Hi gang – it's been far too long. I did have plans to post this update last night but then I had some family health issues and this all took a back seat. I do need to apologise for the length of time between updates. It has been so long; term four is a killer in terms of how busy it can get between reports, teaching and all the end of year admin stuff. When I finally did finish last Friday I think I was still running around trying to get everything sorted out, not too sure if I have done everything.
I do need to thank Jewel for the recent influx of readers and reviews – thank you lovely lady you were so kind for giving me a shout out. And Rebecca thanks for the editing that you always do for me. And to all the people who have left a review - Thank you, they are much appreciated.
My dear readers – have a lovely Christmas and holiday break. Happy holidays to you and yours.
Week Thirty Five
Candidate is the size of a honeydew melon.
"Home stretch now Gabby," Doctor Peterson greeted the Caseys and closing the door to her warm office.
Gabby grumbled softly to herself twisting in her chair trying to find a comfortable spot for her throbbing back. Matt reached out a comforting hand, rubbing the back of her hand soothingly.
"Let's get you up on the table… The angle of it might relieve a bit of that pressure for a little while." Gabby screwed up her face not believing for even one minute that what her OB told her was true. She swatted away Matt's hand which had stretched out to help her up into a seated position on the cold table. Swinging her legs around, she found that Clara was unassumingly correct. Some of that deep pressure on her back was relieved a bit.
"So you've finished up at work? You had been saying that you were going to let the Academy know fairly soon at our last appointment," Clara questioned as she readied herself to start the examination. Both expectant parents nodded along. "How was that?"
"Different," hedged Matt after a few moments silence. There had been a few moments over the previous week when Gabby had been quite upset that she couldn't be working. She had even tried to come into the firehouse during his last shift. Not to visit, but to do something useful for the CFD.
"It was the right time," Gabby agreed.
Gabby held onto Matt's hand as she felt some quite uncomfortable stretching, grimacing slightly. "So what's this for again?" she questioned in an attempt to move her mind on from what was happening.
"We're testing for Group B Streptococcus-"
"Sound serious," Matt interrupted. Gabby groaned as she let her head flop back onto the hard pillow. Squeezing Matt's hand tightly she closed her eyes tightly willing the test to be over!
It might have felt like an eternity for Gabby when in reality it was over relatively quickly. Clara tapped her knee slightly, causing her to slide her legs down, glad to be able to stretch her knees out.
"Sorry Gabby," she apologised. Clara shook her head in Matt's direction as she snapped off her gloves and motioned for Gabby to sit further upright, the bed moving along with her. "GBS is a bacterium that some people have in or on their bodies. It usually doesn't make them sick, but it can make babies very ill if it's passed to them during delivery. GBS-positive women are given IV antibiotics during labour and delivery to prevent GBS transmission to their babies."
Gabby shook her head as she scooted forward, "Couldn't find an easier way to test could they?" she grumbled.
Clara shook her head, the ultrasound cart rattling as it was dragged towards the bed. "Sorry Gabby, no can do. But the good news is for 35 weeks there's no signs of dilation. I would love to tell you that these uncomfortable testings are over with, but it's going to be fairly invasive towards the end."
"Bedside manner Clara?"
"Better to know now than during labour Gabby… I believe in being honest with my patients," she patiently explained whilst Matt tried to hold in laughter. As the weeks wore on and Gabby's moods were ever changing there were times that he wanted to laugh in her face over the seemingly absurd comments she made. And then there were the times that he wondered if he was going be slapped across the face, and hard.
"So do we get to see Smudge today?" Matt questioned making himself more comfortable on the stool that he had slowly become accustomed to over the many appointments that he had sat there.
Clara nodded, pointing towards the clunky machine that had been rolled towards the bed.
"What are you looking for today?" Gabby questioned, tugging on the blanket so it was comfortably around the base of her belly before beginning to pull up her shirt.
