The Rumors are True: The Aftermath...

So here's the 6th and final part of my "The Rumors are True" series. If you'd like to check out the other five parts you can use the search blog toolbar on the right hand side and search "The Rumors are True". So, when you become pregnant you automatically have 10,000 questions about pregnancy and labor & delivery. No one really thinks about or brings up the aftermath! I really didn't think much of it.  I assumed you'd have the baby and you'd just be sore for a couple of days considering you delivered a watermelon out of your va-jay-jay, then you'd go home after a couple days and live happily ever after. If you read my post before this then you know I had a vaginal delivery and opted for the epidural. Speaking to other moms and reading up on moms who got the epidural, it sounded like you were completely numb from the waist down. I guess I expected it to be the type of numbness that you have when you go to the dentist. You know, the one where you get the numbing shot in your mouth and you sit there drooling and poking at your cheek and biting at your lip (even though they tell you not to) because you're amazed by how numb your mouth is? Yea, that one haha.

I was exhausted!

Although I was numb, meaning I didn't feel any of the pain throughout delivery or any contractions from that point on, it wasn't the numb feeling I assumed. I still had complete control of the movement of my legs and feet, and if I poked or pinched my legs I definitely felt it. However silly me, when they told me they were going to transport me to the post partum floor via wheelchair after I delivered, the nurse said to take it slow moving to the wheelchair and she was going to support me in the process. I reassured her that I'll be ok and slowly propped myself to the edge of the bed swinging and moving my legs around to show her I was ok. She warned me that the epidural was still in affect though and still supported me while I giggled. WHOOPS! I stood up and basically fell like a noodle! What the heck?! Luckily my nurse was supporting me and got a hold of me like she said she would so I didn't fall like a complete dork. That was the craziest thing to not have a sense of pressure in my legs. I guess thank god for the epidural not letting out too early so I didn't feel it when they inserted a catheter and when I had to get minor stitches "below". T.M.I (too much information) but the doctor and I joked about my stitches because she said it looked like JAM wasn't ready to leave. I didn't have to get an episiotomy, but I had to get a couple interior stitches because I had a little tearing to where it looked like JAM was scratching my insides like NOOOOOO I don't want to leave! haha.

Attempting my first parenting duty...

 Anyways, since I delivered vaginally they told me I'd stay in the hospital for 3 days and head home. Once I got to the post partum floor I KNOCKED OUT. I was told that they were going to give me the German measles vaccine after I delivered since I wasn't allowed to get it while I was pregnant and that they would also take some blood to verify I was no longer a diabetic since it was just supposed to be just gestational diabetes, but it can turn to regular diabetes if I didn't maintain my diet. My little brother stayed with me while Mahal worked the graveyard shift. I woke up and saw I had a band aid on my arm and gauze with a band aid in my elbow fold. My brother laughed and said it was the craziest thing. They woke me up to give me my vaccine and to take my blood, I said ok and fell back asleep! I guess I was THAT exhausted because I naturally wince when I get shots. Eh, I guess it was a good thing then that I slept through it. They came in every 4 hours to check my vitals and doctors were coming in and out every so often to to tell me random things. FYI not once have I seen MY actual doctor the whole time I was at the hospital. Grr. Anyways, in addition to checking my vitals, they would "massage" my uterus to make sure I was clotting and not bleeding out after L&D. Psh! Massages are supposed to be relaxing! It felt like they were kneading and trying to massage my bed by pressing through my stomach!! No one ever told me about this process until after the fact! By the second or third time I dreaded the process. My stomach felt so bruised and sore that it started to hurt when they did it, but it had to get done. They apologized along the way, but words weren't helping the pain.

