ER visit =(

On Thursday morning, I was at work and started cramping really bad. It wasn't like the small cramps I've been experiencing throughout the pregnancy so far. They hurt really bad and I had to stop working to sit back and try and breathe through them. They were concentrated in my lower right abdomen too. I was cramping for about 2 hours when I finally called my clinic and asked to speak with the nurse triage helpline. I gave them my symptoms and basically went through a series of questions with nothing standing out as unusual. It's been a pretty easy, storybook pregnancy so far. The nurse scared the crap out of me when she told me I should go to the ER. I asked if I could just go to the doctor or OB but she said they didn't have any OB's on staff and they don't have ultrasound equipment at the clinic and she thought I really needed an ultrasound. I also asked if I should just wait it out and she still said "absolutely not! you're 17 1/2 weeks pregnant, you need to go in". She was not very friendly on the phone and kept insisting I go. I got emotional, of course, started balling and called my mom. I asked her opinion and what she thought I should do. She agreed and said I should go in and would feel better if I did and said I would feel better too. I was still pretty shook up and couldn't stop crying. I told people at work I had to leave but it was probably nothing. So, I drove to Mercy hospital and my mom met me there. Justin also offered to come, but I told him he didn't have to.
When we got in, I was apparently on the priority list. I'll tell ya what-if you're ever going to the ER for something, tell them you're pregnant. You get in right away. After going through a series of questions and having my temperature taken and blood pressure taken, I was brought back to my own private room with a TV. I had about 4 different people coming in and out of the room, asking me questions and asking me to pee in a cup whenever possible. One of the nurses brought in a fetal doppler and warned me that she's not a pro at it and if we don't hear the baby's heartbeat right away or at all, it doesn't mean anything, because she can't always find it. That was pretty nerve-wracking. She found it within a minute and it made me tear up. My fears were put to rest. Baby was still alive and kicking. Heart rate was about 158-perfect! Finally the ER doctor came in and told me he wanted to do the ultrasound. He brought in the machine which he said was not too high-tech. It wasn't the expensive 86,000 dollar machine most places use, only b/c the ER needs them for basic reasons-ensure the baby is moving, etc. So, he started the ultrasound and right away, could tell the baby was moving. In fact, the baby was moving so much I guess that he couldn't measure the heartrate from the U/S. Ha ha. I was really happy. My mom starting tearing up as usual. =) The baby was sucking its thumb too. It was really cute. He printed off one picture for me. I asked if he could tell the sex of the baby at this point and he said he wasn't an expert and wouldn't be able to. It was probably for the best, since Justin wasn't there, but of course, I'm still dying to know! Anyways, after the results came back from the pee test, they said everything was fine and I could go home. They didn't really give me an answer as to why I had the cramping and of course, all of the pain stopped the minute I started to go to the ER. Ugh. Why does that happen? Anyways, I was glad I went because it put my mind at ease and now I won't wonder if something was wrong for 2 1/2 more weeks until the 20 week U/S. (which as of tomorrow, will only be 2 weeks!) YAY!
On a side note, I wanted to share a cute thing the daddy-to-be said this morning. He went to Target to return something and came back and while standing in the kitchen he tells me, "I looked at all the baby clothes at Target today" with a big smile on his face. That was all he really said, but just the way he said it, it was so cute. I can tell he's getting really excited. I think the bigger my tummy gets, the more it reminds him there's a baby in there and on its way. =)