37 Weeks to 38 weeks

I slacked.  Major, big time slacked. And as stated in posts before, my OCD self is just slightly frantic about it.  I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that things didn't go as I had planned.  And that it's okay.  The way everything happened turned out to be for the best.   So let's look back at the last 2 1/2 weeks because it was a doozy.

At 36 weeks we had an OB appointment and got my first cervix check.  At that point I was dilated 1 cm and 50% effaced.   This is also when they started to get semi concerned about the swelling.  Which I'm not even joking was ridiculous.  I'm not saying that because it was just ridiculous to me, it was ridic to anyone that saw me.  I didn't have knee caps.  Or ankles.  And my feet? Don't even get me started.  My blood pressure was also really high at my appointment.  The midwife gave me the option of a non stress test directly after the appointment or on Friday of that week.  (my appointment had been on a Monday) I chose to have the non stress test on Friday because Monday morning had been extremely stressful for me at work, the OB appointment had run almost 45 minutes late and I was over it that day.  I continued to work the rest of the week, taking off that Friday for the non stress test.  On Friday, my mom came along and I got to have blood work done along with a pee sample and being strapped to a machine that measuring baby's heart rate and contractions for an hour while they processed my blood work.

The following week, at my 37 week appointment I was still at 1 cm and about 60% effaced.  At this point I saw another midwife in the office.  Again my blood pressure wasn't where they wanted it and my swelling was pretty bad.  Midwife Vivian sent me for non stress directly following my appointment.  Stabbed again for blood, asked for more pee and strapped up for another two hours.  This was on May 27th.  Apparently my pee sample showed higher proteins than they cared to see so they sent me home with a 24 hour pee collection kit.  Oh yes.  That was a joy.  I had joked through the second half of the pregnancy that they should provide much larger cups in the OB office to provide our pee samples.  I got my wish.  I was given two large orange jugs along with a white "catch tray" it sits on the seat of your toilet and you pee right into it.  A very easy process.  However, the pee has to be kept cold.  So I had to call off work.  And I had to keep my own pee in a nasty orange colored jug in my fridge.  Gross.  Wednesday the 28th we, my husband and I headed back down to the hospital to turn over my pee jug.  And to sit through another stabbing for blood, and non stress test.

If you've been keeping count that's three non stress tests.  My arms looked like I was an addict.  And with each non stress test came a new story of the people behind the curtains to either side of me. The first time my mom and I were in, it was fairly quiet.  We got a room that time.  The second time we got to hear the tales of a 309 pound woman who only smoked 3 cigarettes a day now that she was pregnant and hear her list off all of the STDs she had experienced.  Oh yes and she remembers the exact day of her last surgery because it was the day she met her fiance.  Ya know, directly after she had her wisdom teeth extracted.  Palm to forehead.  The third NST was no different and didn't fail to disappoint on entertainment. There was a woman who gave birth.  Beside us.  Right there.  She was a trooper and pushed her little bundle of joy out within minutes of her first moan and the nurses encouraging words.  My husband's eyes were saucers.  Remember through the entire pregnancy he has stated repeatedly that he would not be able to make it in the room.  He insisted he couldn't handle it.  Now, here we are and he got to listen to a real birth.  I joked that I hoped I went as fast as that lady did.  Little did I know.

So at NST #3, they tested my 24 hour urine before I was released to go home.  Up until this point nobody in the medical profession seemed really excited about my swelling.  And the swelling was the only major symptom I was experiencing.  Up until this point the proteins in my urine hadn't been concern worthy I suppose.  So in my head, I figured this was just another waste of time and I'd be sent home.  Not to be the case.  Instead Midwife Vivian AND Doctor K came into my little curtain portion of Triage and explained that I was experiencing a mild case of preclampsia.  Doctor K asked what kind of work I do and I said I do desk work but I'm also in the car 3 hours a day.  His exact words were, "okay, we're going to stop that."  I was dumbfounded and asked if I could at least finish out the week.  I got a definitive no as a response.  This was the week of Memorial Day.  So I had literally been at work for 6 hours on Tuesday and that was it.  Lucky for me my temp was trained and good to go.  But still it unnerved me and I was not at all happy with the circumstances.  My husband tried to calm me down the entire way home but I was just annoyed.  This wasn't part of my plan and the control freak in me was having trouble coming to terms.  In my head, I'd be home, my swelling would go down and little lady would come late.  Wasting a good three weeks of maternity leave on doing nothing.  Again, I'll state, little did I know.

After Doctor K delivered his oh so awesome news, they told me they'd see me back on Friday for another NST so that I was monitored before the weekend.  NST #4 was completed that Friday with no red flags and instructions to return Monday for NST #5.  I spent the weekend driving myself crazy but getting as much done as I could.  We finally go the dresser for in her room.  I didn't fill it or finish her room but darn it the dresser was there.  I got to sit outside in the sun and am still sporting those tan lines to this day.  I suffered for it with some major swelling though.  Laundry was done and I cleaned what I could with the energy I had left.  The husband and I also took the opportunity to go out to dinner and went to a buddy's campfire.  It was a good night, one that I'll remember for a while.  I felt almost normal as my swelling had REALLY decreased at this point. On Monday I had NST #5, sent home with another 24 hour pee collection.  My mom and I had lunch at the hospital, waiting around until my 38 week appointment that afternoon.

At my OB appointment I learned that I was 100% effaced and 4 cm dilated.  I wasn't totally surprised because I had been cramping for several days.  Period like cramps that were sporadic.  They'd be close to together and then fade off for a  hour or so.  I'd also had the mucus discharge going on since week 36.  Note to others, the plug may not come out in one big goop.  It took mine two weeks of mucus discharge before it was finished.  At the appointment Vivian asked me to be induced.  Well I don't even know if she asked.  I believe she phrased it more delicately saying that if I had a normal pregnancy going an induction wouldn't be necessary.  But the fact was I was experiencing a lot of other stuff and I was now in the high risk category so to speak.  I did NOT want an induction.  I agreed to an induction because health wise I didn't want to put myself or Charlie at risk.  I tried to reason with myself that I was already 4 cm.  Surely if I got induced it wouldn't be as bad as when a woman isn't dilating at all on her own.  So induction scheduled for June 10th.  Although Vivian repeatedly made the comment that she didn't think I'd make it to the following Tuesday for my induction.  I brushed her off. I have mentioned once or twice in this LONG post that I know very little.  And it is true.

Went home with a heavy heart, but at the same time relief.  Relief that I'd finally be meeting this little girl.  I had an exact damn date to put down in my control freak plans.  Completed my 24 hour pee collection and was back down at the hospital on Tuesday the 3rd for NST #6.  Gah, my poor arms. Stabbed again for blood work.  I tried to have them alternate each time but its much harder to get blood out of my right arm.  I have sucky veins.  The upside? Over all of this, I'm way better at handling needles.  Anyways, NST #6.  This time there was a young lady to my right that was experiencing severe pain that she insisted was a kidney infection.  Despite the doctor telling her that none of the tests showed such indication.  Regardless she was sent home with a prescription for some major pain killers.  Palm to forehead.  Again during my NST I was having some major period cramping.  The RN told me that she hadn't registered too many contractions so I figured that my period cramping either wasn't the real deal or wasn't what to be looking for.  Midwife Lori came in to see me and excitedly said "hey I hear we have a date next week!" Apparently she was the midwife on call and would be delivering should my induction go as scheduled. I was sent home with instructions to return for NST #7 on Friday.  Fantastic.

Spoiler alert, I didn't make it to NST #7.  But this post is WAY too long.