"We just want to make sure that baby is developing okay. I also want to look at how active the baby is and check both their heartbeat and bloodstream. Really Gabby it's just a general checkup. Most importantly we want to check out levels of amniotic fluid and cervix of the uterus, placenta and umbilical cord… You've had a pretty model pregnancy up to this point Gabby, there's nothing to be worried about," she comforted taking notice of the concerned look that passed over her patient's face at the mention of many medical terms.
Gabby tried to plaster a smile on her face whilst she shivered at the cold gel being placed on her belly. Matt leant down brushing his nose against her cheek, "It's okay Gabs, nothing to be worried about at all. Smudge is strong; look at his parents," he whispered into her ear.
"Look at this Gabby… Matt…" Clara pointed over at the screen. "Baby's head is positioned down into the pelvis… Over the next few weeks, their head and shoulders should enter the pelvis too… And here, there are their legs all curled up," she pointed out in the grainy black and white image clearly showing their little baby curled up with much less room.
Many days Gabby could feel Smudge's little feet getting caught up in her rib cage. She could do without those kicks to her ribs that could cause her to lose a breath.
"Baby Casey is definitely running out of room in there guys. Hopefully, he becomes calmer and less active as he has grown and there is little space. Head down position is comfortable and natural for a baby, so this position is ideal. He's exactly where I would expect him to be at this point of the pregnancy," smiled Clara. "Baby is perfectly healthy, and I would estimate…" she moved her wand around a few more times, "... I would say a whopping 5.6 pounds at the moment. That's a little bigger than I would have expected," Clara confessed.
Smudge had measured a little under average all the way throughout Gabby's pregnancy, so it was interesting to see that Smudge had gained a fair amount of weight. Nothing too concerning, Clara herself wasn't at all concerned.
"How big is he?" Matt questioned, seemingly missing the numbers that Clara had already told them. A huge amount of information had washed over him over the past seven months.
"You've got to let go of this 'him' pronoun that you're fixated on," Gabby laughed. "You're going to give her a complex…"
"Well then… she's probably around 18 inches. It's always gets a little harder to be exact when they are squashed into such a small space… Her skin wrinkles will have started to disappear, the skin becomes smoother and becomes a pinky colour. She's looking more and more like a newborn baby with every passing day," confirmed Clara. "How is your breathing?"
Gabby tried to laugh, if she was honest everything was so much harder these days. Breathing like she would have a few months ago was a distant memory. "I can't even get up the stairs without feeling completely winded," she confessed.
"I have offered to move the bed downstairs so she doesn't have to walk those stairs," interjected Matt, a wide smile plastered on his face. Clara chuckled along with him, an indigent look passed over Gabby's face.
"He says that now -"
"I would!"
"You didn't see the hassle it was to even get that bed upstairs," Gabby lent forward the best she could to speak to Clara.
"I'm a firefighter -" Matt puffed out his chest slightly, "Between Sev and me, we would have been fine."
Gabby turned to laugh at him, shaking her head all the while. "So yes, there are plenty of times that I'm running out of breath."
Clara nodded along sympathetically, "Breathlessness, unfortunately, it is quite common at this point of any pregnancy. Basically, it's caused by that growing uterus of yours, which has moved and flattening many of the organs around it. Not to mention that your lungs are compressed too and they just can't open as well when you're breathing in as they usually do. On a positive note - this will all go back to normal once the baby arrives. If the breathlessness gives you too much trouble you can try out this exercise to see if it will work for you. Take the cat's pose - so on your knees and lean on your hands, relax your back and shoulders, take a slow deep breath, and then slowly breathe out."
Gabby nodded rubbing slow circles over the top of her belly.
"So at this point Gabby you're entering your final weeks," Clara started as she opened up her appointment calendar whilst Gabby nodded along. "I want to start seeing you for weekly visits… Nothing out of the ordinary," she hastened to add noticing that Matt had opened up his mouth, a concerned look on his face. "It's at this point when you're nearly at a month to go that we start weekly monitoring… Questions?"
