Back in the saddle

Yep, at Tuesday's appointment I managed to convince TheGoodDoc that I could go back to work fulltime. Initially she wanted me to do just 2 days a week in the office, but I pointed out that being at home on partial bed rest was not reducing the number of contractions at all--in fact, over the past week, the day that I had the MOST contractions was Saturday, when I spent the MOST time lying down. She was concerned that I have to walk about five blocks to get to the subway (we don't have a car and taking cabs to and from work every day would add up to $250+ a week), but I also told her that on Sunday, I cheated and walked about that distance to go out to brunch, and had no increase in contractions. Finally, I told her that after not leaving the house for almost a week, I was starting to have panic attacks. That did the trick.

(Of course, the past few days have been kicking my ass, and I'm starting to think that 2-day-a-week idea isn't such a bad thing after all. Last night I came home at 8 p.m.--took a cab home, even--and collapsed, exhausted, on the couch, where I promptly had three contractions in rapid succession. Once I calmed down, though, my uterus seemed to as well. Yes, 'tis true, "just relax" did work for something, I'm sorry to say.)

The other thing that convinced her it was OK was that my cervix remains long and closed, despite the ongoing party in my uterus. Initially, she measured it (on her crappy ultrasound machine) as 2.27 cm with funnelling, which freaked us both right the fuck out. (Quick tutorial for those without cervical issues: Average cervical length during pregnancy is between 3 and 5 cm. Anything under 2.5 cm is v. bad and, when measured between 14 and 20 weeks, is a risk factor for preterm labor. Funnelling is when the cervix begins to open up from the inside, and is v. v. bad.) So she got one of her partners, Dr. Efficient, to come in and redo the measurement to be sure. The two of them went to town with the cootercam, twisting and probing and poking most painfuly, until I longed for the masterful wandings of Dr. SF and colleagues. (Say what you might about the unpleasantness of transvaginal ultrasound, when an RE does 30-50 a day, he really knows how to slide that baby in.) Finally, they determined that I have a weird little divot or cul-de-sac or something in my uterine lining (perhaps because of my generally bizarre uterine anatomy), not far from the cervix, and that was what looked like funnelling to TheGoodDoc. When they located and measured my actual cervix, it was a comfortable 3.7 cm.

So to summarize: Back at work. Still having contractions. Trying to reduce stress. From now on I go back to the doctor every two weeks (instead of four) for cervical measurements and delightful internal exams (to see if the cervix is softening or dilating). Big anatomy scan and bonus cervical measurement at the hospital October 2.

The other big news is about my sex life. Or lack thereof. Before the contractions fun started, my husband and I had gotten into a rather tense discussion about whether or not we could/should have sex. I was still tentative after all the bleeding episodes, he was more optimistic. (Just to remind you: We have not had sex since the night of my trigger shot. Fifteen weeks ago.) So I asked TheGoodDoc about sex. She said that we could have sex, but he's not allowed to ejaculate inside me (because of the possibility that semen could bring on contractions) and I'm not allowed to orgasm. I mean really, then what's the point?!? I said as much, and she suggested helpfully, "Maybe you could do oral." Thanks. At any rate, the restrictions are in place until I reach the holy grail of 37 weeks (if I make it that far). My husband is thrilled.