Yesterday

Yesterday was certainly a day that I would not like to repeat ever again.

CP and I had marital relations in the morning and I had two spots of bright red blood on the toilet paper afterwards.  I didn't think that it was too big of a deal so I went to work and everything was fine every time I went to the bathroom.  Around 1:30 I headed to the bathroom again and when I checked, there was a bright red streak of blood.  I wiped again to make sure and sure enough, there was more.  F*ck.  I decided that it was time to call my doctor.  

My doctor was in the middle of a surgical consult and couldn't get on the phone, so I was trying to figure out the next train out of the city so that I could head over to the office (at that point they only leave once an hour and make all stops).  The nurse advised me that no, I shouldn't come into the office, I should go to Labor & Delivery at the hospital because they will want to monitor me.  My mind immediately went to needing to get on the next train (not for another 45 minutes), heading home to grab the car, and then driving the 25 minutes to the hospital.  When I called CP to tell him my plan he said that I should head straight to the hospital and he would meet me there.  I started to look up El trains that go directly to the hospital and CP thought I was crazy to even think about taking public transportation.  "This is not the time to be frugal, just take a damn cab."  LOL.

My boss was still at lunch so I told the Executive Secretary that I needed to leave and I headed out the door to catch a cab.  The cabbie was nice and quiet the entire ride (thankfully there was no traffic), but there was some beeping noise in the cab that went off, two beeps, every three seconds.  I wanted to yell "turn that f*cking thing off" but instead just stewed in the back of the cab and texted my mom.

*Good to know fact for if there is a next time (please don't let there be a next time)- the cab ride from my office to the hospital without traffic is about 30 minutes.

When we got close to the hospital, the cabbie asked where Labor & Delivery was.  Dude, I have no clue!  So I had him drop me off where I saw the "Emergency" sign, but when he pulled in it was for ambulances.  Whoops.  I walked in the sliding doors and thankfully found a cop who walked me down to L & D.

*Good to know fact-  Verizon cell phones don't work in the hospital unless you are near a window.  So when I tried to call CP (who was already at the hospital), my call wouldn't go through.

When I got to L & D, they knew I was coming so I was immediately given a wristband and taken back to a room to undress.  I called CP's work cell phone (thankfully on AT&T's network) from the hospital phone to let him know that I was in L & D.  He was in the lobby and asked the lady working where L & D was.  She didn't want to tell him because when she looked up my information in the computer, it wasn't in the system yet (the staff had to input everything because I had not pre-registered for delivery yet- of course there was a note in my calendar to do it next week).  He ended up getting frustrated and decided to find the place himself. 

First nurse came into the room with CP and I was happy to see him.  She asked a few questions such as what number pregnancy this was and if I could feel the baby move.  I felt the baby move a few times in the cab ride, but hadn't felt anything since getting to the hospital.  She had CP walk my paperwork back to the nurse's station and as soon as the door closed, she asked if I felt safe at home and if I would be safe bringing a baby back home.  (My answers were obviously yes.)  Finally, she asked whether I had any alcohol, cigarettes or drugs so far this pregnancy (no).

I went to the bathroom again and saw more blood.

CP came back in as the nurse put a toco (at least that is what it was named on the screen) on  my stomach- it measures contractions. They also put a monitor on for the babies' heartbeat. Thankfully the baby was doing great- between 133 and 145, steady and strong (although I was a little freaked out b/c it sounded different than the Doppler at the doctor's office).

Then we waited.

A med student came in to ask a bunch of questions on my history. She seemed nervous and unsure of herself....we think she just started this job. She left with her answers and came back a while later with a resident. After asking some questions, the resident put a speculum in and boy was that painful. It usually isn't too bad when I go to the GYN but possibly because of the extra blood flow to the area during pregnancy (?) it was painful.  She took a few swabs to determine if there was any amniotic fluid for pre-term labor, for strep B, and also looked around for the cause of the blood flow (couldn't find anything).

Then we waited.

Shift change!  Another nurse came in to ask more questions.  Told us that the baby was doing great with a strong heartbeat and no contractions.  She stayed in the room with us for a while; at one point the baby started to hiccup which she identified via the doppler.  The nurse claimed that the hiccuping is a sign of good lung development.

Then we waited.

Then an OB came in to check my cervix. Again, very painful. But good news was that my cervix was closed.

Then we waited.

Finally, the doctor came in and said everything looks good. That they can't find the cause of the bleeding but sometimes it just happens and that I might have some more bleeding in next 24 hours, but unless it picks up, I'm okay. My only annoyance with him?  He called it spotting.  IF IT WAS ONLY SPOTTING I WOULDN'T HAVE COME INTO THE HOSPITAL!! I grumbled to CP about that later and he said "who cares?"  Well I do because I don't want that doctor thinking that I am a hypochondriac (he is the same doctor that saw me when I had the one swollen leg).

Five hours later, we left the hospital and rushed home because CP had his own doctor appointment for his still-lingering pneumonia. More drugs for CP, but hopefully he can finally kick this stupid thing!

All I can say is thank goodness CP wasn't traveling this week. I am still a bit sore from the poking and prodding from yesterday, but I'm glad we got checked out and the baby is doing okay.  

We now have this message to our baby in our kitchen:

(at least not until November 29th)

(baby drawing credit to my mom and my sister a few weeks ago)