Hello kids. I have been too dopey & itchy to post in a few days.

Let me break it up a little.

PUPPP or the rash from hell: Turns out this condition is rare. Lucky me. I am convinced that I have done something terrible in order to have earned this torture. Why me? Where is the lesson in this? What part in the plan? Needless to say it continues to spread like crazy. It is now around my back, up my chest, down my arms and moving down my legs. The cream I fear is not helping. I was given a prescription for sleeping/antihistamine. It does make me sleepy but doesn't relieve the burning. So it's a weird surreal kind of unconscious. I wake every two hours but am too dopey to do anything about it.

Progress towards natural labor: At Tuesday's midwife appointment and today's check I hadn't budged at all. Been having very mild contractions and nothing regular. I am so hot at night I asked for a thyroid screen. The tests came back normal.

Today's news: Went in for a follow-up check of my amniotic fluid level. Bad news is that it is lower than last Wednesday when we were worried. I have been doing my bedrest and drinking like crazy. But I guess stress is keeping me from replenishing. So I was sent upstairs again and put on the monitor. The decision was made to get me ready for labor. They applied Misoprostol to help soften and ripen my cervix. I couldn't get up for two hours so that meant limited fluids. Thankfully Erika showed up after my two hours with a cherry slurpee! She also brought me a giant ice pack because I was burning up and my back was itching like crazy. I then had to lay down for another two hours. We ordered dinner and hung out together. She got to hear and feel Peanut with the hiccups. Through it all Peanut was doing great on the monitor. Right near the end of the four hours I had some real contractions. A lot of pressure with a little pain, just like a menstrual cramp. They weren't steady though and I haven't felt one in a while now.
So I am home for the night. I am repacking my suitcase in a more organized fashion, taking a shower and going to bed. We are due at the hospital in the morning. They will check me again, possibly give me more cervical ripening meds and start the pitocin to bring on labor. No matter what they will keep me all day. If I am not rolling along I get sent home again and the next day we do it all over again. Worst case scenario is that it takes three days.

So everyone do your "Dance Of the Ripening Cervix" accompanied on the pan flute by "Song Of the Progressive Labor." Together we can have this baby!!