Who's the Drama Queen?

I'm really not sure if it's me or Little Miss. I took another unexpected, yet uneventful, trip to the doctor today simply because I started having more intense, longer and more frequent contractions. They started last night when I tried to go to bed, which was incredibly frustrating, and started back up this morning and continued intermittently throughout the day. These are much different then what they were two weeks ago, which had me calling to see what they wanted me to do and because of all the hoopla two weeks ago they figured it would be good to have me come in so they could just check me out.

So when the doc came in I just had to ask if I was the biggest pain in the butt patient she had. Before she could answer the nurse came in and told the doctor that the woman next door was asking for pain medication and the doc just rolled her eyes and said "whatever, that's fine, can you get a script ready?" That made me feel better...at least there is one who's a bigger pain in the butt than me...

Anyhow, they did another internal exam to which the doc said my cervix was low (which it has been for the last two weeks) and that my external was a 1 and my internal was closed. She was in a bit of a rush so I called the wonderful Momma Lock, nurse extraordinaire, to clarify for me. She thinks it means the same as I thought, that I am thinning out slightly but I'm NOT dilated which is good. The goal is to stay closed for as long as possible. Stay in child, stay in!

I do have to say though, I think the doctor appreciated my descriptions of what I was feeling! I told her this new "sensation" started out at my sides and tightened inwards toward my belly button until I felt like my belly button was going to explode. She just kind of looked at me with a perplexed look then recovered and said, "yes, that sounds like a contraction." It makes me laugh thinking back on it...I also told her I can't tell sometimes if it's a contraction or Little Miss just stretching out as long as she possibly can and then immediately curling in tight like a ball. (Maybe she'll be a gymnast, not a dancer) This poor doctor probably tells stories about me to others..."Let me tell you what this patient said today..."

It was also funny when she asked me if they were painful. That launched a discussion as to what really constitutes as painful. Honestly, I wouldn't describe what I'm feeling as painful just incredibly uncomfortable. I had to explain to her that I have always been told I have a high threshold for pain...I did swim for 4 years in college with 2 fractures in my back...so is it painful to me...no...but it definitely could be to someone else. It was the same when she asked if I had back pain. "Well," I said, "having fractured my back and having surgery to fix it I almost always have some sort of low back ache, but the aching does intensify with the the tightening if that's what you mean." She said yes, that's what she needed to know. I swear she probably thinks I'm nuts. Here I am, coming in a week before my appointment because my contractions are intensifying but I'm telling her they aren't painful...jee whiz...what else might I have up my sleeve?

Ultimately she said some women just contract a lot...apparently I'm one of them. Although, she did say it was good for me to come in because now I can use these contractions as a reference point. I've decided that, unless I have an appointment, I'm not going to go back unless they are 4-5 minutes apart, last longer than 45 sec-1 minute OR if my water breaks. (Those were the guidelines she gave me and I'm going to stick to em!) They did tell me to keep my appointment for next week so we'll see what they say then, they may want me to come in once a week from here till D-Day...

So that's the latest. Again...who's the drama queen?