My little man made all the pain worth it though

They warned me about the difficulty about using the rest room and to take my time because I'll be real sore. They even gave me some meds to help with it all. No one told me that you'd fear using the bathroom after having a baby though! That crap sucked! Going pee was ok but it was the wiping part that sucked. Then since your holes are close together I found I had a little tear back there in hole #2 when I went pee because it started to burn. I told my nurse AND doctor about it but they said it was such a small tear that it didn't require stitches and it'll heal on its own. NOPE! Every time I pooped that tear opened right back up, which makes sense, but they said it's ok. Oh my god, EVERY time I knew I had to go #2 I cried. Mahal swore I was going into labor in the bathroom with the agony sounds I'd make especially the months to follow at home. Don't get me started on trying to have sex! The doctor said I could try after two weeks but six weeks was the safe zone where everything was all healed up. However, we had to make sure we had a form of birth control in place if we didn't want more kids right away since this time frame is when I'm the most fertile. Eek! Sign me up for the pill please! Haha. She even gave Mahal an obnoxious amount of condoms.


We chose JAM's name directly after birth and then signed all the formal paperwork for his birth certificate and SS card the next day. Since JAM was a preemie, they kept a close eye on him. He ended up having jaundice, which caused him to have a yellow coloring of his skin. They said it was pretty common for preemies and for Asian babies. They said he was fine, but he'd have to stay under UV light to help with the jaundice. They put a UV light paddle under his back that made him look like a little glowworm. His body wasn't cooperating enough so they ended up putting another light paddle on his belly. It was interesting to see him like that, but we knew it was for the best. We were still allowed to hold him and everything but he had to keep the paddles on.

I decided that I wanted to breastfeed, but since he was so tiny they initially supplemented with formula. He wasn't able to do the sucking motion so we had to feed him with a syringe and massage his gums with our finger to give him a sucking motion. When it was time to breastfeed I got really lucky that my milk came in with no issues and I was filling bottles like no tomorrow. I saw other moms (including nurses) who were struggling to get even a drip. I had a lactation consultant come in to show me how to breastfeed and I felt so awkward. She seemed like she was in a hurry and she basically just reached in my sports bra and whipped out my boob and latched JAM on! She had me try it on my own and I struggled a bit so she grabbed my boob and showed me herself again! I'd have to say I felt so awkward being manhandled like that, but I eventually had to opt for pumping anyways. JAM just wouldn't latch plus my boobs got huge and preemie JAM's head was so tiny I couldn't even see his head when I tried to breastfeed. It was a little disappointing I'd have to say since I wanted that experience, plus it was a pain to keep running downstairs to the fridge to get milk especially since he was feeding every 2 hours.

Three days quickly approached and the doctor gave us the news that JAM wouldn't be able to go home with us because due to the UV paddles he had on for his jaundice he lost a pound making him 4 lb.s 5 oz. and he needed to be at least 5 lbs. to leave. That was DEVASTATING. How do you leave your baby behind? I surprisingly had a hard time not having him in my room let along leaving him in the hospital while we're at home over an hour away. We came home to a plethora of baby stuff since my baby shower was the week before I was admitted and we didn't get a chance to prepare the room. JAM ended up staying in the hospital for about a week so there wasn't much sleeping for us. The nurses were soooooo amazing through the whole process. I'm sure I was annoying checking up on him through phone calls continuously through the middle of the night. We were at the hospital every day from early in the morning to late at night during visiting hours to spend time with him and feed him. He was strictly on breast milk to help him gain weight faster. We were so excited when we were able to take him home! I guess it was a good thing that he initially didn't go home with us though because we had sooooo much stuff from staying at the hospital for a month! You'd think we were moving out of the hospital with all the stuff we had. Anyways, the nurses were so awesome with sending us home with baby swag every day we visited. Formula, preemie diapers, nipples, the works. Especially the diapers since we couldn't find them anywhere. It felt so good to have him home with us though. Here's to sleepless nights and chaotic bliss.

How was your recovery period after labor and delivery?

