I did another uninalysis and culture on Thursday (9/13), but didn't get the results before the weekend. I knew that what I was feeling was beyond normal pregnancy discomfort. I was in so much pain and was really beginning to wonder if I could make it another 7 weeks. I called Dr. Hank today to check on the results. Cyndy, the nurse said they had the results and the Doctor would call me in a few minutes. Instead she called back and asked me to come in ASAP. I should've known that wasn't a good sign. Thankfully Jeremy offered to leave work early and meet me there.
In the waiting room I watched a husband and wife and her mom anxiously waiting to see the Doctor. I found out her water had broke that afternoon. They were all in good spirits and the expectant mom was all bubbly with good energy. I was so jealous. I wondered if I would ever feel good again...especially on my way to the hospital!!
Dr. Hank came to our room and told us that I had another bladder infection and they wanted to be sure and blast it away this time with IV antibiotics before it escalated to a kidney infection. He told me I needed to be hospitalized anywhere from 1 to 5 days. I was pretty devastated. This wasn't at all what I was expecting. I cried. And Jeremy was ovbiously nervous. We went home to grab some stuff, shower and eat dinner. I was moving slow and confused and unsure about what to pack. I didn't want to go. I think I was procrastinating.
Once there we got our own big private room. It was much nicer than I imagined. It looked like a Motel 6 that had been decorated by Ikea--light hardwood floors and light wood furniture. Not my style, but way nicer than I thought it would be. :) There was a hideously uncomfortable chair that unfolded to a "bed" for Jeremy. It looked like a chiropractor's dream, but he insisted on sleeping there so I wouldn't be alone. Secretly I was so happy. I didn't want to be alone.
For the next 4 days I got little sleep--except for the first 2 days when they gave me Vicodin for the pain. It's hard to sleep in a hospital when you've got special diabetes meals and snacks being delivered every two hours, blood sugar checked every hour after eating, baby monitor for 30 mintues to an hour twice a day, vitals checked after every nurse shift change, and then the stupid IV!
My first IV was botched and left my hand twice its normal size. It was pretty gross. I wish I had a camera. It took a day to go back to normal. After a second attempt they said I had difficult veins so the they sent up a speciaist who had my new IV ready to go in no time flat...and with minimal pain.
On the third day I got invited to a "support" group for expectant Mothers. My first inclination was to run the opposite direction, but the lady was so smiley and nice I couldn't say no. Jeremy was out checking his email anyway so I figured I could use a field trip. I got wheeled down to a lady's room who couldn't leave. Five other preggos backed out so it was just me and her and the two counselors. We had to talk about why we were there and how we felt. This poor woman had been there 7 days!! She was pregnant with twins and only 31 weeks along when her water broke. I kind of felt like a woos compared to her. The "support" group wasn't horrible. They told us that if we were still there next week there were all kinds of activities we could do--knitting, crochete, scrapbooking, etc. I though that was cool but there was NO WAY IN HELL I was going to be here next week. The counselor kept referring to us as high-risk pregnancies and afterwards gave me some material on premature babies. It really made me mad. I wanted to scream at her, "I do NOT have a high risk pregnancy!! I have a bladder infection!!" But I didn't. I mean, I knew she was just trying to be helpful and lets face it--every one in that area was high risk so I forgave her ignorance. :)
I had two false hopes that I would be released, but in the end Dr. Hank wanted to be very cautious and see that I could go a full 48 hours without a fever. As much as that made me mad and sad I'm glad he was persistant. There's one thing I knew and that was that I didn't want to come back to the hospital until the baby was ready.
I was released on the 21st.
Shannon helped host a baby shower in the Oakland hills. It was a co-ed affair with lots of yummy food. It was in a beautiful Redwood grove in Redwood Park a few miles from our house. During the festivities we asked guests to submit their guesses for the due date and the baby's weight. The guesses were all over the map, but November 11th was the clear winner for the due date. We also asked for advice, if they had any to offer. You can definitely tell that most of the advice came AFTER much beer was consumed. :)
