Time Out

Yesterday I went to the doctor for a routine appointment. I mentioned that the previous week I hadn't felt the best. I mean, I felt fine, but I felt like the baby/my body might be feeling a little over eager to wrap this whole pregnancy business up. Sure enough, the doctor checked and the baby was super low in my pelvis, I was dilated, and about 50% effaced. All of that would be great if I was another two weeks along. Unfortunately I'm only at 34.5 weeks.

At that point they tried to send me to the hospital to get monitored to make sure I wasn't in active labor. I told them I wasn't in active labor and I didn't need to go to the hospital to find that out. So they hooked me up to a monitor in the office for an hour. (Why they wouldn't start with the in office monitoring instead of the hospital in the first place is kind of annoying to me) I think I would have gone crazy with only the "Female Reproductive System" posters to stare at. Thankfully I happened to have some library books I needed to return in my bag. So instead of pondering the great injustice that is female anatomy I read some Uncanny X-Men comics. I was feeling happily entertained but I think I may have lost some bargaining power when the doctor came back in and saw my reading selection.

My chart looked okay, no active contractions but I was encouraged to go get more tests, go get another ultrasound, go to the hospital for more monitoring etc. etc. to make sure things were okay. Because something had triggered my body into early labor. I said that I didn't think there was anything mysterious about what had triggered early labor -- it was my crazy life. I knew when I was triggering contractions (picking up Reuben, moving boxes, staying up all night to finish deadlines, walking up hills, walking too far, not drinking enough) and I would try to be more careful.

The midwife was unconvinced but so was I. So she played the dead baby card. I hate that. That's when the medical professional says I don't agree with you and my bottom line is a healthy living baby. As if that isn't my bottom line? Oy. So I was assigned bed rest and given a day to think about things. Which I think is the adult form of being put on time out. So during the last 24 hours I've been consigned to feeling guilty about not doing every test to be absolutely certain nothing is wrong and to enjoying the World Cup.

Thankfully Amy is here with Eliza so Reuben hasn't had to be stuck on time out with me. He gets to have fun with his aunt and cousin. Check out Amy's facebook photos she took yesterday. They're hilarious. And yesterday was Amy's birthday. Happy Birthday Amy!