The Rumors Are True: First Trimester

Experiencing this baby boom in my family makes me reflect on my own pregnancy 6 years ago. Wow, was it really 6 years ago?! Seems like yesterday honestly. I swear I'm going to walk into JAM's room and he's still only a 1 year old at the very most, still stumbling around in his diaper with his chubby legs. As some of you may know, I had JAM when I was 18 years old. I expected the questions and looks I got being a pregnant teen, but the whispering behind my back questioning if I was truly pregnant was the most annoying thing. So, I bought a shirt that said "the rumors are true" to lighten the mood a little haha.

If you're a mom and you say that you don't like to talk about your kids or your pregnancy experience YOU'RE LYING! Every mom likes to share their story and compare it with other moms. Being a part of several mommy group in Las Vegas common FAQs are usually asking about pregnancy and birthing experiences. In this day and age there are soooooo many options you can opt for, but I had the typical hospital birth. That's another story though. My pregnancy was not too bad reflecting on it as a whole if that makes any sense. JAM was said to be conceived at the end of November when I visited my gynecologist in January to verify that I was pregnant. I didn't have any nausea or morning sickness throughout my first trimester.

Hello in there!

That's also around the same time when I got my first pap smear. Girls are always so nervous about getting it done. I'm 24 years old and I still have friends who haven't done the pap test yet. Get it done ladies! It's important to get tested. Everyone's experience is different but it wasn't bad at all for me. The tools they use aren't scary and they don't hurt at all. If you have a good doctor like mine, they'll explain everything step by step so you know what's going on down there as they do it. The only uncomfortable thing to me was the .2 second swab they did on my cervix but it was nothing. That's it! Plus if you're preggo, this pap smear is the least of your worries haha. Get used to random people fondling you down there....just kidding....sort of.

Anyways, the first trimester was easy peasy. I honestly didn't even get a noticeable baby bump until maybe about 5 months in. That's when things started to change a little....

4-5 months preggo! Proof my tummy didn't always look like it was attacked by tigers =p

How was your first trimester experience? 

The Rumors are True: Third Trimester

The third trimester of my pregnancy wasn't much better than my second. The whole car sickness bit went away, but I still had to prick my finger every day since I had gestational diabetes. I went for my usual ultrasound check and got some news that rocked our world. I could tell something was wrong when the technician told me that she was having trouble identifying something so she had to get the doctor. I understand that these people are trained to remain calm when they see a problem and reassure us that everything will be ok, but after having 3 different doctors check out my ultrasound I started to worry. They basically told us that the fluid spaces in Jordan's brain were a little bigger than normal so I'd have to come back for weekly ultrasounds to monitor it. By the third or fourth visit the doctor sat us down and told us to basically prepare for the possibility of having a mentally disabled child. We were devastated. When you find out that you're pregnant you never really consider the thought of having a child with a disability. You start to blame yourself and retrace your steps on what you could have don't differently. Mahal and I talked about how we would handle it, but we felt so lost. Neither of us had any previous experience with disabled children or had any encounters with them except in school. Regardless, we knew no matter what, that was our son and we'll love him no matter what.

Now, what I'm about to tell you may sound unreal. Some people may believe me or some people may just think it was a coincidence. To each is own but this is just my personal story. We were raised as Catholics so whenever we have troubles in life we were always taught to pray about it. Filipinos have many superstitions and beliefs as well, but I was never one to get wrapped up in it all. This is where the unreal act comes in. Once a month my aunt goes to this church and after mass she visits this hilot lady who lived nearby. In the Filipino community, hilot is an ancient art of healing. In the Philippines, Manghihilots (Hilot practitioners) are a cheaper alternative to medical doctors. The hilot lady my aunt visted was a little bit different than most. As a little background, many Filipinos pray to Santo Niño just as many Catholics would pray to Jesus. This hilot lady healed others by "transforming" into Santo Niño. It sounds crazy I know, but she does. My aunt suggested that we go with her to visit the hilot lady to try and help with Jordan's condition. She said we had nothing to lose if we tried so Mahal and I hesitantly went.

