So much to tell already! Last week (Tuesday) I called my doctor because along with my typical Braxton Hicks, I started feeling cramps - as if I were about to start my period. I wasn't worried, but I figured it would be better to be safe than sorry. They told me to go to Labor and Delivery to be monitored, so down I went around 3 o'clock. I called Ben at work just to let him know, and I think it helped that I was able to tell him that neither the doctor nor I were really worried about it. After a long while of difficulty trying to find Nudge's heartbeat (just what I'd expect from my troublesome "shy" baby!), I wound up having to keep my finger on one corner of the circle wand in order for his heartbeat to stay on the monitor. They hooked me up to an IV, and ran in one and a half bags of fluid. Turns out I was just dehydrated, because after I got the fluid in, my cramps went away. When I called my doctor the next day just to let her know what happened (it had been another doctor in the practice who'd sent me to L&D), she told me to drink a glass of water every hour. I was able to leave around 5:30
Yesterday was my regular appointment with DKH, so I went in at 11:10. I was really wondering what my weight would be, since the month prior I had only gained 4 over the whole pregnancy. Turns out in the last month I've gained 8, which my doc said she thinks is just water weight. Also, my blood pressure was high (131/96) so she told me to go up to L&D for monitoring. Again, she thought that it wasn't anything to worry about, but better safe than sorry. So I went up around 12. Once again, Nudge gave them a lot of trouble finding his heartbeat. I was hooked up to a blood pressure cuff that went off every 10 minutes, and sometimes it would be fine, sometimes it would be high and make the machine start beeping. And they also took about 4 vials of blood to check for pre-ecclampsia. After 2 hours, I had to tell them that I was hungry (since I hadn't eaten since 9:30, and it was nearing 2), so they brought me some peanut butter toast and yogurt. Throughout my time there, they had me lying on back, turned slightly on my left side with a pillow under me, and more sitting up but still reclined. Around 3 or so, I started feeling like I was having quite a few contractions (by this time, they had taken me off the monitor because the doctor was happy with what the readings had been), and they were starting to get painful. My back was absolutely killing me, and this one spot at the top of my stomach just hurt so bad. I had been waiting a while for the nurse to come back in to check on me (she'd said they were just waiting for the results of the blood work - made it sound like I could leave once the results were in), but the pain was getting unbearable so I finally pushed the button to call for the nurse. The lady at the front desk beeped into the room to ask what I needed and I told her that the nurse had been asking me about contractions, and that it seemed like there were a lot and they were getting painful. The woman said she'd tell the nurse. The blood pressure machine started going off, but I just tried to ignore the beeping since the nurse should be coming in soon. After the blood pressure cuff went off a second time, I tried to keep waiting but by this time it was 15 minutes after I called for the nurse. I was trying my hardest not to start crying, from the pain and because I was getting so nervous about having the pain at all. Finally I paged again, and asked that someone could shut the blood pressure machine off. I then called Donna, to let her know where I was, and that I hadn't gone to the grocery store to pick up the things I needed to make dinner. When she called me back, a nurse finally came in and went to the machine, so I asked Donna to hold so I could tell her about my pain. When I said I felt like I was having a lot of contractions, she told me that they could see me on the monitor out at the desk. I had to get her to understand that they had taken me off the monitor a while before, so she finally went to get someone to help me out. I went back to my conversation with Donna, and told her about the pain but I wasn't able to keep the tears at bay. I was beyond frustrated, since I'd been waiting nearly half an hour for someone to come in (after I got to the point where I couldn't wait any longer and actually called for someone...), and I was just so fearful about what was going on. She tried to calm me down, and after we got off the phone a new nurse finally came in. Apparantly there was a shift change, and my first nurse was already gone. This one hooked me back up to the machine, and when I mentioned the blood work she told me that everything came back negative.
Ben got to the hospital a little after 4, and he just said with me for a while. I was trying not to show how much pain I was in, since he worries so easily, but most of the time I just couldn't hide it. After a while I asked him to see if I could sit forward, since I'd been basically lying on my back for four hours. The nurses told him I could, so I hunched myself forward. And while it didn't completely take the pain away, I did feel a lot better. The doctor told them to hook me up to an IV and run in a bag of fluid, so I think I was actually dehydrated again. They had given me two pitchers of water throughout my time there, but I guess it just wasn't enough. Around 5, Ben left to do some grocery shopping, make his lunch, and take care of the cats. By 5:30, they brought me some toast with jelly and the nurse told me that my doctor said once the IV bag was empty I could go home. I couldn't wait to leave because I just wanted to be able to change positions as my body needed to, and get home to eat some real food. I had to wait until 6 before the bag was finally empty. I left at 6:10.
By the time I finally got home, I had blood pressure medication, orders to really push fluids, rest, and cut back on salt. I also had to do a 24-hour urine test, and it's been an absolute pain. Luckily I only have a few hours left on that. Tomorrow morning I have another appointment with my doctor, because she wants to check my blood pressure again. Hopefully this is my last trip to L&D before the real one, because after spending 6 hours there, it's no longer a pretty place in my mind. When I'd gone on the tour, I thought it was such a nice area. It looked so homey and pretty. Now it's just an unhappy place. Maybe my mind will change after a couple weeks away from it...
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