For the last 5 days, I have been a little confused about just what the hell is going on with my body. With Larkyn, I went all the way to her due date without feeling anything remotely close to labor. And then it only lasted a day and out she came. But every day since Wednesday, I have gotten bouts of "something" for several hours, literally knocking me off my feet and escalating to where I think I might burst out of my skin.
Because the pain (in the abdomen and back) couldn't be timed or tracked, it was just constant, it has been a bit of a mystery. When you work in an environment of 95% women (caring women, at that!), a lot of conjectures will be made. One of which was that I was certainly dehydrated....and so I guess I took that a little seriously. Throughout the week, everyone was on me to drink water and watch for signs of dehydration.
I woke up at 12:30 AM this morning with the pains, and by about 5, I was getting worried that I really was dehydrated. It hurt so bad and the only thing I could compare it to was my contractions with Larkyn. But again, nothing could be timed and the pain has a constant vicegrip on my body. After telling Matt and my mom, "I need to go to the hospital. But not to have a baby." (both were quite disappointed), we got out of the house ASAP. Seriously, every sense in my body was bothering me. Every sound, light, touch, smell...ugh.
I had no idea what I was going to tell the admittance people at the hospital. I was embarrassed to not really know why I was there other than I couldn't take another hour of pain. It went something like this..."Hi...um, no I'm not in labor. I just. I just am in the worst pain ever and am afraid I'm dehydrated or that I have an intestinal bug or something..." Luckily, the ladies were so sweet and let me right in.
After a few lovely tests, exams (seriously, cervix checks...can they invent a better way?), and monitors, surprise! I was not even close to being dehydrated. But I was having contractions 3 minutes apart. We got really excited for about 10 minutes. Then the resident came in and explained. Apparently they could see my contractions and that was the pain I was feeling. But this kind of contraction is "unproductive" and I was not really in labor. Just feeling like it. So...they'd watch for another hour and then send me home.
Meanwhile, all I could think about was "I canceled my day of pampering for THIS!?" I had 3 fabulous dates arranged with my girlfriends to do brunch, blowouts, and pedicures. When we left the house at 7:30 AM, I was sure I'd be sitting in a hospital room with a fluid drip to fix me instead of with my head in a bowl of amazing shampoo. So I told the girls to go without me or cancel.
My discharge orders were that I'll probably experience this until he is born and that I can manage pain with a rice sock (my new BFF) and Tylenol (which may or may not do anything!) I just need to wait until these become regular and in waves, which I am familiar with. Then we should be good to go. Until then...I am in for some rough days. There is no way I can teach through this, but I hope I can get back to school a few times this week to say goodbye and wrap some things up.
I can do it. Right? 10 days. I guess if I know it is coming and that it will subside, I can push through it.
Anyway, so at 10:30, we were headed home and I was on the mend. Starting to turn the corner after hour 10. So I called Julie. By a serendipitous stroke of luck, the Blowout Bar and Nail Club didn't open until noon, so she hadn't canceled yet.
Matt stopped for doughnuts on our way home (part of my therapy:), and then Julie and I jetted over to the Blowout Bar just in time for our appointments. The decor and environment caught my attention as soon as I walked in. White, distressed wood and pops of aqua...only my favorite color scheme! Clean and bright, inviting and comfortable. We met our stylists, got to pick from the style menu (on an iPad), and off we went to the shampoo bowls.
Laying back into a shampoo bowl is always a little uncomfortable to me. I actually came thisclose to passing out in one when I was pregnant with Larkyn! But at the Blowout Bar, the shampoo bowl adjusts to meet your neck so that you aren't in that forced position. The products smelled amazing and Josh explained each product as he used them (hello, Angel Wash-you are amazing). He asked about water temperature and made sure I was comfortable every step of the way.
I decided on a cross between the Flirtini/Bahama Mama style. This involved loose curls but not quite "beachy", because I wanted the curls to last a bit longer. How long do you spend drying your hair? I average less than 10 minutes...probably closer to 5 because I am so impatient! When you get a blowout, they dry your hair one section at a time for at least 30 minutes. And although I couldn't really talk to Julie over the sound of the dryers, we enjoyed watching Bridesmaids and indulging in the sweet platter that the salon coordinator brought out to us. We thought it was just a normal thing, but apparently it was a gift from a local bakery that she just thought she would share with us. She thought right!
Josh moved on to the curls, using a curling wand that now I really want. I was afraid he would burn his fingers off with the careful and intricate curling he was doing, but he was just fine. He explained each step and answered all my questions, and when we were finished, displayed all the products he used. I ended up getting a can of the dry shampoo because I've always wanted to try it. I'll let you know how that goes.
I was so happy with my hair and just feeling like a normal person again. If you live in Columbus, give it a try for your next special event or just to make yourself feel all ladylike again. I think $35 is a fabulous pricepoint for a treat like this!
We headed to the Nail Club for our pedicures. I am usually drawn to purpley-pinks and was actually looking for the exact same color I had when I had Larkyn (superstitious, anyone?) When I couldn't find it, I went rogue and picked a bright coral by Zoya. Now Julie and I could really catch up next to each other while our nail techs took care of us. If you have had a baby, you know that the belly majorly impedes accessibility to your feet, so a pedicure is a must before you give birth! We walked out with our awesome disposable flip flops into the still-snowy parking lot and are now fully ready for our SPRING babies (Come on, spring...any minute you feel like showing up now).