Santo Niño {via}

The whole idea made us a little nervous since we've never experienced or witnessed anything like my aunt described. She's brought other family members before, but I never opted to attend until now. When we arrived we ate and then prayed the rosary together. This is also the time where watched her "transform". Once she fully embodied Santo Niño her helpers at the home sat her down on the couch and one by one everyone knelt in front of her simply asking for her blessing. She placed her hand on your head, chest, and stomach to bless you and will make a gagging sound if she finds any bad auras in that area (ie. sickness) as if the sickness is traveling out through her and she's gagging and getting rid of it for you. Odd I know, but stay with me. When it was my turn I did the same. I knelt in front of her and asked for her blessing. I never spoke to anyone when we arrived at the home so no one knew my reasoning for being there. Most people just come to attend the prayer. Her eyes were closed the whole time, so even though it was obvious, she mentioned that I'm expecting a baby and it will be sooner than expected. She said expect my little one in July or early August. Her helper whispered and asked when my due date was and I said September 5th. She placed her hand over the three areas of my body and when she got to my stomach she started to hyperventilate and gag. Everyone else who had the same reaction previously was done in a minute or less, but with me she stayed with her hand hovering over my stomach for 5-7 minutes! Her helpers reassured me that it was ok and to just pay attention to her since she spoke so softly. Once she was done she instructed me drink orange juice with lots of pulp for one week and everything will be ok now, not to worry. We all finished up and left.

Mahal and I didn't know what to think afterwards. He also asked for a blessing from Santo Niño and she begin to heal his chest. No one but me knew that he was suffering from excruciating chest pains for over a month on a daily basis, and after the session he never had them again. Although he was grateful for what she did, he was a little spooked by the whole idea. We just prayed that the same results worked for our baby. I went for my weekly ultrasound and the doctors were shocked at the significant change in his scans! Once again three different doctors checked it out to get another opinion and then gave us the all clear that our baby was happy and healthy inside. They couldn't explain the drastic change especially since the fluid spaces were increasing more than than their liking week to week. We were ALL ecstatic to hear that great news. Now all we have to do is keep him safe until delivery time! Only about 3 1/2 months more to go!

Most moms can't stand being preggo by the 3rd trimester. How is/was your 3rd trimester?

The Rumors Are True: It's a Boy!

What I post isn't meant to scare or maybe even comfort pregnant women. However, it's how I felt at that moment and what I really went through. Child birth is definitely no walk in the park. It's called LABOR for a reason. No sugar coating here. You may hit some road bumps along the way and may even think you can't do it but YOU CAN!! I've personally never met a woman who has died from the pains of labor. As cliche as it sounds, you honestly forget all the craziness you just went through once your little one arrives. Everyone's story is different but this is just mine.

About 3 weeks is what I spent at Northwestern Hospital from the time I got admitted to the time I got discharged. Once they moved me up to the post partum floor, it was nothing but a waiting game. All I did was stay in my bed all day and only got up to go to the bathroom and to do my weekly ultrasounds on another floor to make sure the steroid shots I took were kicking in. I wasn't even allowed to take a shower standing up. I had to use one of those bath stools and Mahal had to help me bathe. On the plus side, I had a view of Lake Michigan to tease me of all the summer fun people were having on their boats and the staff at Northwestern was great. The food surprisingly wasn't bad either. I actually got pretty comfy there hehe. Family would visit every day, which I loved. I even ended up spending my birthday in the hospital! We made all my hospital neighbors jealous with all the Filipino food and cake my family brought in to help me celebrate haha.

I felt so bad for Mahal though during those 3 weeks. He worked the graveyard shift so he had to get some sleep during the day, but it was was hard since people are visiting and nurses are coming in to check me every 4 hours. It didn't make it any better that he's 6'2 and he had to sleep on my room couch which wasn't that big so he looked like a pretzel sleeping on that thing. For whatever reason, they didn't tell us until after JAM was born that they had cots available.

