38.5 Weeks Pregnany + Appt - Routine = Hospital Hang out

For my 38-week appointment, I was hoping to hear "You're 2-3 centimeters and soft. Everything looks good!"

Instead I heard, "Are you pissed?!"

Now allow me to explain.

I got to my 3:40 appointment right on time at 3:40 :) I've learned that this is the perfect time to arrive as they are never early with patients. There was only one other person in the waiting room and by the sign in sheet I could tell that her appointment was supposed to be at 3:15. I knew it'd be awhile. Sadly I last second failed to bring my math book to work on answer keys [the exciting life of a math teacher] but luckily for me I had a fully charged cell phone, Dr. Phil and Oprah to help pass the time. I was called back for my appointment about 40 minutes late.

They took my weight which was pretty much the same as last week and then the nurse [who reminded me of a "rougher" Grandma Cow aka my grandma + smoker + VFW frequent flyer = my nurse]. After taking my blood pressure, and not mentioning the results, she looked at my chart and then asked, "Are you pissed that you had to wait so long to get called back?!"

"Ah, not really. I'm used to it by now and it wasn't too bad." She just nodded and looked again at my chart. I asked if my blood pressure was high and she said it was so she was going to check it again. This time it was 136/80 which is high for me because mine is usually 1-teens over 60ish. After the doctor [a new one I hadn't met before because my doc is out of the country until the 28th] came in and checked me, she said I was the same as I was last week, 1-2 cm and soft. A bit disappointed here, I was a bit more bummed by the fact that I continue to have to have my blood drawn every week to track my platelets. They have been at 140 for the past 3 weeks which is just below normal and if they drop below 100 there could be issues. There's nothing I can do to affect this count so in my mind why test every week and just wait until labor begins, do the test and make the adjustments then. The doctor doesn't see it that way.

The doctor leaves and the nurse rechecks my blood pressure. Still high. I admitted that I was a bit ticked about the lack of logic that the docs have been able to give me able the platelet testing, so I am not surprised that it was the same pressure reading.

She had me lay down on my side for 10-15 minutes and then came back to check again. With a wink she asked if I had been thinking relaxing thoughts. I had given it my best shot and was hoping I was relaxed as possible--I nearly fell asleep--to get a normal reading. Relaxed, likely. Normal reading, not so much.

I was then told that I would have to go to the hospital to be monitored. I wasn't given a ton of details other than they would be monitoring my blood pressure as well as doing a 24-hour analysis. After contacting Chris, calling my mom and shedding a couple uncertain tears, I headed across the parking lot to the hospital. Heading up to the Labor and Delivery floor, the receptionist showed me to room 6. Dark and cold in a thin hospital gown. Blood drawn, a urine sample and hooked up to a baby monitor, uterus monitor, and blood pressure cuff later, my mom arrived [Chris was at work and at this point he didn't "need" to be there, I just didn't want to be alone] and shortly the ultrasonographer [I didn't even know that was a real word but that's what his nametag said] came in to check the fluids and baby's heart. After the nurse came back, I realized that I would be staying overnight. Suck. At this point I decide I'd call Chris and let him know he might as well work because I was just going to be hanging out at the hospital.

They said that everything looked fine from the ultrasound and the baby's heartbeat looked good as well. My blood pressure was still high in the lower 130s so I was still hooked up to the monitors. I began my 24-hour pee catching adventure and then was hooked up to an iv.

My first IV!
I treated my hand like it was handicapped
and disabled even though I guess you don't have to!

Since the only other time I had been in the hopsital was when I myself was born, I had never had an iv before and I didn't know which were my "good veins" other than the one I commonly use to donate blood. The nurse commented that my veins weren't too good for an iv and I said that's likely because it was cold in the room and my veins were constricted. Made sense in my mind. She ended up finding a good vein and the cold saline was pumped into my wrist.

After my 8 o'clock blood pressure check which came back at 112/68 [normal for me!!], the nurse called "my" doctor--not the one I've seen all along and not the one that sent me to the hospital but the other doctor-- and he said that after my iv I could be released but I'd just have to do the 24-hour urine catch at home.

I could handle that.

IV complete. Bloody wrist cleaned up. Real clothes back on. Discharge papers in hand. I was ready to go.

Mom and I headed out carrying our tub of urine, my pee catching hat and $2000 hospital water bottle. We decided next time we left the hospital, we better be carrying a baby versus a tub of pee! :)

So overall, the event could've been a lot worse. They really didn't know why my blood pressure was the way that it was but will be doing tests on my urine when I take it to the lab at precisely 7:20pm. Checking the protein and making sure other possible "toxins" are at the proper levels, they may be able to find something out. Furthermore I'll have a couple non-stress tests next week to make sure that the baby's heartrate continues to check out as well as it did last night. I was told that I had to do absolutely nothing take it easy for the upcoming days which more specifically meant: No excercise class, running, or distant walking. At 38.5 weeks, my spin class is now something of the past [and the future post-baby, just not the present!] and I'm spending 24-hours catching every "drop or urine"--typo on my discharge paper.

In the meantime you'll catch me working on math answer keys, toting a cooler of urine on ice, and anxiously awaiting the arrival of our little one! More and more I'm hoping Jessica, Leslie, Emily or Aunt Sara are right!! :)