West Wing L& D- Part 2

So I hear the nurses discussing where to move me. They decided on the lovely labor and delivery wing. That should have clued me in that a delivery was in my very near future. Bed rest was my fantasy.

It's still a blur and I have to ask Mr A to fill in pieces but I'll recount as best I can. I had intended to drag this story out for a couple weeks but at the urging of S30 I'll share a bit more. Please pardon the changing tense, I'm reliving as I recount the story.

I get settled in the hospital room and am told I have high levels of protein in my urine. The nurse comes in with a steroid shot. These folks are moving too fast, I decline the shot. They said its to speed up the maturation of the babies lungs. In my mind I'm still not on board with an early delivery and I don't want to introduce drugs to my baby if I can avoid it. If we wait one more week, her lungs will be mature. We were so close to full term.

Mr A had gone to move the car. When he returned I told him what was going on with the shot. He told the nurse we needed info on this shot. One of the nurses went to get us info.

I tell them I want to wait for the results of the 24 urine sample before making a decision. In hindsight I don't think I had any decision making room. Delivery was a done deal.
Mr A goes home to get some of our things. He returns with the laptop and I send emails that I'll be on hospital bed rest. I'm firm in my fantasy.

My blood pressure is constantly being taken. Mr A was watching it and I was watching his reaction to it. We had agreed that I wouldn't worry about it. I have no idea why it rose so quickly and kept rising. They kept asking if I had a headache or blurry vision. I didn't. Mr A said as high as my pressure was, I should have had a headache. I don't know what it got to but it clearly- to everyone observing it- wasn't safe. But I felt fine.

Various doctors came in with papers for me to sign. I asked questions and with great hesitancy signed. The neonatologists came to tslk to us and tell us about the plan for TR and babies who arrive at her age. It never occured to me to deliver at a hospital that had the leading neonatal center, fortunately that is where we were.

While we were waiting on my 24 hour urine I told the dr. I'd had that taken a sample while I was in the Bay- just a couple of weeks before. I told her if anything had been wrong they would have told me.

The results came back the following evening.. I knew 3000 was mild and 5000 was severe. I was thinking, hoping I'd be mild and get bed rest. I was 10,000. I cried, I knew TR would have to be delivered. I didn't know all the why's but I knew there was a reason I'd been checked in the hospital.

I now weigh 7 more pounds than my pre-pregnancy weight. It feels lovely to button my pants again, although today they kept slipping down.