Anyways, in addition to the ultrasounds, I also had to get an amniocentesis to verify everything was good to go. I actually did it twice during my hospital stay. I was a little nervous since this BIG needle is going into my stomach, but actually it wasn't that bad. I didn't even necessarily feel the needle, but you can feel a good amount of pressure. I was more nervous for JAM. Like if he were to move and kick the needle (which he almost did during the first test). All tests were showing progress and things were looking positive for us. August 1st was the best day ever. They came in 1st thing in the morning to tell me that we made it to 35 weeks and JAM is looking great! So, they will be inducing me at 7:30pm that night! Mahal and I were so elated! Funny thing though, out of all the things I could have been nervous about for the delivery, I was most concerned about not pooping on my baby during delivery haha. My nurse said that usually happens if you eat something prior to delivery so once I found out I was getting induced I didn't eat! I had some ice chips and go figure my mom respected my wishes by bringing Ricobene's for the rest of the family. She said a meatball sandwich would be waiting for me when I delivered. I wanted to slap Mahal for eating that yummy food in my L&D room. Grr! haha. 7:30pm came around and it was time! I got all prepped and there was no turning back!

Our last photo together before JAM was born.

They broke my water and they said it'll feel like I peed on myself. I wouldn't necessarily put it that way. I would describe it as a waterfall or the hoover dam gates opening haha. It was a gush of fluid and then I felt like a leaky faucet for the rest of the time so I asked for a towel to stick between my legs because it felt so odd just letting it leak like that. So now we wait some more. They gave me the pitocin and I started to feel the contractions. I told them that I wanted to try my best to go without an epidural so once the contractions started to hit back to back they gave me a little medicine in my IV to take off the edge. Family would peek in from time to time to see my progress, and some of the women in my family would tease me a little about what I'm about to go through. I kind of wish that the nurse would have told me that the great medicine they put in my IV was only allowed to be administered twice because I would have held off on the second dose. I'm sure that medicine would have gotten me through the delivery. So, since that was no longer an option, I let all the family comments get in my head and it freaked me out so I opted for an epidural.

Like I said everyone's experience is different, but I think if I ever have more kids I might think twice before getting an epidural again. It caught me off guard that Mahal had to leave the room when I got it done. He's been there through every step of the way and I felt sort of vulnerable without him by my side. They had me sit on the edge of my bed and hunch over a pillow while my nurse placed her hands on my shoulders. I guess she wasn't holding me, but once they inserted the numbing shot I popped up as a reflex! The anesthesiologist chewed my head off as he should, but I never got a shot in my back before and it was a reflex! Anyways, once that was all done it was game time. Mahal and I agreed it was just going to be me and him in the room for delivery. Although certain family members wanted to be present, my nurse was awesome at handling all of that for me. I was told by my aunt that I know that I will know when it's time to push because I'll feel like I have to take a poop. She wasn't kidding! I just remember laying there tripping out on how awesome the epidural was working when BAM! I have to poop. I told the nurse and she told me to stay put that the baby probably just dropped into my pelvis. I was convinced I just had to go #2, but she reassured me that wasn't the case. I told her well then you better call the doctor because I think JAM is gonna fall out! She giggled and said everything is fine. We went back and forth with this for a few minutes until she said ok, try to push and see if that helps.

I totally remember Mahal's facial expression when he found out he has to do more than hold my hand. The nurse told me to push my legs back and she told Mahal, "I'm going to grab one leg for support and Mahal you grab her other one". He did one big gulp and said that he can see EVERYTHING and thought he'd just stay on the head end of things. The nurse explained that it's good to hold my legs since pushing can get tiring and I need to focus on pushing rather than propping up my legs. He obliged with wide eyes. I told him he better not pass out or throw up what he just ate. That's what he gets for rubbing his food in my face haha. I was surprised to find out that it wasn't MY doctor that will be delivering my baby. No one ever told me that. It was the doctor that was on call for that time in the hospital. Luckily it was the same doctor from when I was initially admitted into the hospital who I clicked with real well, but for future reference I know to find an OB who will be there during delivery. I asked a few questions and the doctor said that first time moms delivery time varies. It can be as quick as a couple hours or as long as 12+ hours. Lord Jesus please not 12 hours! My other aunt told me that the way she pushed was like a sit up and it was very productive for her. I initially listened to the doctor who told me to push like I was having a bowel movement. I did and she told me to PUSH! I thought I was?! So I tried my aunt's technique and it worked great! I tightened my muscles and crunched up as if I was doing a sit up. I was doing so good that it got to the point where the doctor said that I needed to slow down haha.

