Hey guys! It was a slow day here. We didn't go anywhere, or do anything. In fact we didn't even change out of our pajamas. It was quite nice. Davis' allergies flared up at I don't even know what time this morning, so he was pretty miserable. I gave him some allergy medicine when he officially woke up, but it hasn't done much in the way of making him feel any better. Since it was such a slow day with nothing to report I figured I would blog about my labor and delivery. I might have to break this into two parts. Let's get started....
The whole ordeal started with a regular ol' doctor's visit. It was just a regular day.I was 31 weeks pregnant, and I felt great. There was no indication of the crap storm that was about to kick off. So, I get called to the back, and the nurse checks my blood pressure. She makes a face, and says that she must have messed up, and proceeds to check it again. Once again she makes a face except this time she tells me that she isn't even playing with me, and for me to follow her to the back. She tells the nurse practitioner, Tammy, that she is having a problem getting a proper reading on my blood pressure. She tells her that she keeps getting 155/105, and that Tammy needs to come take a look. Tammy comes in and presses on my ankles, ask me if I had been seeing gold flecks in my vision, and takes my blood pressure. After she takes my blood pressure she tells the nurse "You were wrong". A brief wave of "whew" passes over the nurse's face, and then Tammy tells her "It's 160/115". The nurse's jaw drops, and Tammy proceeds to tell me to get my butt to the hospital. I was told not to stop for anything- not even a phone call. As she is rushing me out she lets me know she is calling ahead to let them know I am on my way.
I leave for the hospital ignoring her orders because I did make a stop. I stopped at work to let them know I wouldn't be there that night because I was being put in the hospital. It was on my way to the hospital.... I make it to the hospital they check me in, send me to have an ultrasound done, and start an IV. At this point I still feel great. They had me hooked up to a machine that would take my blood pressure once an hour, and every hour after it took my blood pressure it would beep. By the time everything quieted down it was around 7pm. Jay came to visit, and left to go tend the dogs. He slept at home since he was still having to work, and there is no such thing as a peaceful sleep at a hospital. Unless of course it is drug induced. I eventually fall asleep only to be awoken to nurses standing on either said of my bed saying my name. They tell me that my blood pressure had shot way up, and they were going to wrap the rails of my bed just in case I had a seizure, so that I wouldn't hurt myself. The resident started me on magnesium, and so began the wild ride.
Have any of you ever been on magnesium? That is some miserable stuff. It makes you so sleepy. My best friend whom I have known since middle school came and sat with me while I was in the hospital. It was funny because we would be having a conversation, and I would just fall asleep in the middle of it. I would wake up later on asking "Did I fall asleep?" She would laugh, and tell me yep. She would just sit there while I slept reading a book. I tell you what I will love her forever for sitting with me like that. She would get there bright and early, and leave like 7 hours later. She is my touchstone.
While I was on the magnesium I was also on bed rest. Yay.... Catheters are the devil. I was so scared to move because bumping it was the worst. Here is a fun little fact about me, I am terrified of needles. Funny I say that since I have a tattoo, and have had a couple of piercings. I am though. The whole pregnancy I kept thinking I was going to have a natural childbirth because there was no way on God's green Earth they were stabbing me in the back with that huge needle. I say this because while I was on the magnesium they had to monitor the levels of it in my system. Which meant they had to draw blood every 30 mins to an hour. Finally one of the phlebotomist asked had I been having it drawn from my arm, or just having my finger pricked? I looked at her, and said "I have a choice? Finger prick please". They had pricked my fingers so many times they stopped producing blood. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.
The IV's were insane. My veins are so terrible that you had to be a seasoned pro I guess to stick me. My veins were mangled by time I left the hospital, and I am not even kidding. They were having to put the iv's in the weirdest angles. I can't remember all of them, but I remember the one that kept me from bending my wrist. Oh, and the fluid retention....I was so swollen. Jay had many a laugh at my expense. He said I had Fred Flintstone feet. They were huge! I remember looking at my feet once all the fluid was gone thinking " my feet are so dainty". They're really not. I have wide fat feet, but after all that fluid they looked like size 6's. My hands were humongous as well. I do have little hands, so to see them look like they did was crazy. They were so full of fluid I could barely make a fist.
I spent all day Friday and Saturday on magnesium. By Sunday my blood pressure had come down enough that they were able to take me off of it. They also unhooked me from the iv fluids.The catheter came out as well, and I was allowed to get up, and move around. I was informed though that I would be in the hospital until I delivered. My due date was two months away. I didn't care though I was just so happy the catheter was out. At some point that day they scheduled for a neonatal nurse practitioner to come talk with me in the event that I had a preemie. I had a list of questions to ask, and she answered every one of them. She really and truly put me at ease. While we were talking the machine took my blood pressure, and it started beeping like normal, and I noticed she was looking at it kinda funny. The nurse came in and told her "Laura, we didn't say come in here, and scare her". That's when I realized the beeping was letting them know when my blood pressure was high.
That evening my in laws came to visit from across the state. I had begged Jay to go, and get me a Subway sandwich because at this point I was starving. He left to go get it, and they came to put the bands around my stomach to monitor Davis. This was at 6:30p, and they told me not to eat until they gave me the go 'head. Jay comes back, and places this delicious sandwich in front of me smelling all good, but I can't eat it. I sent him to the nurse's station after about an hour and a half to see if maybe they forgot about me. Nope, they said I still had to wait. Finally after almost 3 hours of looking at this sandwich I send him back out there, and they told him I could go ahead and eat. They were having problems locating Davis on the monitor, and the doctor on call was going to come do an ultrasound later. I tore into that sandwich. Jay and my in laws left for the evening, and I was left to wait for the doctor. As I am waiting I start to get a pain under my right rib. The doctor comes and does the ultrasound Davis is fine just being a pain in the butt. I call the doctor down to me, and ask quietly for gas medicine.I am an EXTREMELY modest person. I leave the room to blow my nose. He says sure and leaves. About 10 mins later the pain hits me like a ton of bricks, and I think "oh,no...gallbladder attack".
That's where I am going to leave off. There is still plenty more to tell. I will get into that tomorrow. I need to go to Sam's tomorrow for a rotisserie chicken. If you have never had one then get one! Seriously you need this in your life.
Talk to you guys later.
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