Hospital Tour

So, I got my hospital tour last night. Not exactly the way I'd like it to be, but at least I know where to go now.

I will preface this by saying Bean and I are both fine.

For the past couple days I've felt something was "off" with little bean. I didn't know what, but things weren't right. Nothing quantitative. I called the low risk clinic and they said it's just best for me to go to the hospital because if something actually is wrong, they could do something about it right there. Makes sense. So, off I go. I got there at 2:45, and got right in!

Within a few minutes, a nurse came in to check baby's heartbeat. She couldn't find it on the ancient looking hospital paddles (as my heart rate increases......), so she tried the hand-held doppler. It took her a while to find it, but it was a strong 147bpm (as my heart rate decreases.....).

Next she hooked me up to some weird looking machine that checks whether I'm having contractions or not (the readout looks like a lie detector or an EKG reading). I said I'm not having any cramps or anything, just a hard spot here *pointing*. She said "love, your little one is still a little one - you wouldn't feel contractions if you were having them". Oh. Okay. Carry on, I'll shut up. So, I stayed hooked up to that for an hour. Good news - no contractions.

I start to fall asleep as I'm waiting for another test, but they wheel in a woman in labour in the bed next to mine. I fall asleep in between her contractions, but as her contractions are going on I'm thinking a few different things. First: "ow. Is it too late to turn back?!?!" Second: "she said no to drugs. Why would she say no to drugs? That's my whole birth plan! Epidural at hospital admission, baby!" Third: "wow are the things her husband is saying *so* not going to help me". Poor guy.... "shhhh, it's okay honey. Shhhhhh. Just breathe. Shhhhhhhh, it's okay". It's okay? YOU get on the table and push a watermelon out of your arse, then tell me it's okay! *laughs*

The doctor's intern came to check on me, ran a pee test, everything's fine. She didn't have the best bedside manner, but I guess that's one of the reasons she's an intern - to learn that. She did make me feel a bit like I was wasting her time. "Can you quantify your feeling? What do you mean it's just a feeling? How would you explain it?". Whereas when the doc came in and moved things around (seriously - she dug UNDER my uterus, pushed everything to the side to tap around - external exam only), I apologized again for seeming to waste her time. She was very nice and said it's never a waste of time to make sure everything's okay, and I wouldn't have gotten any sleep if I hadn't have come in, so it's good that I did. And besides, "mama's always know, I don't question it". So, she made me feel much better.

After almost 3 hours, I was discharged with nothing more than a "watch the sore spot, if it gets worse, come in. But baby's fine". The "but" was all I was needing to hear.

So, little bean is just fine. His heartbeat is where it's supposed to be, his length is where he's supposed to be, and it looks like he's content to stay where he is.