9 pushes is all it took (Thank God!). However, by the 3rd push I remember telling the doctor that I was exhausted! Kudos to the mamas out there that went through the 12+ hours of pushing. I finished pushing before a family member finished their cigarette outside haha. Once they got to the shoulder part, it basically felt like he plopped out and you feel another gush of fluid as well. JAM's cord was wrapped around his neck so they undid it. Mahal didn't get a chance to cut the cord since they had to hurry and get him on his little heat bed and get him checked out. So, you know how when you picture giving birth and it's the beautiful thing and the mom and dad kisses and cries and blah blah blah? Yea, not us! Silly me for thinking my life was a movie. They whisked JAM away and I turned to Mahal thinking he's gonna kiss me or tell me great job but no. He's staring across the room at JAM looking like a little kid who has to potty asking me if I'm good so he can go to JAM. Sheesh! pop out a kid and no one caters to the mama anymore. Can I get a kiss at least?! He did and ran over while I lay there spread eagle waiting for the doctor to come back so I can deliver the placenta. By the way the placenta totally looks like an alien thing haha.

JAM was born on August 2nd, 2006 @ 1:34am. 5 lbs. 4 oz. and 18 inches long. It was so surreal when they handed him to me! I've babysat kids all my life, but I just stared at him like this one's mine. Family came back in to see him and take pictures. He was a tiny little thing, but strong enough to stay in the regular nursery. The whole after the delivery part was sort of a blur to me. I was on a high and then randomly knocked out and then woke up again on and off until it was time to move me back to the post partum floor. *sigh* I'm a mom! Crazy.

How was your labor and delivery experience? Did you opt for the epidural?

The Rumors are True: Second Trimester

My second trimester was fun and horrible all at the same time. By this time in my pregnancy it was early Spring so the weather was a little better. My baby bump grew enough where it was noticeable now and JAM was big enough to find out that we we having a baby boy! I honestly don't remember the first time I got to feel JAM actually move and kick, but I thought it was so cool to lay there and watch my stomach move around. When you're pregnant a common question question is "Do you have any cravings?" Well, mine was mangoes as well as peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I know it sounds TOTALLY unhealthy, but for breakfast I'd eat FOUR PB&J sandwiches a day!  Poor Mahal though. I'd always complain about my craving for mangoes, but in the Springtime they're not in season so they were hard to find. My next best thing was dried mangoes from the Filipino store and that wasn't satisfying enough. All these sweet things I craved, it was no surprise to find out that I developed gestational diabetes haha. Honestly though, the 4 hour test they give you to test for gestational diabetes, who isn't diabetic after drinking that juice they make you take beforehand?! It was so sweet I had trouble downing it and it made me want to throw up halfway through!