"I know you mentioned that I couldn't travel by plane anymore, not that we were ever planning on it, but what if I need to travel a few hours out of Chicago?"
"Where are you planning on going?" Matt interrupted.
"Nowhere in particular," confessed Gabby, "I wanted to know just in case… Never know where your alderman job might take us." Matt screwed up his face, knowing that there was nothing coming up on the calendar that would be taking them anywhere.
"It would be okay in terms of where you're positioned Gabby. Medically there is nothing to suggest that you couldn't drive or at least sit in the car for a few hours. But I would be listening to your body Gabby, plenty of aches already without being stuck in one position," advised Clara. "The best piece of advice that I give to women who are eight and a half months pregnant is just that - you are eight and a half months pregnant. Listen to your body. There's nothing any of us can say that will change that or can even explain to you. Just because something worked for a friend or someone you know - that doesn't mean it will work for you. Listen to your body - it will tell you if you go too far. Better than I ever could. I've seen patients who could run a half marathon at this point and then I've had others who were on bed rest by this point…"
"Half marathon?" Matt interjected. "Gabby gets winded walking up the stairs!"
"So I could still haul ass into a burning building or scale the ladder?" joked Gabby. The look of horror that passed over Matt's face caused her to bite her lip in an attempt to hold the laughter in.
"Well, I don't know if I would go that far Gabby," Clara laughed.
"Your lieutenant wouldn't allow it…"
"Ambo babe, not Truck," she reminded him sweetly, tapping her temple as if it was an out for her.
"So Gabby, last few bits of advice remember I want to see you weekly until you are ready to deliver. Eating by this point; you should probably eat more often, just give enough time in between your meals-"
"How long is enough time?" interrupted Matt lurching forward. Gabby chuckled slightly as she reached a hand over to his knee giving it a sharp squeeze.
"Do you need to continually interrupt?" she jested. "You know if you waited for another sentence, Clara would probably answer your question, right Clara?" Gabby raised her eyebrows questioningly.
Clara nodded slightly. She was going to miss them when Gabby finally had her baby, it had been an interesting seven or eight months with the Caseys. Matt was attentive, "So my top tips at this point of your pregnancy - eat more often, it's not worth the heartburn for either you or the discomfort for baby. I want you to rest, do easy exercises, but at the same time limit any physical activity that you might be doing - there is always a slight risk of premature labour if the activity is too physical…"
"See! You need to listen to Doctor Peterson," interjected Matt.
"I'm sure it will be fine," insisted Gabby. "Remember the half marathon story from earlier? What else Clara?"
"I know you've probably heard it all before but do not sleep on your back. I'm sure that it's fairly uncomfortable for you anyway. But it's not good for your circulation system with the weight of your uterus and baby, not to mention that it's just another thing to add to all of that back pain. But most importantly it can affect the oxygen supply to the baby, best to sleep on your left side. Any Braxton Hicks yet?"
Gabby shook her head, she had been surprised that they hadn't happened yet. Only the other day had she been reading that some women started experiencing them very early in their pregnancies.
"Gabby, I'll be honest - it can be the most startling time in this time of your pregnancy. Likely they will be noticeable but not painful - it's all about your uterus getting ready for labour. Everything is your body getting ready for the next stage. The length of these contractions shouldn't be any longer than two minutes and they won't be regular like real contractions. Home stretch now Gabby."
Slowly but surely Gabby reached out for Matt's hand looking for a reassuring squeeze. One that was provided moments later. Neither of them could quite believe that in a matter of weeks they would be holding their little baby.
Matt woke with a start, looking over at the bedside table clock he noticed it was only 3:55 in the morning. There was a chill in the air he could feel, even through the blankets on the bed. Turning, he couldn't find Gabby.
He could make out her silhouette in the bathroom, the lights on low. From his position sitting in bed, he could see that she was bent over the sink, evidently with her forearms resting on the cool material. He couldn't believe that that beautiful creature was his wife. And was carrying his child. Closer, closer, closer they were going to become parents.
