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Thursday, July 26, 2007

Recovery Days

Well the family is gone and quiet has returned. The Bunny and I are still feeling a little zonked
so we've been trying to take it easy.
Yesterday was my first Non-stress Test and it was a good education in how unlike a homebirth this
is going to be! Baby passed with flying colors, I was a little less
successful but knowledge is power, forewarned is forearmed etc etc.

Basically the labor sala is this small windowless room painted half pink
and half blue (maybe this is normal? I've never been in L&D in a hospital before). For the test (foreshadowing what is expected for labor)
I was told to lie on my back with the external fetal monitor and a
contraction monitor strapped on. When I asked the nurses if I could sit
up they said no so I sat up anyway (in case I'd been unclear about what
I was asking) to their consternation. After they got me back on my back
they did jack up the bed a little but it was still pretty
uncomfortable. They didn't want me to lie on my side either. It took
them about 5 minutes to even find the heartbeat because they never
bothered to feel around on my belly to check baby's position. At one
point they were pleased to find my heartbeat (except that they thought
it was hers) so I jiggled my belly to see what position baby was in,
mentioned that the HR sounded too slow to be the baby and then pointed
to her back so they could find the real one. Not terribly inspiring,
especially when Alison mentioned that the head nurse has been the head
nurse there forever. Finally they got it all set and left and then
after about 5 minutes Doctora arrived and must have noticed that I was
having trouble breathing, getting a little frantic and overheating and
she let me move to my side. As soon as I did baby's heart rate got
noticeably faster and she started moving around like a happy little
monkey. Alison asked if I was going to have to keep this stuff strapped
on in labor and Dra S said yes, of course. I was still feeling pretty
sweaty and freaked out about the time spent on my back so I said that I
couldn't imagine lying still through labor, couldn't she check me every
five minutes with the doppler or something? But she said no, and later
I realized that really (okay, Alison pointed it out) that is what we're paying her for. In the event
that Baby thinks she might just check out we want to know immediately
and get her out of there so I'll spend the next five weeks trying to
wrap my mind around lying down through labor. It isn't going to be fun
though. I really really hope that once we get labor going it is as fast
as the last two lest I completely freak out, tear my clothes off and go
raving around the hospital like a lunatic.

We didn't get to see the sala de expulsion (delivery room), I figured one unpleasant revelation at a time and
I've got one of these tests scheduled each week from now until the end
but it was emphatically stated that babies are not allowed to be born in
the room I was in. At least if the pattern holds I won't be in there for too long. And, I'll need to make this a mantra, the important thing is that baby comes out healthy and well. I'm a grown up and I can withstand a lot of discomfort. It won't kill me. I've said I'd do anything for a healthy baby. Time to put my money where my mouth is.

Dh is up in SJI checking out that 16 acre parcel. According to last night's email it is a major disappointment. He says it feels chilly and damp and there are no good clearable trees for building, all too small. He said it reminds him of Storrs. Deal killer for me, for sure. He also said it was 13 miles from Friday Harbor, also kind of too far. However, he mentioned that the Beaverton Valley place had gotten a subsequent offer to ours which was lower so he was going to see if there might be more room for movement on that now. I hate to feel so helplessly wanting that place. Objectively I know that it is an overpriced disaster area but when I think of it all I can picture is us living a comfortable happy life there, turning it into a real cozy home. I see myself puttering in the kitchen, the Bunny catching the school bus, the cat prowling around the meadow, Dh out in the garden. Oh well, what will be will be.

I'm suddenly feeling the extreme need to lie down and snooze while the Bunny is busy with her favorite show but I do have more thoughts I need to get out of my head! I'll be back. I swear.

1 comments:

Unknown said...

Wow! I can't believe how close you are to being close to me!