I think from that diabetes testing on, things went a little downhill from there. I was put on a strict diet since I had gestational diabetes, and I had to prick my finger 3 times a day to check my blood glucose levels. Not that I'm afraid of needles, but I never met anyone who was excited to be poked with needles. Boy did I have a needle fest in this pregnancy! But, more on that later. JAM's kicking went from intriguing to a pain in the butt! Like clockwork this kid would kick from 10pm-1am like he had a graveyard shift aerobics class to attend. Because of it I started to become very sleep deprived. So not only did I have "senioritis", I wasn't getting any sleep AND pregnancy brain started kicking in. I don't know how I got through my senior year with straight A's (haha), but I did it. I also got HORRIBLY car sick to the point where if I had to ride in the car I had to be lying down, which is pretty hard to do. If I was in the front seat I had to be fully reclined back and if I was in the back seat I was lying across the seat. Sometimes that didn't even help too. I don't know how many times I had to scream for Mahal to pull over randomly because I had to throw up from being car sick. I remember one time he picked me up from my house to go out and not even 3 minutes later I told him to stop at the Target at the next light because I had to throw up. As we pulled into the entrance I screamed for him to stop because I couldn't wait any longer but he was trying to comfort me and tell me to just let him park. I said, "Do you want me to throw up in your car or are you gonna pull over?!" So, there I was, barely turned into the entrance of Target puking my guts out. Classy haha. Gee, I wonder what my third trimester has to offer??

What were some things that you craved throughout your pregnancy?

The Rumors are True: And So It Begins...L&D

Once we found out the great news that JAM's brain issue was no longer an issue, Mahal and I assumed it'll be smooth sailing from here. Only 3 more months to go until my due date so how hard could it be right? WRONG! First of all, this post is going to have to do with my labor and delivery so if you don't like to read about things associated with that, DON'T KEEP READING!! haha. If I'm a little T.M.I (too much information) don't say I didn't warn you. It's all to complete my preggo series and to share my birthing experience so other mamas can get an idea of how it may be for them. So, last chance to turn back! Here we go....

OK, so everyone recommends those baby books and many were given to me throughout my pregnancy. However, I never read them haha. Mahal actually did. Go figure that he read that when women become pregnant, their sex drive is either heightened or leaves completely. He also read that it was safe to be sexually active during pregnancy and being a first time mom I verified that with the doctor to be sure. However, she did NOT tell me that I shouldn't have sex in my third trimester since it can active labor. Something about the sperm and the cervix blah blah that I found out about after the fact. Anyways, like I said in my last post, my due date was set for September 5th. Being preggo during the summer months in the humidity of Chicago was no bueno. I carried around a gallon of water to make sure I wasn't dehydrated, but I was so uncomfortable. Since I was still living with my mom during my pregnancy, Mahal used to pick me up on the weekends to spend time together. Friday, July 14th was my aunt's birthday and we planned to go to her house later that day to celebrate. Since Mahal's grandma lived nearby my aunt's house, we decided to kill some time and stop by there first. We snuck in a little "quickie" before we headed there and I hung out in his grandma's living room while he was with his grandma in the kitchen. I was pregnant and hot so I flipped up my shirt to expose my belly and let it get some air while I watched TV. JAM was oddly moving around since he is usually active at night and it was the middle of the day. I was staring at my belly watching him move around when I noticed that my stretch marks looked like they were tightening and relaxing (that's the best I can describe it). I didn't feel any pain or discomfort, but it just looked odd to me so I called the doctor. She said maybe JAM's activity and what I'm experiencing was due to dehydration and to drink lots of water. I laughed and told her that's impossible as I stared at my gallon of water right next to me. She said if it continues to happen to call her back.

8 months!

I let Mahal know what happened and went to the bathroom. As I turned around to flush the toilet I noticed a pink tint to the fluid. All the water I was drinking, my pee never looked too yellow these days. It was more close to clear looking half the time, but this pink tint was so faint I had to do a double take. I called Mahal to show him and he said the books say that your mucous plus will be noticeable so that's probably not it since we're staring at the toilet debating if it's even pink. My belly tightening was still going on as I sat back down and stared at it and it's only been 5 minutes, but my gut is telling me to call the doctor again so I did. I mentioned my bathroom mishap as well and she said if I'm that worried to go get checked out at the hospital. I said no problem and thought nothing of it since it was a visit just to put my mind at ease. However, when I told Mahal, HE FLIPPED! The way he was pacing and hyperventilating you would think the baby was crowning right then and there! He was driving like a mad man to the hospital until I told him to calm down. I called my aunt to tell her we couldn't make it to her birthday celebration since I'm gonna go get checked out at the hospital. My whole family was there so they all said to just update them when I was done. I called Mahal's mom and she flipped too! Like mother like son I guess haha. I told her I wasn't in labor, but I just wanted to let her know I'm getting checked so once she calmed down she said to call with updates as well.

