another night in l&d
Well, I'm that dumb girl that goes to the doctor like, every week. But seriously, the short cervix thing has me super paranoid.
Monday and Tuesday I just felt sort of "off." I don't even really know how to explain it. Slight increased pressure, back pain, increased contractions that were actually a little painful, and just crummy in general. Monday night I thought, if I can't sleep or if I feel bad tomorrow, I'll call the doctor and perhaps go in to be checked out.
Monday was okay, but by night time I felt crummy again. Called the on-call midwife, and she said "better safe than sorry, go on in." So, around 8 pm, I went in.
They put me on the monitors, and the contractions were coming pretty regularly. They did tests for possible amniotic fluid leak, and tests were negative (that's good). They had me drink a boatload of water, and that seemed to slow things down pretty well. And all of these contractions were painless, just the hard-stomach kind. So then they measured my cervix, still 1.5 centimeters (bad, but unchanged, which is good), and they found that I was dilated to 1 centimeter. They didn't act concerned about this at all, but when I asked the nurse later, she said that at 32 weeks I should not be dilated at all.
Anyway, they were going to forego sending in the fetal fibronectin test and send me home, but then my back started hurting. Real bad. It was constant, and would get more intensely painful when a contraction would come. So that worried them. They sent in the fetal fibronectin test, and started me on some blood pressure medicine to slow the contractions (the heart and the uterus are both smooth muscle, so that's why it works).
The test came back positive. Now, this test is totally confusing to me. Negative means, there is a 90% chance you won't deliver in the next two weeks. Positive means there is a 1 in 6 chance that you will deliver in the next two weeks. Is that not confusing? So they also gave me the steroid shot to help baby girl's lungs develop, should she come in the next two weeks. Man, that thing hurt way more than the rhogam shot! We've decided we'd better get a carseat and put the crib together, because there is no guarantee that baby girl will wait until December to come.
So anyway, I got more comfortable in the bed, swapped the crappy hospital pillow for my own special one, and that made the back pain go away. And the contractions seemed to ease quite a bit too, some I couldn't even notice without watching them on the monitor. Once I was feeling better, they let me go home. My instructions were to come back between 11:00 pm Wednesday and noon Thursday to get the second shot. I was also given a prescription for the heart medication, and told that if I had more "unusual" contractions to take it, and if it didn't slow or stop the contractions, to come to the hospital. I'm not on bedrest, but supposed to take it easy. If I'm having contractions I'm supposed to stay home from work so I can be closer to the hospital. Oh, and more pelvic rest. Joy!
Two weird things happened there: first, the nurse said normally they do catheters. She let me do a cup sample instead. But I was like, really? I'm pretty sure I'm just fine and don't need a catheter. Second thing, related, when they wanted me to get hydrated, she said the RA would prefer if I did an IV. Again, I was like, really? I can drink water just fine thanks. I had to have a hand poke anyway, because the phlebotemist couldn't find my tiny arm vein, and the nurse was like, see? If you'd had an IV, you would have only been poked once. Why are they so obsessed with maximum-intrusiveness? And, I didn't see a midwife, the whole time. What the heck is the point of going to the midwife group if I'm never going to see them when things are actually real?
So we got home around 3:00 am. I took it easy today, did a little work at home, and have really felt fine. I know baby girl could be just fine born this early, but I would really love it (for her sake) if she could just hold on until 37 weeks. If she is born on October 31st, she will be named after her Grandma Grace, with whom she would share a birthday. Any other day? Names are still up in the air.
Monday and Tuesday I just felt sort of "off." I don't even really know how to explain it. Slight increased pressure, back pain, increased contractions that were actually a little painful, and just crummy in general. Monday night I thought, if I can't sleep or if I feel bad tomorrow, I'll call the doctor and perhaps go in to be checked out.
Monday was okay, but by night time I felt crummy again. Called the on-call midwife, and she said "better safe than sorry, go on in." So, around 8 pm, I went in.
They put me on the monitors, and the contractions were coming pretty regularly. They did tests for possible amniotic fluid leak, and tests were negative (that's good). They had me drink a boatload of water, and that seemed to slow things down pretty well. And all of these contractions were painless, just the hard-stomach kind. So then they measured my cervix, still 1.5 centimeters (bad, but unchanged, which is good), and they found that I was dilated to 1 centimeter. They didn't act concerned about this at all, but when I asked the nurse later, she said that at 32 weeks I should not be dilated at all.
Anyway, they were going to forego sending in the fetal fibronectin test and send me home, but then my back started hurting. Real bad. It was constant, and would get more intensely painful when a contraction would come. So that worried them. They sent in the fetal fibronectin test, and started me on some blood pressure medicine to slow the contractions (the heart and the uterus are both smooth muscle, so that's why it works).
The test came back positive. Now, this test is totally confusing to me. Negative means, there is a 90% chance you won't deliver in the next two weeks. Positive means there is a 1 in 6 chance that you will deliver in the next two weeks. Is that not confusing? So they also gave me the steroid shot to help baby girl's lungs develop, should she come in the next two weeks. Man, that thing hurt way more than the rhogam shot! We've decided we'd better get a carseat and put the crib together, because there is no guarantee that baby girl will wait until December to come.
So anyway, I got more comfortable in the bed, swapped the crappy hospital pillow for my own special one, and that made the back pain go away. And the contractions seemed to ease quite a bit too, some I couldn't even notice without watching them on the monitor. Once I was feeling better, they let me go home. My instructions were to come back between 11:00 pm Wednesday and noon Thursday to get the second shot. I was also given a prescription for the heart medication, and told that if I had more "unusual" contractions to take it, and if it didn't slow or stop the contractions, to come to the hospital. I'm not on bedrest, but supposed to take it easy. If I'm having contractions I'm supposed to stay home from work so I can be closer to the hospital. Oh, and more pelvic rest. Joy!
Two weird things happened there: first, the nurse said normally they do catheters. She let me do a cup sample instead. But I was like, really? I'm pretty sure I'm just fine and don't need a catheter. Second thing, related, when they wanted me to get hydrated, she said the RA would prefer if I did an IV. Again, I was like, really? I can drink water just fine thanks. I had to have a hand poke anyway, because the phlebotemist couldn't find my tiny arm vein, and the nurse was like, see? If you'd had an IV, you would have only been poked once. Why are they so obsessed with maximum-intrusiveness? And, I didn't see a midwife, the whole time. What the heck is the point of going to the midwife group if I'm never going to see them when things are actually real?
So we got home around 3:00 am. I took it easy today, did a little work at home, and have really felt fine. I know baby girl could be just fine born this early, but I would really love it (for her sake) if she could just hold on until 37 weeks. If she is born on October 31st, she will be named after her Grandma Grace, with whom she would share a birthday. Any other day? Names are still up in the air.
Comments