There had been times over the last few years that he wasn't sure if they would make it. Some of those times were stronger than others. When they lost their first child, there were some dark days that had him wondering if they would be able to claw themselves back from. But people were right when they said 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' It had been hard, really hard. But it was worth it, he thought to himself as he turned his eyes back to his wife. The light behind her meant he couldn't see her fine features, it didn't matter however - she was beautiful. It took his breath away just thinking about it.
Coming back from the bathroom, Gabby could make out the slightly awake Matt, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. She knew that they both needed some sleep, something that she was sorely lacking at the moment. She had heard the last few weeks could be hellish - but nothing to this standard; she would never have believed it if she wasn't experiencing it herself.
"Gabs…" Matt jumped out of bed to help her back in, an arm rushing to curl around her waist. "Wow, you've officially crossed the threshold and are now officially huge."
If she could muster the strength she likely would have punched him in the arm, but at this time of the morning and lacking all the sleep from weeks of not being able to get a full night's sleep it wasn't going to happen. She had to settle instead for giving him her best glare, no matter how sleepy she felt.
"Babe?" Gabby hollered out from their bathroom, struggling with the back zipper of her dress. Who thought it was a good idea to put a long zipper on the back of a maternity dress? Must have been a male. "Help?" she called out as the heavy footsteps of Matt started to sound closer.
A half smile flashed over Matt's face as he made his way to the zip. Sliding his warm hands down her barely sleeved arms, he started to press kisses onto any bare skins that he could find. Without being able to help it Gabby barely managed to stop a yawn escaping.
"Babe?" Matt gently questioned applying a small amount of pressure to the small of her back causing Gabby to take a few steps towards their bed.
"It's okay Matt," Gabby twisted slightly to press a quick kiss to his lips. Matt smiled wryly as he helped her sit on the bed. "I've been sitting around this house all day. I've got a burst of energy and you need to allow me to do this. Support me here Matt." She was bordering on whining.
"Gabby I know you want to be useful," Matt started carefully, knowing that this conversation had the ability to venture into very dangerous territory. "And there's nothing that I can say that is going to change that. But think about it, in just a few months you'll be back at the firehouse…"
"But that's a few months away Matt… And in a few weeks Smudge will be here and life as we know it will change. Even when I go back to the firehouse, that's going to be different. Who knows when things are going to settle down? Matt-" Gabby reached over to squeeze his hand, "I don't know when I'm going to be able to work at Molly's… Molly's that I own. We both know that having a baby means I won't be able to be there night after night. So let me do this, while I still can. Let me help out and do my job."
"Gabby, you're five weeks away from giving birth," insisted Matt, hoping to convince her to maybe just go, spend some time with their friends and then have an early night.
"Five weeks," repeated Gabby, "That's over a month. Who knows if I'll even have this much energy next week or tomorrow. Come on Matt, just one more night," she tried to compromise. "I'll do tonight at Molly's and then we can talk about how I feel when we get home. I won't move from behind the bar. Doctor Peterson said I should listen to my body, and I am… It will be fine!"
Matt let out a defeated sigh and nodded slightly. Once Gabby had a thought in her mind it would be very hard to shift her, best to just let her go and keep an eye on her. "Come on then," he held out a hand to help her up and together they headed towards the door.
Stella had been shocked when Gabby and Matt had walked through the door into a crowded Molly's that night. She had been sure that Gabby would have stopped working the bar long before tonight, but when she had protested to this thought Gabby had waved her off, mumbling something about all of the truck members being in on the same complaint.
For the first short while, possibly the first hour or so, Gabby seemed fine. She was full of energy and manoeuvring around the bar with ease. Stella and Herrmann had been trying to cover most of the heavier work and had sent out Otis to clean the tables to ensure that Gabby wouldn't venture out that way. Herrmann knew Gabby only too well if she saw things that needed to be done; she would no matter what the job was. And at eight months pregnant balancing trays of beer shouldn't be high on the list.