We finally got to downtown Chicago where my hospital was. The thing I hated about that was downtown parking is a pain in the a$$! They charge you a lot to park anywhere and you still have to walk far. Since Northwestern Hospital was building a new women's hospital across the street, the parking garage for my hospital was a couple blocks away. So we walked and walked and arrived at the hospital all winded and preggo. I told the nurse at the desk my situation and how my doctor said to get checked out. She handed me some forms to fill out and pointed to tell us where to wait. 10pm rolled around and Mahal dozed off after waiting a couple hours for a doctor. A nurse called us and brought us to a room to examine me. I answered a few questions while she checked my cervix and she cut me off to say that she was gonna go get the doctor to check me for a second opinion. Mahal and I started to worry because the last time that happened we found out something was wrong with JAM's brain. A doctor, NOT my doctor, came in the room to check me. She said, "Well, I guess you won't be leaving tonight! You're 7 cm dilated. We need to put you on meds to stop the contractions because you're still too early." Excuse me?!!! did you just say 7 cm?!!!! I asked all the questions I needed to ask and they admitted me into the hospital. Mahal called the family and I got changed and ready for whatever they needed to do. They tried to insert and IV and couldn't because I was too dehydrated. Haha go figure. I guess drinking water by the gallons isn't enough for a pregnant woman during the summer months.

Not the sexiest picture of me, but I'll take one for the team =p

They told me that they were going to put me on magnesium to stop the contractions and I had to get a series of 4 steroid shots in my thigh to help JAM's lungs mature just in case I do go into labor. They said if the magnesium stops my contractions and when I get my 4th steroid shot on Sunday, I can go home if everything works out. It's Friday and I can go home Sunday? I can do that. The magnesium made me so hot that I asked to make my room cooler. Everyone who came in was freezing! I was sweating. The nurse said any cooler the thermostat with just shut off the A/C so I just dealt with it. My little sister and uncle were the first ones to visit. We just hung out and let the time pass. The steroid shots didn't hurt so much. They said to expect a pinch and a burn but I didn't feel much of anything. Until my last shot that is. Not to be rude, but my nurse for that morning legit looked like a witch. Black hair, bushy eyebrows, long curvy nose, wart on the nose, the works. I whispered to Mahal that I was actually scared and nervous of her. My instincts were right though. She administered the last steroid shot and I swear she just took it and stabbed me with it! I flinched, it pinched and it burned!! For hours! Luckily she was called in to another L&D so she had to give me another nurse. THANK GOD! Now, I was just waiting for the news of when I can go home.

My little sister and I

After I received my last steroid shot I went to get an ultrasound to see if the steroid shots were working. I also ended up getting TWO amniocentesis procedures to check JAM's lung development. Having such a big needle being poked into my stomach was scary, but it honestly didn't hurt at all. Later that day, they took me off of the magnesium and the doctor for that shift came in and checked me. He said that although the medicine helped me maintain my 7 cm, it seemed as if I started to proceed to 7.5-8cm once off the meds so I had to stay at the hospital on bed rest until I was in a safe zone to deliver if my body cooperated. This meant staying until I was 35 weeks. I was already 33 weeks pregnant, but my due date was still 7 weeks away. I was worried because I know that the longer he stays in there the better for developmental purposes. So they moved me from the labor and delivery floor to the post partum floor where I would wait until I hit at least 35 weeks. Hopefully. I started to think about what the hilot lady said. The end of July or beginning of August my baby will be born. Hmm...fingers crossed for 35 weeks.