A Confusing Night

Before I get into the events of this evening which involved a phone call to my practitioner, I want to mention that we went shopping as a family for maternity clothes this afternoon. I ended up getting some fall/early winter staples that much resemble my usual wardrobe: ribbed turtlenecks. I tried to mix it up but that's just not possible. Additionally, I was afraid to purchase too much as Mimi has a "store credit only" return policy. And with my history I feel I never know when things could possibly change. My hope is that I have enough to get me comfortably through fall - if fall would ever arrive - it was 92 degrees today.

After my mini shopping spree, we went to my mom's for dinner. That's when the tightening in my pelvis/abdomen started. About every twenty minutes or so, I would feel this tightening/cramping sensation that would peak and then slowly dissipate. Both hubby and mom were feeling my stomach to see if they could sense the same tightening outside as I did somewhere on the inside. Nope, I felt the same. As one came on during dinner, it was determined that I needed to call the doctor.

So, on this Sunday evening, I learned Dr. G was on-call. He called me back and we had a nice conversation. Nice in the fact that he acknowledged that this pregnancy is going to be very stressful and that each twinge and pain will be assessed very critically. Nice in the fact that he encouraged me to call anytime something doesn't seem right - that they, my group, should be the ones to determine if it's worthy of concern or not.

The part that leaves me confused and troubled is this: Dr. G said what I described sounds like contractions. However, he also said that contractions don't start at this gestation 15.5-16 weeks of pregnancy. He claims I am having uterine cramping. I asked about Braxton Hicks and he said no, not Braxton Hicks either. This makes me wonder - last time I saw Dr. Davis, they saw Braxton Hicks during my scan. Dr. Davis also said that the uterus contracts from the very beginning of pregnancy. Perhaps I misunderstood contraction versus cramping. Who knows but it's moments like this that make me really question and that is not good. I need to have faith in my group. Faith in my local group.

We left for home and I had another episode in the car and then again about 30 minutes later at home as I was getting ready to read to my Little Nut. It took quite awhile longer but eventually my issue became clear. I must have some type of GI thing.

Hubby commented that I must have what he had on Friday night. Which at the time, I asked him if he thought it was something that was going to work through the household. Luckily his was a one-time trip to the bathroom. Thankfully, my cramping has stopped and I feel better. I can't help but think this could be the precursor to labor as the Tuesday night before I found out my membranes were bulging, I was so sick in the bathroom, cleaning the pipes from both ends. That was with Missy's pregnancy - my only other experience on which to draw from. Oh, and I hope this stops here. I cannot imagine an upset stomach while potty training. We've been three weeks diaper-free and I can only imagine an event like this would cause a dreaded setback.