At
the end of week 36 I was put on bed rest due to high blood pressure. Two
days later I was experiencing headaches and blurry vision. My follow up
doctor's appointment wasn't scheduled for another week. Ty was concerned and wanted me to call the office to see if I could get
in earlier, instead of waiting an entire week. The nurse told me with
those symptoms that I needed to come in that day and my doctor would
work me in. She told me to pack a bag, because it was a possibility that
I wouldn't come back home. I immediately called Ty and started crying.
It was a very overwhelming feeling. I finished getting ready and packed a
few random things. I had no idea what to pack and just threw a bunch of
stuff in a suitcase. I stopped at Sonic for a BLT, since I didn't know
how long I would have to sit at the doctor's office before being seen.
I'm glad I did, because I wasn't able to eat for quite a while after my
10:30 a.m. lunch. My doctor was pretty concerned with my blood pressure
levels in combination with the headache I had. The main concern was preeclampsia. He sent me to the
hospital, which is located on the other side of the parking garage from
his office. I was monitored in the labor and delivery triage room for
several hours. Jack was doing good, but my blood pressure was still
high. Ty was 45 minutes away at the VA hospital and really not able to
leave. He also had to drive back here and be at his main hospital to do a 24 hr shift that night. My doctor came by and determined that I would stay in the hospital all weekend and possibly induce Monday morning. He asked for Ty's cell number, and gave him a call to explain the situation. I greatly appreciated him doing that. Chesley was kind enough to delay leaving town to come sit with me while I was in the triage area. Several hours later I was moved to what would be my room for the next five days.
My mom volunteered to come up and stay with me, since Ty wasn't able to
be with me. I didn't want her to make the trip. It was my nephew's
birthday party that weekend and she had family staying at their house. I
wanted her to be here after he was born more than I wanted her here
before. Luckily, I had an outpouring of help from friends. I had people
bringing me food while I was in the hospital, doing some shopping at
Target for last minute items, taking care of Nuts, etc. I am so thankful
for these people and for everyone who texted, called, etc. Ty's 24 hour
shift turned into a 34 hour shift, so it was really nice to have other
people around taking care of things for us. Ty came to the hospital early Saturday evening after his shift. It was so nice to finally have him around. I know that he hated not being with me. I actually ended up sending him home to sleep, because he was so tired. I think the combination of a 34 hour shift and me being in the hospital completely drained him. It was best for him to get a good nights sleep. I wanted him to be rested if we did in fact have this baby on Monday. The rest of the story to follow in another post...
How Far Along: 37 weeks
Total Weight Gain: 27 lbs.
Size of Baby:
Watermelon (19 to 22 in, 6.5 lbs) all according to WTE. At my doctor's
appointment they estimated him at 5 lbs, 14 oz.
Maternity Clothes: I spent my 37th week in a hospital gown. Oh so lovely. I wish that I would have ordered a cute hospital gown. The ones at the hospital were huge on me and hard to move around in, especially with the combination of pulling my IV around. This was especially difficult when doing my 24 hour urine test. I had to do this at home after being put on bed rest at the end of week 36, but the lab lost my urine. How does that happen?! So, I had to do it again my first day/night in the hospital.
Stretch Marks: I somehow avoided stretch marks! I do have a faint linea nigra.
Gender: Baby boy!
Movement: Jack enjoyed being in the hospital over the weekend and moved like crazy.
Sleep: Not too great, but that is par for sleeping in a hospital bed and being woken up constantly for vitals.
What I miss: My house. Unrestricted movement--bed rest is not fun, especially in the hospital.
Cravings: Fruit--watermelon. Sushi! Jane was nice enough to bring me some in the hospital.
Other crazy symptoms: I did not feel bad while in the hospital or even before going in. I did have a headache and a little bit of blurry vision, but I felt so much better than I had been feeling in weeks 34 and 35, when Jack was sitting really high in my belly. I did notice a little bit of swelling in my hands, feet and even in my face due to all the IV fluids that were being pumped into my body all weekend.
Best Moment this week: The possibility of meeting my little boy!
