So good to be HOME!

Yet another lesson in "Marijanna, you're not in control 101" - CHECK!

I went to the midwife yesterday for my weekly visit and ended up visiting the hospital for the next 24 hours.  My midwife really IS the best... ever... I mean, how can you NOT love this face:

Louise is the "Mom to the Moms" and has taken SUCH great care of me.  I've really grown to love her and found that we're a good balance because sometimes I "under-react" to things ...and she makes sure she's on top of everything. 

I had felt a little funny this weekend and Ava wasn't moving as much on Monday... at all.  I attributed it to her just "getting bigger" and waited to call Louise.  I won't do that again. 

When I went in for my visit I had protein in my urine, swelling in my feet, legs and hands (as I usually do ...but worse ..."pitting edema" I guess it's called), headache, a back ache, high blood pressure and a few other signs that could be signals of preclampsia or gestational hypertension.  Some of them can be just "pregnancy related" so I sort of overlooked them... wont do that again either.  Louise sent me immediately down the street to the hospital for a "non-stress test" to monitor the baby and I. 

All turned out well and my bloodpressure was back down, so I planned on having to do a test that checks for protein in my urine (essentially I have to save all my PEE for 24 hours... fun fun!), but was going to be able to do so at home.

...then my labwork came back and evidently my platelet count was really low... Soooo back I was sent back to the hospital for monitoring for the next 24 hours.

This evening I was released because everything was coming back "ok" and Louise thought I might actually like to sleep in my own bed (which I DID... but because of 3rd trimester insomnia, I find myself blogging instead when I could be sleeping ...still, it's good to be home.)

I didn't like staying in the hospital by myself at first.  It was the first time I'd been away from Shaun since we'd been married and I admit that I really missed him, but I realized a little while through my visit there that I probably needed a day to just be "laid up in bed" and rest.  At home I only saw what "still needed to be done" before the baby comes!  When I actually left the hospital after some good rest and elevated feet ...I could actually see the bones in my ankles again.  BOY had it been a long time since I'd seen them!!!  Even Shaun was like, "Wow!  That's what your feet used to look like?"  Ha!

I also found out that it was a very busy day in the maternity ward, so I picked up my rosaries and began to pray for all those moms in labor... thinking that would be ME soon and I'd sure like someone spending their day praying for me in the room next door!  I even got to meet one of the little babies I'd prayed for during the day before I left to come home!

I also got to meet many of the wonderful nurses at Tobey and was definitely put at ease as the night and day went on and I realized I would be giving birth among all these wonderful women.  If I had only come in when I was in the "heat of labor" I may not have gotten to appreciate them all the way I did meeting them this way first.  They were SO wonderful to me and you could tell that they genuinely loved what they did, what a beautiful place to give birth!

I had recently watched a GREAT documentary produced by Ricki Lake called "The Business of Being Born" and was so encouraged that I'd made the right decision to give birth through a midwife and at Tobey (which is an amazing hospital that is very "mother/child" friendly).  I HIGHLY recommoend that you watch it if you can by the way, because it's definitely eye opening.  Shaun watched it with me and was so flabbergasted by how "backwards" things are here in the US in regards to giving birth.. things you wouldn't even really thing of.  ...Things that make you go, "Hmmmmm"

Anyhow... I digress.

I prayed for these brave women and through my time there found more and more peace in the thought that soon ...VERY soon ...this was going to be ME giving birth to little Ava.  I think maybe God knew that I needed this experience to help me get over some of my anxiety.  I'm thankful.

Going forward for the next few weeks I have to "take it more easy" and go twice a week back to the hospital for tests and more often to my midwife for prenatal visits.  Say a little prayer that ALL continues to go well and thank you to all those who were praying for me as I was there.  I'm sure your prayers helped me to come home tonight.  I'll keep you updated!!!