24 weeks - 29 weeks - what I did

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This is what I did, it may not make sense to others. You have to do what your body feels comfortable with. I've learned to try to listen to my body.
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I started out this timeframe with harsh kicks, bh contx and some cramping a few days after I hit 24 weeks.
I didn't want to go to L&D as they don't know my history and I don't trust emergency room drs. I'm not sure if they admit you to L&D first (and wait for your dr) or if they would do what they did to me last time I went in. For example, I wouldn't want them to do a manual check. Last time my water had broken and they did a manual check - which can actually cause infection from what I have read on the internet.
So I felt sick on a sunday night, but opted not to go. Next day I went in for an emegency obgyn appt (peri wasn't in town and i'm not sure he would have seen me anyway - they push problems to the obgyn first). Of course, my obgyn has to be booked weeks in advanced (or months) and then even sometimes he is in surgery or delivering babies. I saw a nurse practioner which didn't help my nerves. Long story short since I posted this around that timeframe. I was diagnosed with BV (bacterial vaginosis) and a UTI. They found blood in my urine and it was very cloudy. The BV was causing the cramping and she saw discharge when she looked up into my vagina. I had no discharge at all. It scares me sometimes because my body doesn't typically have the *normal* symptoms others do. If I am sick I don't get a fever unless i'm about to die - ok I'm exaggerating. But even if i had a kidney infection or something serious my body would try to control it on its own and i would not have symptoms. I rarely ever get sick. So this is not good when you are looking for symptoms like fever or discharge and not having that...
I think this period was the hardest or maybe between 20 and 24 weeks. I felt 'ok i've made it to viability' but I didn't feel confident if I delivered around this time. Getting the diagnosis of BV and UTI had me googling and seeing that they could causes preterm labor. I had originally planned to do more around this time but after reading that I was overly cautious for weeks.
Also, I posted before I hit 24wks on the IC site I frequent asking about getting lenient around 24 wks. (and by getting more lenient I was going to start doing stairs twice a week). Most of the girls said if they ever did bedrest to do it between 24 and 28 or 24 and 32 weeks. To me, that was hard to hear because I had been good and doing bedrest since my cerclage at 12w4d when most of the girls on there don't put themselves on bedrest at all until things start going downhill. Some of their drs believe in bedrest, but my peri doesn't sound as cautious as some of their drs.
A girl on this site is 3 weeks ahead of me and she has been pretty strict with her bedrest like me. We talk and we had pretty much the same strategy (no stairs, ,showers every few days, etc). She lost twins last year in December and went through IVF/FET and transferred only one embryo this time. Recently she went to L&D and they put her on bedrest. I'm sure she felt like me that she had been so good this entire time and then she had bedrest anyway. Sometimes I think this will happen to me...I'm praying I don't have to do hospital bedrest, but I have been doing more.
So back to my point about timeline - IC rears its ugly head between 16 and 24 weeks (sometimes earlier like me). BUT 24-28 weeks is imperative for baby development, so you don't want to go into labor then. A lot of girls on the IC site have gone into labor between this period and had premies. I figure if I have been good this long, I could do a few more weeks.
So I decided to continue being conservative from 24-28weeks because of the infections. I did go out to dinner at 27 weeks (with my feet up on another chair) and did go over to my father in law's once a week during this time - to take a shower and visit him. Was inclined on his recliner the whole time... I stopped going outside my house to take a shower - at work - maybe around 25 or 26 weeks. It was perfect timing as it was starting to get colder outside and I didn't want to leave with wet hair. I could take a blow dryer, but that would mean standing up - my hair takes FOREVER to dry even with a blow dryer. I can't stand up for 30 min straight, etc.
I started taking a shower about the same - every 3 days until 28 weeks. 28 weeks I went upstairs and took a shower and stayed upstairs for a few days. I did a shower for 3 days straight - so nice. I probably took a shower during this timeframe every 2 days or so (after 28 weeks)
28-29 weeks I started going upstairs twice a week, I believe. This means I could take more showers. :)
29 weeks I went out for my birthday - DH dropped me off at the front of the restaurant and I sat outside until he parked. We went to a nice place - we had been planning it for awhile to go out if everything was ok with my cervical length.
Cervical length check at 28w5d was great so I kept doing what I was doing. Next check is at 32w3d and I plan to do stairs more before that time and then see how I'm reacting to it. If at any point, going upstairs puts me to have bh contx I would do less. Going down is fine.
I'm not sure what other helpful info I can put on here. Oh, I did start cooking more - maybe a meal once a week and nothing to difficult to cook.