how to: freak out your family REALLY bad

Just become 37 weeks pregnant and fall down some stairs.

Yeah.

That'll do it.

I'm actually being sarcastic and kidding. Don't do it. It is really scary.

Okay. Here's the explanation...

For the past (I don't even know how many) weeks, Joe has been refinishing our little baby's crib with the help of my parents and their garage. And since it was pretty much finished this past weekend, I was itching (BADLY!) to get the finished product back to our own home so that we could get it all set up and pretty.

Because I was so antsy about getting it all ready to go, Joe started to help me get the back of our truck ready for all the fun crib pieces. He went inside and grabbed the first (heaviest) piece of the crib and started to carry it outside to the truck. I was a little slower than him and was heading downstairs to where the crib pieces were lined up and ready to go and seriously just completely lost my balance, skipped over the last two steps on accident, and fell onto the tile at the bottom of the stairs.

The brunt of my weight actually fell on my knees when my knees hit the tile first...but with all of the momentum from my gargantuan body, I kept going forward and landed on my hands and belly.

I immediately took the weight off my hands and belly and just rolled over to my side. My mom came right away from the kitchen. Joe flew back in from where he was outside with the crib piece he was carrying. And my dad came in from grilling out back. They were on me so fast and I was actually kind of just in shock and started to sweat a lot and just kind of laid there.

I didn't really know what to do because the force really did primarily fall on my knees. So I figured we should just eat dinner and then keep an eye on the baby's movement. After dinner, though...to be safe...I called my OB's office and, since it was a Sunday, they said the doctor on-call would call me back. He called about 15 minutes later and basically said what I already knew: to keep an eye on the fetal movement and to call/come in if it significantly decreases or completely stops. He gave me the goal of 5 moves/kicks per hour and I ended up feeling 5 kicks within the first 45 minutes, so I figured everything was okay.

It was still wicked scary, though.

And as I said before, I was actually kind of kidding before about saying to "just become 37 weeks pregnant and fall down some stairs" to freak out your family really bad. Don't do it. It was really scary. Kind of embarrassing. But scary.

I have been really paying attention to any and all movements in my abdomen ever since then. I mean, even though babies are SOOOOO well protected in the womb, I have still been hypervigilant since last night. So much so, that this morning (after feeling only about 3 kicks in 2 hours) I decided to call the doctor's office again. I even had a good breakfast, lots of cold water, and even some apple juice...so I thought that only 3 kicks in 2 hours was way too low of activity.

They recommended that I go to the hospital where I was delivering just to get monitored and checked out.

They got me in RIGHT away and immediately hooked me up to a fetal heart monitor. And then the most beautiful sound in the world started being broadcast in the room - the little heartbeat. From then on I knew it was definitely going to be okay and after I had some ice water he actually moved probably about 10 times in 1 hour.

So annoying that he couldn't have done that this morning BEFORE I called.

Anyway...they kept me there for a few hours just to make sure it all stayed the same and then they let me go because there was no other trauma, bleeding, contractions, etc. It was almost a waste of a day, but I'm glad that it's all okay and hearing that heartbeat and feeling more regular movements again made me feel so much better.

To Joe, Mom, and Dad:
I am so sorry for freaking you guys out yesterday. But I'm really glad that you all were there and cared so much to help me. :-) I love you. And just know that Baby McG is a-okay and that I will try to remember to walk sideways from now on since I can't see my feet when I walk straight.

To all you pregnant ladies:
Please be careful on stairs. Actually...be careful everywhere. Your ligaments are loose and stretched out and you are predisposed to balance issues just because the state of being pregnant. So be careful where you step. Especially if you can't see your feet. Always look where you're going and go slowly. Who cares if it takes you an hour to walk 10 feet? Do what you gotta do.

To everyone else:
Be like Joe, my mom, and my dad and just be there for your pregnant wives/friends/family members. It's so nice knowing that, even when we are weak and spazzy and uncoordinated, you are there to help and support us.

:-)