"Does that mean I have preeclampsia?" I asked.
"We'll have to see what the blood works shows," she answered. "We're going to go ahead and insert the Cervidil. I'll be right back!"
Preeclampsia. I had my suspicions over the past few weeks. My swelling had gotten out of control, and I had been seeing spots for a while. But there was never any protein in my urine at my doctor's appointments. I immediately thought c-section. I'm going to have a c-section. I knew that when women had preeclampsia, the only way to cure was to get the baby out.
"You might want to call my mom, Adam. I'm probably going to have a c-section," I told him, fighting back tears.
"A c-section?" he said. "How do you know?"
Adam should have known. I research everything. I have memorized just about every article from BabyCenter, and I read blogs like there's no tomorrow. I had done my homework. Adam later told me that my mom thought I would be having a c-section too.
I decided I had better go to the bathroom before she inserted the Cervidil. Adam helped me get up and go to the bathroom for like the fifth time since they had started the IV. I was so hydrated that I couldn't stop peeing. I felt like my bladder would explode. It was such a hassle to get up. Adam had to unhook my blood pressure cuff, oxygen finger thingy, and then we had to get the IV cart and push it to the bathroom. It was an adventure every time.
Just as I made it back to the bed, the nurse came back into the room with something in her hand.
"This is what it looks like." She held up what looked like a long, thin string made of rubber with some kind of small cardboard looking thing on the end. "It works kind of like a tampon," she said, "but I'll have to get it way up there. Did your doctor say if you are dilated at all?
"I was at a 2 yesterday. My doctor told me that my cervix was still really high though, and that the nurses probably won't be able to reach it," I said.
"Oh I'll reach it," she replied. She then jammed her fingers way....way....up there. The pain was pretty terrible. "The baby's head is so low that it is difficult to get to your cervix. You're still at a 2 though."
She held her hands up and gave me a visual to try to explain the baby's position. I wasn't following.
"I'm going to go ahead and insert the Cervidil. This is going to be uncomfortable, but let me know if I'm hurting you."
This was painful. Like, super painful. This was probably the most painful part of the whole process.
"OWWWWWW!!! That hurts!!!! It's really painful!!" I tried not to yell.
"I'm sorry, I've got to get it up there for it to work. Bear with me."
The seconds seemed to crawl by. The pain was sharp and scraping. Tears rolled down my face, and my whole body was drenched in sweat. Finally she was finished. When she pulled her hand out, there was blood on her glove. I guess I was going to have to get over the blood thing if I was going to have this baby.
"Alright all done. I will come back and let you know when we find out about the blood results. Try to relax and rest." She left the room.
An hour came and went. Time continued to tick slowly. I tried my best to relax and calm down. My IV was killing me. They told me after a while I wouldn't be able to feel it anymore. I could feel the fluids pumping into my body. They were freezing cold! The nurse brought me a warm blanket (literally, the heated up the blanket before they brought it to me). It felt so good. I tried not to think about how badly I needed to go to the bathroom.
Adam and I were watching the Nashville Predators play against the Phoenix Coyotes in the Stanley Cup playoffs on t.v. I got on my computer to get on facebook. I needed to take my mind off of things.
"We're at the hospital. Prayers please!" I wrote as my facebook status. I tried to sound upbeat, but I was really fighting back tears. I was terrified. I decided not to stay on my computer.
Finally the nurse came back in. "Our machine in the lab is down. We haven't been able to analyze your blood work yet. Are you ready for your Ambien to help you sleep?"
It was around 11:00. "Yes, I'll go ahead and take it. How long should it take it to work?" I replied. I was ready for some relaxation.
"About 30 minutes at most. It affects everyone differently though. Don't fight it when you feel it kick in, just relax."
She came back in a few minutes later, and I took the Ambien. I was relieved to see that Nashville had won. At least I knew my hubby would be in a good mood for the long night ahead. Adam snapped this picture of me. I faked a smile.
After a short time, I began to feel a cramping sensation in my lower abdomen. I looked at the monitor. It was showing contractions. I wondered if they were doing anything. My stomach got rock hard every time I would have one. I remember what I had read online about Cervidil. If your body was ready to go into labor, Cervidil would start the contractions, if not, it would just soften the cervix, which is what its intended to do.
The nurse came back in about an hour later. "Still awake?" she asked. "Do you need another Ambien?"
At this point, I was ready for some rest. We had been at the hospital for about 4 or 5 hours.
"Yes, please," I answered.
She left the room. The contractions continued. I looked at the monitor. At this point they were coming every 2 minutes. Contractions 2 minutes apart? I thought that didn't happen until the end of labor. Aren't they supposed to start out at 10 minutes apart or something?
The nurse came back into the room.
"My contractions are 2 minutes apart. Is that normal?" I asked.
"That's pretty impressive isn't it? The other nurses and I have been watching your monitor out at the nurse's station. Your contractions are very regular. It's because I got the Cervidil so high up there, where it's supposed to be. A lot of nurses don't put it high enough. We are still waiting on the blood work results. Try to get some rest. Here's your Ambien."
I took the Ambien and waited for sleep. The nurse turned the lights down, and I tried to relax my body as well as my thoughts.
"I love you," I told Adam.
"I love you too honey. You're doing great. Get some rest," he said as he gave me a kiss.
I closed my eyes. But not for long.
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