But over the last half an hour or so Stella had begun to notice that Gabby was tiring. She wasn't moving as freely as she was from the time she had walked in and Stella had noticed that Casey had tried to step in once or twice to get her to sit down for a little while, but Gabby had simply waved him off. Someone needed to say something to her. Stella remembered Gabby complaining a number of times that Casey had been telling her what to do and when to stop work. Gabby was very similar to her in that sense - both were strong headed and sure of themselves. But still -
"Girl," Stella sighed as she watched Gabby try and kick the dropped cloth towards the bar. But Gabby wasn't going to listen to her, even still she tried to hook her foot underneath it, thinking she might be able to get it in the air again. Nope! Her balance was out and Gabby wasn't even able to lift her foot into a kicking motion. Instead, she had to catch her balance on the back bar to stop from toppling forward.
Huffing slightly, Gabby's hand went to her back, pushing into a sore spot wondering if she would be able to bend backwards towards the floor, her other rest on the top of her belly. It had worked in the past, she couldn't understand why people were making sure that she was okay. What did they think she was doing all day? Sitting with her feet up? Gabby was getting on with her life and making sure that everything was in place for Smudge's arrival.
"Woah," Stella called out as she reached out to catch onto Gabby's elbow. Watching Gabby open her mouth, likely intent on protesting, Stella intervened and swiped up the offending item from the floor and threw it towards the back till.
"I could have gotten it," Gabby huffed.
"I'm not saying you couldn't, but Gabby we can be here without you. Between the three of us, we will make it work. None of us want you to leave, and don't even think this is about us being able to cope without you," Stella rushed to add seeing Gabby open her mouth to complain. "Girl, this is about doing what is best for you and your little baby…"
"Stella, I'm fine."
"Really?" Stella raised an eyebrow, "Gabby I'm not saying that you couldn't work an entire shift, but why should you?"
"You don't get it…"
"No, I don't," agreed Stella, "But Gabby I've been watching you, you look tired. Don't try and deny it; I can see it. Let Casey take you home and look after you. If you really want to come in and work, then come in for a few hours. You don't need to work an entire shift – we do pay staff for these things. We will find a way to cope."
Gabby sighed deeply, her hand going to her belly as a slight pain shook her. Gabby closed her eyes momentarily, that was new. "Fine," she admitted defeat. If this was the second person to tell her in the same night, maybe she needed to listen. "Let me finish out tonight though," she bargained. Not even waiting around to hear the answer Gabby moved off to start serving a customer near the taps and started a conversation with Otis.
Gabby stopped in the middle of her sentence, a hand going swiftly to her belly. Antonio glanced over at his little sister, a concerned look gracing his features. He had overheard Stella talking her down, and there had been conversations with Matt about how stubborn she had been over giving up work - both here and with the fire department. It wasn't that they were all trying to hover, rather they all knew that Gabby worked hard and fast; nothing was ever too much for her.
A beat later, Gabby continued on her conversation with Otis and handed over the drink to a waiting patron. Antonio kept his eyes trained on her as she placed the money in the till and started another conversation with Otis. In those short five minutes, he watched as her hands first clenched around the wooden edge of the bar and then flexed and clenched in on themselves several times. When she did it one more time, Antonio decided it was enough, his sister had turned her back on the crowd slipped a hand to her underbelly and he could see her lips moving muttering something to herself.
Again Gabby felt a ripple of pain causing her to almost lose her breath as she had when Smudge would kick her ribs. Noticing that both Kidd and Otis were occupied serving and Herrmann was out the back, she spun on her spot to face the back wall. Urging herself not to bend over the bar knowing that would cause a scene, her breathing started to slow and steady itself. This was different from the usual aches and pains. If she had to describe it, it was like someone had wrapped a sheet around her belly and was pulling on it very tightly.
