An Unexpected Rehearsal

When I left Thursday morning, I told E that I "shouldn't be gone too long." It was a routine (for high risk pregnancy) non-stress test (NST) which Baby has usually passed quickly and with flying colors. [To be fair, the last one required some ice water, a caramel crème, and some shifting of positions, but still, nothing too troublesome.]

That day, however, was anything but routine. Baby was moving, moving, moving and so the heart rate monitor was going up (accelerations = good) but then going way down (decelerations = bad). Normal baseline for Baby is about 130, but no baseline could be established. 

So, while everyone kept saying "this is excellent variability," the variability was also not a good sign. 

My doctor was called in, and he told me I'd be taken in for an ultrasound BPP to primarily check for amniotic fluid levels primarily (low fluid can lead to decelerations in heart rate), but he also said they were sending me to Labor & Delivery and that if I needed to have the baby I'd be taken to Madison, and my delivery hospital, in an ambulance.

As a reminder, E was not with me at the hospital, because our dog had made a GIANT 'get ready for baby's bodily fluids' mess in her crate overnight and we were both a little drained from the morning's unexpected excitement...excitement, it turns out, that was just beginning.

I was, however, surprisingly calm about the whole thing. Sure, there was a moment when I could feel tears of worry starting as I called him on the phone, but I think the whole theme of this pregnancy has been having to let go of any control you thought you had and trusting that Baby is strong and the doctors know what they are doing.

The ultrasound was excellent: perfect score on the BPP, including excellent amnio levels. Off we went to Labor & Delivery. My nurse patient coordinator, Jean, walked me up there saying "This is probably just a rehearsal." I was taken to a room, given a gown, and hooked back up to a monitor. The nurses said pretty quickly that if they hadn't known anything was suspicious they would have thought everything was fine. Baby was calmed down and doing just what they needed to do. After an hour and a half of monitoring (of what typically would be four hours) a new doctor came in and said she felt confident everything was OK and I could be released if I wanted to.

Definitely an unexpected adventure, but one that gave me both an insight into what Labor & Delivery is like, and also reminded me that I have remarkable reserves of calm in the face of potential crises (and none whatsoever in moments of little importance).

-------------

Two other items of note:

• I realized during this whole ordeal that if E had to bring me my hospital bag, I would be left with two pairs of yoga/grippy socks, a pair of sweatpants, some maternity pajamas, and my postpartum journal. Not terrible, but also not truly helpful. I made sure to pack a more complete bag today. 
• When the second nurse entered the L&D room, she said "You're not Italian!" She also apologized for making judgments about me based on my last name. This, of course, has provided regular amusement ever since.