I came home from the hospital today with a new...

...water bottle. I have 3 water bottles from Salem Hospital, but this is my first Good Sam Hospital water bottle. It seems like the water bottle is given as a kind of consultation prize for being checked in to the hospital and not leaving with a baby. The grand prize is of course the unisex black diaper bag packed with coupons – they give you the diaper bag when you actually leave with a baby.

Today I had a normal 37 week check-up at my midwife’s clinic at 10am. The last 4 visits I’ve had there took me in and out in an efficient 15 minutes. I took Emma with me on this “quick” visit and all was going well until the midwife measured my belly and it hadn’t grown. She also checked my weight and found it down one pound from last week. She did a quick ultrasound in the room to see if my amniotic fluid was low… it was. She then sent me over to be admitted to the hospital where they could put more fluids in me and have a thorough ultrasound to check on the baby’s growth.

By the time I was admitted, I had called Jeff to let him know my quick visit may take a few hours. I drank a gallon on water (literally) before my ultrasound. This ultrasound took longer than the first one I had at 20 weeks and my back was beginning to hurt like crazy. Jeff came in the middle of that ordeal and took Emma with him. My sweet 2 year-old did really well while she was with me, but I could tell the nurses were a little concerned she was going to break something or begin to cause troubles. I finally got back to the labor and delivery room after another 45 minutes and was put back on the fetal monitor and given more fluids. I was under the impression the doctor on staff would review the ultrasound finding and release me, but nothing happened as I waited and waited and my back ached all the more. Finally the nurse came in to check on me and look at the monitor. She said, “Oh my… hum…. Hmmm. Have you been feeling contractions?” I told her my back was killing me and yes, I was feeling some Braxton Hicks. So, she left again after letting me know I was having contractions every 1-2 minutes. The midwife wanted me checked and found I was 1 cent. dilated. It wasn’t enough to be concerning, so they sent me home after a little more waiting and a report that my amniotic fluid levels were fine and the baby was fine.

As I left the hospital and walked to the car, the back pain disappeared and I admit to feeling a little disappointed. I got home at 4 this afternoon with a little excitement that the baby could come sooner rather than later or it could have just been false labor and I will deliver in 5 weeks from now. The whole ordeal left me feeling sticky (all that lube for the ultrasound machine and fetal monitor) and really tired. Next time I hope to come home with that snazzy diaper bag…. and a baby.