Our Big Technology Adventure
We had our first pregnancy scare a little while ago. All day I noticed that the baby wasn't moving as much as he usually does. Since I did feel a knock and a nudge here and there I ignored it for the most part, but by late afternoon I was getting worried. So I did the whole drinking juice and lying on my side and counting kicks. I even went into positions I know usually BUG him and make him kick, but not much was happening. Babies are supposed to do 10 kicks to an hour, but I was only getting around 5. So I got up, walked around for a half hour and tried again and it was still the same. I called the birth center and they said GET YE TO A HOSPITAL AND QUICK.
I probably haven't mentioned that we live directly across the street from a hospital before, but we actually do. So it was very convenient to get to a labor and delivery department. We literally just walked around the corner. And as soon as I was on the 12th floor at Labor and Deliver, HOW the fun started! They immediately separated me and Graham and had me remove everything from the waist down, hooked me up to a fetal monitor and asked me the same questions about five times. When the head nurse asked me to spell "birthing" as in "birthing center," I started to lose some confidence. We were in LABOR AND DELIVERY after all. Isn't that two parts BIRTHING?
What's so ironic about the timing of this little hospital visit was that the night before our birthing class had covered the "technology" aspect of birth, meaning what can and often does happen in hospitals when you are in labor or not in labor. So I was bulked up on information and here I was with a giant waistband and microphones JUST LIKE THE PICTURE I saw the night before. Only, our teacher said we could probably unplug ourselves and move around if need be. As it happens, I also had an oxygen level monitor hooked up to my finger, and was holding a clicker to mark every time the baby moved, so I couldn't see HOW I could move at all.
When the nurse left me, I sat there alone wondering what the heck was going to happen next. Behind the curtain I heard the heartbeats of other women's babies they were monitoring. I also heard in the distance the cries of a woman in labor and could see her contractions come and go on my own monitor. I also listened as the doctor on duty explained to a third woman that while today was indeed her due date, she was NOT IN LABOR and therefor did not need to be there. Apparently, she thought the due date meant the baby would just COME OUT.
Eventually, two people appeared to give me an IV. When I asked them what the IV was for they did the mistake of telling me that it would be easier to insert medications if I had an IV. I say "mistake" because they also could have told me it was to make sure I was hydrated, which also can stimulate the baby, and which the IV is also used, but that's not what they said. They said the big ALARM bell of "medications" meaning "interventions." Again, the technology lecture came roaring in my head and I knew, once they started that IV any NUMBER of things could happen. As far as I was concerned, I didn't see WHY I would need medications. I wasn't showing any signs of labor, my "gate" was closed (as the nurse put it), and while the baby wasn't moving as much as he could and should be, his heartbeat was strong. So, I kind of put up a stink. I say stink, but what I really mean to say is that I said NO THANK YOU.
Man, they got pissed.
So they told on me.
Dad, I mean, the DOCTOR finally came in, told everybody to calm down and proceeded to ask me what the trouble was. I told him I didn't think I needed an IV and even if I did, I'd like my HUSBAND to be with me to make these CHOICES. Well, he wasn't happy about that. "What if the lady next door's husband came in here? Would you feel comfortable with that?"
"I wouldn't CARE, because I wouldn't SEE him."
"Well, she might not like to see YOUR husband."
"She won't, because there are CURTAINS surrounding us." He looked really rankled, and explained to me that I had come in here because there was a potential problem with the baby, so everything they were doing was for the resolution of that. I decided to plea to HIS common sense. I explained how it was very scary to not only have this issue, but to separated from your partner, stripped down, unable to move, being forced to make decisions you are not comfortable with. That's when I did, what I've done BEST in this pregnancy. Yep, you guessed it, I started to cry. The vulnerability was just too much. Unbelievably, the doctor GOT IT. And the IV twins stood on either side of me and started to tell me what a great job I was doing, and how educated I was, much more than other women who commonly come in there, and to not worry, everything would be fine. They even gave me a wad of gauze to dry my tears. Then the doctor snuck Graham in, told him to NOT UTTER A SOUND, and didn't give me the IV. Then he left us for over an hour.
And of course the kid started moving. By the time we checked out, I sat there clicking away on my clicker, as if I was a contestant on Jeopardy and I knew ALL THE ANSWERS. It turns out, the stinker was just SLEEPING. What the heck? ALL DAY? As it happens, it was for good reason. The next day I awoke, stood up, and Graham took one look at me and went: WOOAH! Apparently, he had GROWN VISIBLY LARGER through the night. My GUT runneth OVER. He's already a teenager, apparently. He had been sleeping all day in order to show up at the breakfast table at SIX FEET TALL. And he's been moving fine ever since. I had a little talk with him that morning, while he kicked and squirmed like an over sized champ. The talk went like this: Dude, YOU SCARED ME! Don't do it AGAIN!
