Well, here we are. We may be in the hospital until the end at this point. My 2nd overnight admission was looking like a discharge Tuesday at 6:00am. The nurses thought that if I didn't have "an episode" I'd be free to do bed rest at home. That was until the high risk team thoroughly pow-wowed over the case. A very energetic and nice doctor sat and explained the decision and the situation while my nurse hung out to help cushion the blow. Some people with this previa condition don't ever bleed, and clearly I'm a bleeder, So they are very nervous to have had 3 in a week. They have an IV port "installed" so if it turned into an emergency they have a leg up.
After that I've had a parade of staff checking in with apologetic faces asking what they can get me. Everyone has already memorized that I have a husband, Doug and 22 month old named Rowan. Doug says when he checks in for a visit, it's like we're maternity ward-famous...Awww, that family. Long term residents!
They are monitoring the baby and "nervous uterus" as Doug calls it a few times per day for 30 mins or so. Somehow even this far along she is flipping positions, no one ever knows where they'll find her heart beat! There continues to be minor contractions, about what you'd expect for a 3rd trimester, But it can contribute to upsetting the delicate attachment of the placenta sitting over the cervix, causing bleeding, which in turn causes more contractions.
I'm meeting all the doctors from my practice as they are on call and stopping in to meet me...any one of them could do the delivery if we don't get the chance to plan it. I'm feeling relieved that I spent so much time picking and researching my doctor and practice when we moved here. We're set up perfectly for this round of complications. Our hospital is 10 minutes away and it's attached to the medical practices of my OB and the high risk specialists. The nurses also told Doug about this little parking lot he can use to visit that I can see from my window and has an entrance right to the maternity ward, no overflowing ramp to muddle through.
The on-call Dr. that visited last night said she was on hospital bed rest with her twins for 5 weeks, so she was very empathetic. They were born at 31 weeks and are 11 now. She also recommended ordering the vanilla milk shake from food service. She is getting the ball rolling on adding in a tubal ligation whenever the c-section happens. She says it's very common to do that as part of a C-section (which I had read about) and they are pleased as punch to do it. She smiled and said it's in their best interest too, with this track record. It's very easy and they have to fill out "the Pope form" she calls it. It's a Catholic hospital and they have to get permission, which is always granted. She also said I can get up and walk around a bit on the floor, I'll take my first field trip today.
Rowan is getting used to the hospital visits. He was a little wary last week, but he smiled right away yesterday and got down to business with his favorite "toy" the Dr's rolling, spinning stool. Lots of cupboards to open! He doesn't love my bed, though :( We have to bribe him with cartoons to sit with me on my bed. We need to go to the library and get a sesame street DVD or something, I don't love the crud on actual TV! Also, a little bulldozer Hotwheel was a novel hit for yesterday.