To the Hospital We Go

Ever since I went to a ward picnic on Saturday and got really hot and dehydrated, I've had less fetal movement than usual. And Theodore is an ACTIVE fetus, especially at night. So having little/no movement Saturday and Sunday and Monday nights was pretty unusual and noticeable. I called the doctor last night, and she told me to just come to labor and delivery last night to check it out. I didn't really want to, but I knew it would give me peace of mind at least even if nothing was wrong (I figured I was just being paranoid anyways).

Of course, as soon as we hooked up the EFM he started kicking up a storm. Well, three hours later after sitting in a boring room by myself and one painful vaginal exam later, the conclusion was my fluids are great and the baby's heart rate is steady and normal. I was having contractions every 8-10 minutes but they aren't dilating my cervix. I was told to "take it easy", whatever that means and to come back if I have "more" contractions.

Conclusions:

1. I REALLY, REALLY hope that this baby waits a few more weeks so we can have a home birth. That hospital room and those nurses/doctors were remarkably inhospitable.

2. Having multiple vaginal exams in a row in front of med students feels incredibly violating. Luckily they were all women. I let them stay because I realize they have to learn somehow, and once upon a time I used to shadow OB/GYNs and it was always cool when the moms let me watch stuff. So now I'll be the patient that lets people watch. I probably will feel differently once I'm actually in labor. I don't want an audience for that.

3. First-year residents should not be allowed to perform speculum exams on 34-week pregnant women having pre-term labor. IT HURT. When I finally realized what they were doing (not checking my cervix like I thought), they told me they were testing me for chlamydia and gonorrhea. How many freakin' times are they going to test me for STDs (without my permission at that)?! I DON'T HAVE AN STD PEOPLE. MY HUSBAND AND I ONLY HAVE SEX WITH EACH OTHER. (I do realize though that many women don't realize their husbands are cheating on them, so I usually let this slide, but it's so annoying that our culture is like that!)

4. Babies are manipulative.

5. If you have to pee, it's incredibly difficult to take off that fetal monitor. But it can be done. Then the nurse will get mad at you and put it back on. If I end up going into labor in the next weeks, I think that will be the story of my birth. Me doing stuff they don't want me to do. But I HAD TO PEE PEOPLE!