Glancing down at her watch she noted that not as much time had passed as she had originally thought. To her, she had been standing in this one position for at least five minutes, however, not even a minute had passed her by. Letting out another shaky breath Gabby finally turned around praying that the pain had finally left her.
Antonio waved her over, Gabby hadn't noticed him even come in. She was sure that he was spending the weekend with Eva and Diego, Laura was busy with some event that Gabby wasn't too sure what it was. It was hard enough for her to even keep track of her own life at the moment.
"Drink?" she questioned as she slowly made her way over to the corner where Antonio was seated.
Without a reply he regarded his sister, eyes running up and down her body, concern growing as Gabby leaned against the bar counter heavily, her weight going forward. Antonio's eyebrow raised in concern in answer to Gabby's own questioning look. To any onlooker it was amazing the way the Dawson siblings communicated; sometimes it was almost exclusively in looks.
"What?" she finally exclaimed, even without words Antonio could be annoying.
"I should be asking you… What is going on?" Gabby refused a reply, preferring only to brush him off with a glance around the bar. "I overheard you and Kidd. You really should listen to her, slowing down isn't a bad idea."
"Well," she huffed, "if your big ears managed to hear that, you should have heard that I agreed with Stella that I wouldn't do another shift"
"And it doesn't take a detective to see that you're struggling tonight Gabs," Antonio reached over the bar to capture her wrist to make sure she didn't disappear away.
"Don't know what you're talking about Detective," fobbed off Gabby. Her body was feeling heavy, her legs sore and the best thing she could do right now was change the position she currently stood in. She needed to find a way to get the weight off her feet. Maybe standing for an entire shift at the bar wasn't her finest idea. Maybe just half of the time would be been better, not that she was going to be admitting that to her older brother.
"Are you sure you're okay?" he prodded again. "You looked like you were in some pain there."
"It's nothing," she insisted.
"Nothing?" A raised eyebrow, "Nothing?"
"Nothing 'Tonio. I'm 35 weeks pregnant and your little nephew or niece isn't giving me a moment's peace."
"Exactly 35 weeks, maybe you need to be seeing someone. Maybe my little nephew is in a little…"
"Antonio Dawson, don't you even think about finishing that sentence," warned Gabby.
"He looks a little lower," reasoned Antonio, "And I saw the way you clenched up there…"
"I've got five weeks to go. Smudge is not coming early."
"Gabs…"
"No Antonio I am f-" a gasp left her lips as the tightening started again. She doubled over from her hips, hand fast finding the edge of the counter. Her breathing started to shake more as the breaths expelled were shaky.
Antonio sprang into motion. Quickly and without fuss, he moved around the counter to pull his sister into his own body. "Hima, breathe."
Gabby's hand started a circling motion around her belly, pulling herself more upright. "I'm okay Tonio… Fine. Nothing's wrong…" Closing her eyes she continued on, "Don't make a scene."
"Come on," he started to usher her off of the bar, waving off Kidd who was approaching them, concern painted across her face. "All good Kidd, think she's done for the night… Case?" his voice became a little louder, "Meet us outside?" he confirmed, motioning with his head towards the door, wanting to keep Gabby out of the spotlight.
"What's going on?" Matt questioned rushing towards the Dawson siblings, the cold wind hitting his face. "Gabby?" his hands started to race around her belly almost in an attempt to see if he could feel anything wrong. Stopping slightly so he could look her straight in the eyes, Gabby's eyes were downcast.
"She's been in a bit of pain," Antonio confirmed as Matt looked over with questions in his eyes. "Help me get her into the car?"
"Antonio! No! Do not make a scene - I don't need to go anywhere," the harsh words left her mouth as she found herself being moved toward her car flanked by the two men in her life that she was closest to.
"Gabby, baby…" Matt paused as they reached the passenger's side of the car, "Hey, look at me." Matt bent slightly to grab her face with his hands doing so allowed him to see the fear that was registered on her face. "Let's just go to Med and see what's going on, hey?"
