So, when I had the amnio done, I had been experiencing cramping (much like menstrual cramps, only not quite as severe as mine can be) all morning long. Which I told the doctors. What I didn’t say (because I didn’t think it was significant) was that I was having to go to the bathroom A LOT.* And most of the time when I did, there was very little or no pee. In my defense, they didn’t seem concerned or much interested in the cramping other than the fact that it might interfere with the amnio so I figured it was nothing to worry about.
Yesterday, I woke up with more cramping and nausea. I looked in my pregnancy book about contractions and, guess what? Cramping + frequent (but often ineffective) urination = Go to the doctor because you probably have a bladder infection (UTIs can cause uterine contractions due to the bladder’s proximity to the uterus). So, I called the ob and made an appt. for that morning. Since they were squeezing me in, I wouldn’t see my OB but another one. The doctor was lovely and she checked everything out to make sure everything was as it should be (pelvic exam and vaginal probe ultrasound + regular ultrasound), had me pee in a cup and did a quick test for UTI (negative) and sent the urine sample out for cultures. She was kind and respectful and the whole thing was in every way the antithesis of the damn amnio office.
The result is that if the culture comes back positive or if my symptoms get more severe in the next day or so I will be put on antibiotics. In the meantime, I should take it easy and continue to follow the post-amnio instructions: no lifting anything over 20 lbs, no air travel, no exercise and no sex (considering how painful the insertion of the probe was, that will definitely not be a problem). But, I didn’t need to continue bed rest and I could use a heating pad and acetaminophen for the cramps if I wanted. So, I’ve been taking it easy and trying to drink a lot of fluids to flush this thing out.
The worst of all of this is that, before all this drama, I was getting to a place that I didn’t mind being pregnant. I didn’t feel as bad as in the first trimester, I wasn’t sleeping all of the time, and I didn’t have a nasty cold. Things were looking pretty good. Now I’m back to the feeling that pregnancy sucks. I told Husband today, “The only way we are having a second child is if you get pregnant because I’m not ever doing this again.”
*Really, bladder infection didn’t even occur to me because 1) no burning when I peed and 2) pregnant women are supposed to have to pee a lot.
I Love Science, Really 