Since we always have to involve food (and missed our brunch), we finished our day with Orange Leaf frozen yogurt. On a whim, I tried the pistachio, and oh MY will I be going back for more.
So, what started out as a really crappy day ended as one of my favorite days. A good friend, the promise of a baby-to-be, and all things girly really made a difference. Thanks for everything, Julie!
Because the pain (in the abdomen and back) couldn't be timed or tracked, it was just constant, it has been a bit of a mystery. When you work in an environment of 95% women (caring women, at that!), a lot of conjectures will be made. One of which was that I was certainly dehydrated....and so I guess I took that a little seriously. Throughout the week, everyone was on me to drink water and watch for signs of dehydration.
I woke up at 12:30 AM this morning with the pains, and by about 5, I was getting worried that I really was dehydrated. It hurt so bad and the only thing I could compare it to was my contractions with Larkyn. But again, nothing could be timed and the pain has a constant vicegrip on my body. After telling Matt and my mom, "I need to go to the hospital. But not to have a baby." (both were quite disappointed), we got out of the house ASAP. Seriously, every sense in my body was bothering me. Every sound, light, touch, smell...ugh.
I had no idea what I was going to tell the admittance people at the hospital. I was embarrassed to not really know why I was there other than I couldn't take another hour of pain. It went something like this..."Hi...um, no I'm not in labor. I just. I just am in the worst pain ever and am afraid I'm dehydrated or that I have an intestinal bug or something..." Luckily, the ladies were so sweet and let me right in.
After a few lovely tests, exams (seriously, cervix checks...can they invent a better way?), and monitors, surprise! I was not even close to being dehydrated. But I was having contractions 3 minutes apart. We got really excited for about 10 minutes. Then the resident came in and explained. Apparently they could see my contractions and that was the pain I was feeling. But this kind of contraction is "unproductive" and I was not really in labor. Just feeling like it. So...they'd watch for another hour and then send me home.
Meanwhile, all I could think about was "I canceled my day of pampering for THIS!?" I had 3 fabulous dates arranged with my girlfriends to do brunch, blowouts, and pedicures. When we left the house at 7:30 AM, I was sure I'd be sitting in a hospital room with a fluid drip to fix me instead of with my head in a bowl of amazing shampoo. So I told the girls to go without me or cancel.
My discharge orders were that I'll probably experience this until he is born and that I can manage pain with a rice sock (my new BFF) and Tylenol (which may or may not do anything!) I just need to wait until these become regular and in waves, which I am familiar with. Then we should be good to go. Until then...I am in for some rough days. There is no way I can teach through this, but I hope I can get back to school a few times this week to say goodbye and wrap some things up.
I can do it. Right? 10 days. I guess if I know it is coming and that it will subside, I can push through it.
Anyway, so at 10:30, we were headed home and I was on the mend. Starting to turn the corner after hour 10. So I called Julie. By a serendipitous stroke of luck, the Blowout Bar and Nail Club didn't open until noon, so she hadn't canceled yet.
Matt stopped for doughnuts on our way home (part of my therapy:), and then Julie and I jetted over to the Blowout Bar just in time for our appointments. The decor and environment caught my attention as soon as I walked in. White, distressed wood and pops of aqua...only my favorite color scheme! Clean and bright, inviting and comfortable. We met our stylists, got to pick from the style menu (on an iPad), and off we went to the shampoo bowls.
Laying back into a shampoo bowl is always a little uncomfortable to me. I actually came thisclose to passing out in one when I was pregnant with Larkyn! But at the Blowout Bar, the shampoo bowl adjusts to meet your neck so that you aren't in that forced position. The products smelled amazing and Josh explained each product as he used them (hello, Angel Wash-you are amazing). He asked about water temperature and made sure I was comfortable every step of the way.
I decided on a cross between the Flirtini/Bahama Mama style. This involved loose curls but not quite "beachy", because I wanted the curls to last a bit longer. How long do you spend drying your hair? I average less than 10 minutes...probably closer to 5 because I am so impatient! When you get a blowout, they dry your hair one section at a time for at least 30 minutes. And although I couldn't really talk to Julie over the sound of the dryers, we enjoyed watching Bridesmaids and indulging in the sweet platter that the salon coordinator brought out to us. We thought it was just a normal thing, but apparently it was a gift from a local bakery that she just thought she would share with us. She thought right!
No joke, my baby kicked or flopped so hard that Julie jumped during this picture!
No special event here-- just fancy hair for camping out on the couch.
We headed to the Nail Club for our pedicures. I am usually drawn to purpley-pinks and was actually looking for the exact same color I had when I had Larkyn (superstitious, anyone?) When I couldn't find it, I went rogue and picked a bright coral by Zoya. Now Julie and I could really catch up next to each other while our nail techs took care of us. If you have had a baby, you know that the belly majorly impedes accessibility to your feet, so a pedicure is a must before you give birth! We walked out with our awesome disposable flip flops into the still-snowy parking lot and are now fully ready for our SPRING babies (Come on, spring...any minute you feel like showing up now).
So, what started out as a really crappy day ended as one of my favorite days. A good friend, the promise of a baby-to-be, and all things girly really made a difference. Thanks for everything, Julie!
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