This Is a Test. 12-26-11

“This is only a test. If this had been an actual emergency, the Attention Signal you just heard would have been followed by official information, news or instructions.” I felt like I was having contractions. Then, I remembered what the midwife said to me last time: if I had 5-6 in an hour, then I needed to come in. She also said that I should drink plenty of water and that if the contractions let up in the bath, that they weren’t true labor. They started about 4:30pm, and they were happening every 10-15 min. So, I drank a glass of water. Nothing changed. Then, I drew a bath. It didn’t phase me. My back was still hurting. With that, I wasn’t going to wait for them to get worse. I figured that I was still in good enough condition to drive myself. If I waited much longer and they got much worse, I would have to figure out who I would get to help me.

I remember that the midwife had told me about the hospital and the location of Labor and Delivery. So, I made a bag for Winnie in case the dog sitter needed to come, grabbed my bags, drove myself to the hospital and headed to L&D. The facilities were nice, the nurses actually seemed ready for me—although I didn’t call ahead and didn’t have any prior contact with the hospital. I was surprised to have a private room. The nurse gave me a very painful exam. My cervix was thinned, and I was 3 cm dilated. She could feel Boop’s little head, which turned at her touch. She said I was ready to deliver, but as a first timer, it could be today; it could be 3 weeks. I tried to figure out my next move. Do I call Mom to head back to Morgantown? Do I call the dog sitter—who I had never met and was only for emergencies? I waited. I tried to figure out if my water broke. I called the nurse. She did a test. The test was positive, indicating that my water broke; however, it could easily be a false positive.

The Toco Meter (non-stress test) was not picking up my contractions. Part of it was location, part of it was little Boop moving around, and part of it was the strength of the contractions that weren’t quite to the level of birthing contractions. The floor nurse said she thought my uterus was irritable. The rest of me is irritable; it makes perfect sense that my uterus would be too. The midwife came to the floor, and she told me to get cleaned up and walk around to prepare for another test to see if my water broke. Meanwhile, I was ready to go back home. I was worried about Winnie and wanted to just chill at home. And so, the midwife was on that page. She did say, to my relief, “I don’t think you’ll make it the full 3 weeks.” And she also advised me not to come back until my contractions are 5 min. apart and last for 1 min. and are so strong I can’t stand up. It should be interesting getting to the hospital in that condition!