Gabby squeezed her eyes shut for a moment thinking it over, trying to keep the tears at bay. Day by day she was finding that she was less and less in control. It was still something that she was coming to terms with. Blowing a breath out she finally nodded, hearing the car door open.
"Love you hima," Antonio whispered as he pulled her in for one last hug. "Matt," he clapped his hand down on Matt's shoulder reaching in for a half hug, "Let me know, yeah?"
Matt nodded as he reached out for Gabby's hand to assist her into the car. These days the slightly larger SUV wasn't as easy to get into as her previous silver car. Once Smudge made his appearance the car would be good; just trying to manoeuvre a burgeoning belly in and out wasn't always the smoothest task for Gabby.
"Okay?" he questioned.
"Not something that I've ever felt before," Gabby admitted as she blew out another breath. Matt nodded tightly shutting the door firmly.
As he rushed around the hood of her dark car, Gabby's hand slid down to the underside of her belly. Her entire stomach contracted with pain radiating from the top of her belly all the way to the bottom. Squeezing her eyes shut tightly, she kept repeating to herself that it was going to be okay and it was going to pass.
"Gabby?" Maggie's voice greeted the couple as Gabby shuffled into the ER. She had insisted that she wanted to come through the back entrance, in the hope of minimizing the fuss that would be made. Matt wasn't going to hear any of that and was heading straight for the charge nurse. Maggie started towards them, noticing the grimace of pain that Gabby's face still bore.
"April - call Doctor Manning. I'm taking Gabby into a room…" Maggie ordered handing over her phone. "I've got this for now. You okay here?" Upon the nod, Maggie ushered them into the exam room and closed the door firmly.
"Putting your midwife skills back into use?" Gabby tried to joke as she slid up the bed.
"Got to keep them sharp… What's happening Gabby?" she raised her eyebrows.
"Just some pain…"
"Some pain," interjected Matt from his spot. "A pain that she hadn't felt before."
"Across your belly?" Maggie questioned, draping a blanket over her legs so she could pull up the dress that Gabby wore. "How many weeks gone?"
"Thirty five," confirmed Gabby.
"I'm thinking Braxton Hicks," mentioned Maggie as the baby's heartbeat filled the room. "Seems steady and okay… Let's wait for Doctor Manning to do a quick exam."
"Quick exam?" questioned Matt.
"I just want to check everything out." Natalie Manning entered the room, washing her hands. "So Gabby, Matt, just couldn't wait to see us again?" she took the ultrasound in that Maggie still had on the screen. "Everything looks good there - how's the pain now?"
"Nothing more than aches and pains now - normal ones." Natalie nodded along sympathetically.
"I'm sure your OB has gone through all this with you," started Maggie as she helped Gabby on with a gown. "Braxton Hicks contractions work to tone the uterus, but they don't result in dilating the cervix, which is why they aren't considered as true labour. The intensity of Braxton Hicks remains the same, but true labour contractions continue to get worse, no matter what you do. Braxton Hicks can come on without warning, and they are rarely consistent. True contractions will keep coming at regular intervals, and will gradually get closer together… Experiencing any of this? Nothing consistent?"
Gabby nodded as she re-settled herself on the bed, reaching for Matt's hand as Natalie started her examination. "I only felt them in my belly, is that normal?"
Maggie and Natalie nodded, "Yes Braxton Hicks are usually along the front of your uterus. Real contractions will often start at the top and move down and might wrap around to your back. As they get stronger, your whole body feels involved… Everything that you're telling us is indicating that you're just experiencing Braxton Hicks - especially the fact that you are talking and breathing through the pain so easily," Maggie laughed. "Just you wait," she tapped Gabby's still bent knee, "When labour actually starts those contractions will probably take your breath away and you will find it hard to speak or even think during the height of your pain."
