Grounded for Life

Emery is officially grounded for life. She tried to scare her father and I to death, and then she had the audacity to make me look like an idiot to everyone at Cox.

I didn't sleep at all on Tuesday night, due to back pain and general discomfort. This is normal towards the end of your pregnancy, I hear. Wednesday at work I was very uncomfortable all day long, with my hands and feet swelling far more than they usually do. My feet actually swelled so much that they cracked and started bleeding at work. My blood pressure was elevated all day, complete with red face and dizziness. By the end of my shift it was obvious she had dropped. Emery moved every so often throughout the day, but her movements were weaker than normal, and they continued to get weaker as the day went on.

When I got home at about 6:00 I decided that with how weird I'd been feeling, and how little I'd felt her move, something wasn't right. I grabbed a Dr. Pepper, ate some sugary cereal, and went to lay down on my side and kick count. I had only kick counted once before and the first time I had reached ten kicks within fifteen minutes. I laid there and waited.... and waited... and waited. There was nothing between 6:00 and 7:00. So, I drank some more Dr. Pepper, munched on some ice, and went back to laying.

Nothing. At 8:00 I stopped and took a bath with my feet up, to try and at least relieve some swelling. By the time I got out at about 9:00 I still hadn't felt her move, and I was starting to get really freaked out. I texted Jacob at work and told him to call me as soon as he could, and that I would explain when he got there.

I hopped back on the couch and started doing everything that ordinarily provokes movement. I was pushing her, I was singing, I was playing music she normally likes, I was putting a cold washcloth on my tummy - everything. She didn't move. When Jacob hadn't answered me at 9:30 I texted him again "I don't want to freak you out or make you leave work earlier than you can, because either way what's done is done, but I think we've either lost Emmy or something is very wrong. Please call me." He got home at 9:50.

As soon as he got home, I started having a panic attack and trying to explain. He started talking to her and feeling, because she typically flips out when he talks to her, but she didn't move. So he called the after hours number for our doctor. Dr. Allison didn't get back to us until about 10:00, and when she did I finally felt a kick. It was tiny, and I'm not all too sure it wasn't just gas that my crazed brain mistook for a kick, but it was something. She told us to grab our bag and go to the hospital, because it sounded like she might have wrapped the cord around her neck when she dropped, and if that was the case and she was in distress they would be doing an emergency c section.

We hurriedly threw together a bag and got to the hospital. They took my blood pressure and hooked me up to a machine that monitored her heart rate and and movement. Her heartbeat was strong, and she reacted to everything she was supposed to, heart rate wise. They gave me some apple juice and ice, and within five minutes she was moving. The movements weren't very strong, but movements were movements.

The little brat just wanted attention, apparently. She's been moving like normal ever since.