping for good news tomorrow with Kathleen - but to be absolutely honest, I don't know what good news is for us right now. I think that I am emotionally prepared to be told I have to stay in bed for at least the next seven weeks, but my body cries out at that idea. I think I am less prepared, actually, for the prospect of being told to return to work and put my body through the stress of constant contractions. I know that David is just wanting an answer one way or another so that he can better know what steps to take for his family and what to expect for us financially.
  So hopefully tomorrow we will have answers - and peace for whatever those answers may be. I cannot thank you all enough for your encouragement, prayers and those (especially) who have stopped by this week. We humbly ask you to continue to pray for peace for us for whatever our outcome is, for health for Sammy (who I am happy to say is still driving his Mommy nuts with his activity level), and that if - God forbid - there is some reason that he should come out early that we would know and be given peace about that. Again, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you.

David, Emily and Sammy