Matt laughed nervous, still not sure if everything was okay with the baby and Gabby. "Gabby, not speak? That will be new."
Natalie shook her head slightly as she pulled off her gloves motioning for her relax her legs. "No signs of early labour Gabby. Everything seems fine." Gabby let out a sigh of relief that she didn't know she was still holding. Even at 35 weeks, there had been a fear of something going wrong even at this really late stage.
"Is there anything that we can do?" Matt asked, grasping Gabby's hand just a little tighter. Natalie and Maggie shared a look; the doctor allowing Maggie to take the lead, after all, she was a paediatrician.
"There are a few things if they get really bad or are just really strong. Sink into a warm bath and relax with a good book. Often the relaxation and the distraction can make them ease. Change your activity. The more you move with Braxton Hicks, the less likely they are to continue or even just change up your position – if you are sitting down, stand up. If you are lying down, sit up. A change in position will often banish the contractions altogether. Go with slow, deep breathing, just as if you are actually labour. This can help you deal with the discomfort, as well as giving you a chance to practice the breathing technique for labour. Drink plenty of water if the Braxton Hicks keep coming because you might be dehydrated. Not having enough liquid in your body is one of the reasons why Braxton Hicks show up, sleep with a bottle of water next to you…"
"Feel like I should be writing these down," laughed Gabby. "Don't even think about it," she warned Matt when she noticed that he was fishing his phone out his pocket.
Natalie laughed slightly, "If it's any help I didn't get them the whole way through with Owen, but when I did start having Braxton Hicks they were really painful. I can only tell you what worked for me - I drank plenty of water but that didn't seem to help. For some reason, lying down on my left side immediately made them stop. Now I know that lying down is the key for me to make them go away." If you are having these all the time, it might be a sign that it's time to slow down. I had them over and over until I went on maternity leave, and after I was able to sit down at home for days with my feet up, they went away. I didn't have another contraction until real labour began."
"Good thing that I've started my leave then," Gabby quipped.
"Probably for the best at this point," Natalie commented allowing Gabby to sit fully upright. "Always good to be at home, taking it easy."
"Says the person who worked right up until her water broke," laughed Maggie. Matt's eye widened at the comment, every other person in the room watching as the cogs started turning in his mind trying to form words.
"No, no, no. Owen was a little early. Plus I was already at the hospital," reassured Natalie. "Gabby, any other concerns?"
Taking a deep breath, Gabby shook her head. She was now ready for her own bed, all that energy that she had earlier disappeared.
"Okay," nodded Natalie. "Look I want to keep you under observation for a few hours and in the meantime, I'll get your discharge papers ready. But you come back or call me if you have any concerns…" Looking from one parent to the other, "Either of you."
"Come on, let's get you to bed," Matt reasoned as they walked through the door after being discharged from Med. Once Nat was happy that Gabby had enough rest and was feeling a bit stronger she had sent them home with strict orders to slow down and rest.
Gabby shook her head as she leaned heavily into Matt's side. Almost automatically his hand went to the small of her back. "Okay, the couch for a little while then… I know it's hard Gabs," he offered as he gently helped her onto the couch pulling over coffee table closer so she could put her feet up. "Gabs, you just need to slow down a bit."
He regarded her for another beat before pulling out his cell to let Antonio what had happened promising him that he would get Gabby to ring him in the morning so the older Dawson's mind could be put at ease.
Gabby nodded, with a slight tear in her eye. A beat later she pulled him down to the couch so she could snuggle up to him. "I'm just so uncomfortable Matt," Gabby sighed against Matt's chest. Her hand moved across her belly down to the space between her hip bone and belly and started to press down. Instinctively Matt's larger hands pushed hers away to take over the massaging.
"I can only imagine Gabby…"
In preparation for birth, he is now upside down in your uterus.
Hope you enjoyed. I promise you won't have to wait until next Christmas to meet Smudge. Press that little review button and tell me what yo think :P
Merry Christmas all!