friday false alarm

when walking from my car to the office this morning, i started feeling some ligament pains on the bottom right side of my belly. this happens a fair amount, so i didn't think much of it....i just sat down at my desk to relieve it. i noticed after a few minutes, it wasn't getting better - it was actually getting worse: the pain was becoming more widespread along my side, more intense, etc. i drank some water and put my feet up, but that also didn't seem to help. i decided to call the nurse line to see what they thought. the nurse suggested i "relax as much as possible and track any changes". she also said a doctor could see me at 11:30 (it was about 9am at the time). 

i hung up and walked back to my desk (basically hobbling because the pain was so intense i couldn't stand up straight!). i sat there for about 10 more minutes and felt absolutely miserable. the pain was not letting up and my belly was also contracting. i was starting to worry that i could be in labor. i decided to call back and tell them there was no way i could make it until 11:30. of course i got a different nurse, so after explaining everything to her, she recommended that i go to the hospital to get checked out because that would be the quickest option. 

so, i packed up my stuff and had my co-worker go get my car (because the thought of walking to the car sounded awful). the plan was to pick up thatcher from work downtown and then he would drop mandi back off at the office. i headed to the elevator to meet mandi outside and as i got in the elevator, i noticed the pain was suddenly completely gone. i figured it was just a moment of relief. i got in the car and joked about how of course now that i was going in, the pain was subsiding. we drove to get thatcher, still no pain. then we dropped mandi off, still no pain. it was completely gone and i was starting to doubt my decision to go in. 

i called the nurses line a third time (and got a third nurse!) and asked for her opinion. she said she would pass along my info to the doctor and see what she recommended. since the pain was completely gone, i decided to drop thatcher back at work and head home. i worked a little and then followed up with the nurse to see what the doctor thought. she said they could get me in at 2pm for some fetal monitoring and an appointment. after many hours of being pain-free (and confused), i went and they hooked me up to the machine, which was basically a couple straps that went around my belly to measure baby's heart rate and my contractions, and then they gave me a little clicker to click each time he kicked or moved. i sat in a comfy recliner and was monitored for about 30 minutes. they gave me orange juice and water to get baby to move around. 

i met with the doctor after and she said everything looked perfect with baby, which was  a relief. she couldn't pinpoint exactly what had caused the pain i experienced, but said it was reassuring that it had gone away completely. obviously if it happens again, i'll need to go in again. it's now friday night and i'm still feeling good. i'm not really sure what to think, but i'm glad everything worked out. it was a huge wake up call that this boy is going to be here before we know it. i can't wait to meet him, but i really hope he stays put for at least 3 more weeks!