Labor & Delivery, Round 1

Well, that was eventful. I just spent the night in the labor & delivery unit of the hospital. First things first: I am fine, baby's fine, baby has NOT been born yet. Now, the story:

I didn't feel much movement from the baby on Monday. I felt none on Tuesday, despite going through all of the motions (eating something sweet, laying on my left side, waiting to document kicks/movements). So, Tuesday afternoon, I went in to see my midwife and was put on the fetal monitor for a non-stress test. The baby's heart rate was measuring where it should be -- 147 bpm -- though there was still very little movement. The baby was described as being "lazy" but my midwife was confident that the heartbeat was fine. I was told to call back on Wednesday if there was still no movement.

By 2:30 yesterday afternoon, the baby has missed two of its most active times of day: early morning (when I usually feel jabs, kicks, rolls) and mid-afternoon (when my belly typically hops all over the joint b/c the baby is so active). So, I called the doctor again. This time, I was sent straight to the high-risk doctor and was told to get there "as quickly as possible without getting a speeding ticket." I was put on the monitor again and also had an ultrasound. The heartbeat was generally good though there were a few dips down that concerned the doctor. The ultrasound also looked good and we saw signs of "fetal wellness" (like the fact that the baby is doing practice breathing!). But, to be safe, the doctor wanted to admit me for observation overnight.

This immediate admittance to the hospital was the last thing I had considered happening. The dog was home alone and Mick was still in Vegas for work. Luckily, I have some great friends who were able to pitch in and help out. The thing I felt worse about was worrying Mick & my family (who I think were all ready to charter a flight from MI to get here asap last night). I was actually surprisingly calm in this situation. I felt like I was trying to talk everyone else out of their states of worry and it kept me distracted from thinking about whether I was worried or not.

A few things I learned about the hospital that will come in handy when I deliver the baby:

• The hospital mattress is made of something akin to thin plywood. Seriously, my hip is still sore from sleeping on my left side overnight. It improved marginally when one of the night nurses added a layer of pillows on top of the mattress but it was still pretty bad.
• Hospital pillows are slightly more comfortable than the mattresses - but only slightly. (So I'll bring my own pillows when I go in for real.)
  
• Hospital food -- all of it -- is served at room temperature. This includes "hot" tea and "frozen" popsicles.
  
• Murphy's Law applies in hospitals the same way it does at mechanics. You know how you bring your car in when you hear a weird noise, except that the day you bring it in the noise is mysteriously gone? Same thing at the hospital. As soon as the monitor went on my belly, the baby started doing all sorts of flips and turns and kicks. I felt foolish for claiming "no movement"!
  
• Hospital rooms are BORING when you don't have people there to keep you company or make you laugh. There are only so many labels to read and ceiling tiles to count. Next time, I will make sure I have a book or magazine to read and my phone charger (as my phone was completely dead by 6:30 last night).

After a restless night of sleep, I was ecstatic to see Mick when he arrived around 8:00 am today. About an hour later, the doctor came in and gave me a clean bill of health. Apparently, some of the dips in the baby's heart rate may be attributable to me (there were times we think the monitor was picking up my slower heartbeat and registering it as the baby's). When the doctor told me this, it reminded me of Landon and the way Andy's heart beat through Landon at the end of his life. I have to believe that in some way Landon was with me last night, looking over me & the baby.

I am home & well now and have just been told to rest, take it easy, and drink lots of fluids. So I guess dancing (which I did Sunday night) and shampooing the carpets with the carpet cleaner (which I did Tuesday night) are things of the past. I'll continue to keep you posted as I have follow-up appointments on Monday morning & Thursday afternoon.