Graham was so excited to tell our birthing class all about our big technology adventure. We had seen TRIAGE and been hooked up to the FETAL MONITOR, people! And we lived to tell the tale! Luckily, so did our kid who kicked and squirmed all through the class like a pro.
I probably haven't mentioned that we live directly across the street from a hospital before, but we actually do. So it was very convenient to get to a labor and delivery department. We literally just walked around the corner. And as soon as I was on the 12th floor at Labor and Deliver, HOW the fun started! They immediately separated me and Graham and had me remove everything from the waist down, hooked me up to a fetal monitor and asked me the same questions about five times. When the head nurse asked me to spell "birthing" as in "birthing center," I started to lose some confidence. We were in LABOR AND DELIVERY after all. Isn't that two parts BIRTHING?
What's so ironic about the timing of this little hospital visit was that the night before our birthing class had covered the "technology" aspect of birth, meaning what can and often does happen in hospitals when you are in labor or not in labor. So I was bulked up on information and here I was with a giant waistband and microphones JUST LIKE THE PICTURE I saw the night before. Only, our teacher said we could probably unplug ourselves and move around if need be. As it happens, I also had an oxygen level monitor hooked up to my finger, and was holding a clicker to mark every time the baby moved, so I couldn't see HOW I could move at all.
When the nurse left me, I sat there alone wondering what the heck was going to happen next. Behind the curtain I heard the heartbeats of other women's babies they were monitoring. I also heard in the distance the cries of a woman in labor and could see her contractions come and go on my own monitor. I also listened as the doctor on duty explained to a third woman that while today was indeed her due date, she was NOT IN LABOR and therefor did not need to be there. Apparently, she thought the due date meant the baby would just COME OUT.
Eventually, two people appeared to give me an IV. When I asked them what the IV was for they did the mistake of telling me that it would be easier to insert medications if I had an IV. I say "mistake" because they also could have told me it was to make sure I was hydrated, which also can stimulate the baby, and which the IV is also used, but that's not what they said. They said the big ALARM bell of "medications" meaning "interventions." Again, the technology lecture came roaring in my head and I knew, once they started that IV any NUMBER of things could happen. As far as I was concerned, I didn't see WHY I would need medications. I wasn't showing any signs of labor, my "gate" was closed (as the nurse put it), and while the baby wasn't moving as much as he could and should be, his heartbeat was strong. So, I kind of put up a stink. I say stink, but what I really mean to say is that I said NO THANK YOU.
Man, they got pissed.
So they told on me.
Dad, I mean, the DOCTOR finally came in, told everybody to calm down and proceeded to ask me what the trouble was. I told him I didn't think I needed an IV and even if I did, I'd like my HUSBAND to be with me to make these CHOICES. Well, he wasn't happy about that. "What if the lady next door's husband came in here? Would you feel comfortable with that?"
"I wouldn't CARE, because I wouldn't SEE him."
"Well, she might not like to see YOUR husband."
"She won't, because there are CURTAINS surrounding us." He looked really rankled, and explained to me that I had come in here because there was a potential problem with the baby, so everything they were doing was for the resolution of that. I decided to plea to HIS common sense. I explained how it was very scary to not only have this issue, but to separated from your partner, stripped down, unable to move, being forced to make decisions you are not comfortable with. That's when I did, what I've done BEST in this pregnancy. Yep, you guessed it, I started to cry. The vulnerability was just too much. Unbelievably, the doctor GOT IT. And the IV twins stood on either side of me and started to tell me what a great job I was doing, and how educated I was, much more than other women who commonly come in there, and to not worry, everything would be fine. They even gave me a wad of gauze to dry my tears. Then the doctor snuck Graham in, told him to NOT UTTER A SOUND, and didn't give me the IV. Then he left us for over an hour.
And of course the kid started moving. By the time we checked out, I sat there clicking away on my clicker, as if I was a contestant on Jeopardy and I knew ALL THE ANSWERS. It turns out, the stinker was just SLEEPING. What the heck? ALL DAY? As it happens, it was for good reason. The next day I awoke, stood up, and Graham took one look at me and went: WOOAH! Apparently, he had GROWN VISIBLY LARGER through the night. My GUT runneth OVER. He's already a teenager, apparently. He had been sleeping all day in order to show up at the breakfast table at SIX FEET TALL. And he's been moving fine ever since. I had a little talk with him that morning, while he kicked and squirmed like an over sized champ. The talk went like this: Dude, YOU SCARED ME! Don't do it AGAIN!
Graham was so excited to tell our birthing class all about our big technology adventure. We had seen TRIAGE and been hooked up to the FETAL MONITOR, people! And we lived to tell the tale! Luckily, so did our kid who kicked and squirmed all through the class like a pro.
Labels: pregnancy
posted by Summer Pierre at
5:23 AM
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