35 Week Doctor Appointment

Today was my 35 week doctor appointment. Since my last regular appointment I have been to the doctor 3 or 4 times (I've lost count) because of contractions or follow up from contractions. I so badly want the doctor to tell me at _____ weeks he would be ok and wouldn't have to stay in the hospital longer than me, but she won't say it. I completely understand why but it would give me some mental relief and it would keep me from googling and reading other people's stories about delivering early, how the steroids helped, etc.

I found out today I am 2 - 2 1/2 cm dilated and about the same on thinned so about 25%. They have me taking medicine 3 times a day to stop the contractions and unless I am resting all day she wants me to increase it to 4 times a day. I asked when I could stop taking the medicine and she said take it for another week, but also to rest, rest, rest.

I asked about if I went into labor and she said at this point he is past all the major concerns so they wouldn't stop my labor but he may have to stay in NICU for a few days. I feel like from talking to her and her telling me I can quit taking the medicine in a week that after 36 weeks he probably would not have to stay in NICU.

I am worried about the big kids when I am in the hospital. They can't miss school for several days so if I have him during the week they will have to stay at home to go to school and try to make life as normal as possible for them. So I really want to have him on a Friday. They would miss one day of school and then I'd be back home before they went back to school on Monday. I expressed this to the doctor today and she told me the hospital has a new policy and will not let them schedule to induce unless I have a medical reason before 39 weeks which would be the soonest they'd induce me is March 12th, and I don't see me holding out that long. She did say if I come in and I'm 4 cm they will keep me or if I am 3 cm & the monitor shows mountains they'd keep me. I have contractions pretty regular most days, but they aren't painful so I don't say a lot about them. However, the nurse says they may not be painful but they are progressing me so if I have them 5-10 minutes apart for an hour to call. Basically every night at bedtime I should call but my solution has been go to sleep and if they wake me up, call or call the next morning if they keep up. Who wants to spend the night in the hospital, get no sleep and just get sent home the next morning?? Not me!! Besides I have 3 kids in the bed and I don't want their lives being shook up when it's not "time".

Tonight my feet are swollen and very uncomfortable. Hopefully in the morning they will have gone down some and not bother me.

I go back to the doctor next Monday unless something happens before then and we will see how things look then. I am so over the uncertainty of how much longer.