I have a couple of friends who are pregnant with their first children as well, and I love talking about certain "taboo" topics that in my opinion should not be taboo.
If we were more honest about things like this, the world would be a better place.
I should say this- I had a perfectly normal pregnancy. Slightly low iron count at one point, and I should have taken all my iron pills like I was supposed to, but oh well. No high blood pressure, I gained 45 lb (I started out at 115-120ish). No extra fat, really. No strange cravings. Just me, with something slightly larger than a basketball attached to my previously flat abdomen.
I'd gone into false labor 3 times already. I was a week overdue, and going to be induced the following evening. We had just gotten some family photos taken that day of myself and my husband with my full belly, and I was a bit nervous about the possible inducing. Not scared, I just don't necessarily like hospitals.
I had no real pain until the last 2 weeks or so of my pregnancy. Then I started getting something that felt like a VERY strong period back cramp, if you know what that's like.
For those lucky enough to not get back cramps due to your menstrual cycle, or those with a penis who've never experienced it, imagine something about the size of a hand pressing REALLY HARD into your back. Like.. the feeling you get when you get kicked or hit really hard on a bone/a spot with little muscle.
Sitting became painful a couple of times, and I grew sick of finding out that my cervix hadn't changed. So that day, I ignored the pain and the contractions because I had already gone in three times.
Note... I despise the health care system. I hate the fact that they treat you like a problem, not a person. I hate that they use any excuse to send you home if they can. They don't care if you are in pain. They don't care about you at all. It really pisses me off, that these people who make such an amount of money (doctors), who get to go golfing and shit will treat you like a piece of trash or something insignificant.
Yes, there are lots of humans on the planet. I'm not denying that. but when you go to a hospital, you are going because there is something you perceive as WRONG, and you are putting your life, literally, in their hands and trusting them to help you.
So yeah, the cavalier "Oh, pain sucks get used to it" attitude irritated me. I didn't want to go have to get the same stupid little speech AGAIN.
You know the one. "When contractions are 5 minutes apart and your water bag breaks". "Your contractions are 10 minutes apart, not 5." etc.
So, that day (Monday the 2nd) I sat in extreme discomfort, as was my norm, at the library. Every hour or so I'd get up to pee, and didn't think much of it. My breasts had juuust started to get bigger and at one point leaked a little of the yellow stuff, Chlostrom or something. So I had a feeling I was close.
Here's where it gets a bit interesting, btw.. Two people predicted two things. They were both right. Misty, my friend Logan's mom, predicted that around 2-3 am something would happen. She had predicted this a week or so before. Perhaps two weeks. Three days later my mucous plug started coming out at 2:30 am.
My friend Kendra told me I'd go into labor at night, when I was ready for bed, or going to sleep.
Keep that information in mind for this next part.
We get on the train to go back to the night shelter at 6:00 or so. I'm slightly grouchy because the pressure is stronger and I just want it to stop. It's now been an ongoing presence for at least two weeks, but it's gotten much stronger over the past two to three days.
We get to the night shelter, I lay down because my contractions are irritating me. Note, I was having them 5 minutes apart once and when I went to the hospital they stopped cold. So, I ignored it. My water hadn't broken that I knew of, so I just laid there. Fell asleep for AN HOUR. In said hour, 3 times I woke up to a contraction so painful I grunted. Contractions started out uncomfortable. Then they were painful. I got up, Jason was snappy with me because I guess he didn't want to have to go in or something. He asked if I was sure, I said no, give me a few minutes.
I went to the bathroom, came back, made it to a chair and sat there. A couple of women who have 3 kids each came by to check on me, both said they really thought it was labor and I should go in this time, because I was going to be induced that night anyway.. I was like mmm yeah.. Not really wanting to. I hate the way doctors treat you.
Jason went out for yet another cigarette, and our friend Logan wandered up. He asked what my symptoms were like, raised his eyebrows, and was like "we're going in. If it woke you up, we are going in." We went out and told Jason, who called the medical transport number. I went to the bathroom again because the feeling of having to poop was so strong (Tooooootally a sign of labor unfortunately. NOT pleasant.)
So, in my pain-caused haze I grabbed a pair of squishy slippers, and made sure jason had my laptop and my camera. I then went to the bathroom, and had a contraction so fierce I had to bend double and hold still for a couple of minutes. Jason asked if I was okay, because the medical transport was here.
Yeah, give me a minute... contraction again. He sighs, waits outside and helps me to the taxi. We left the night shelter, and I carefully climbed into the backseat. Jason was asking consistently about my contractions, I was trying to distract myself by watching that little... meter? Thing that they have in cabs.. Where they tell you how far you've gone and how much you owe. I distracted myself from the pain by watching that number.
The cab guy was nice. He didn't hit any bumps, and got us there really quickly. We went from 122nd and Halsey on one side of the river to OHSU which is at the top of a hill on the other side of DOWNTOWN (which is right on the river on the other side) in maybe 20 minutes. And that was WITH the super confusing roads by PSU (which is how you get to the streets that take you up to OHSU (Oregon Health and Science University)
I remember feeling bad I couldn't tip him, but I DID thank him.
No comments:
Post a Comment