Paroled

Around Tuesday morning I started to hatch a secret plan to break myself out of the hospital.  It was around the same time that I noticed that I was being largely ignored by the medical staff except during periods of contraction monitoring.

I must be some sort of freak show because I seriously contract about every 3-6 minutes.  Since Friday anyway.  I've probably been contracting way too frequently for most of this pregnancy.  I think I was about 14 or 16 weeks along when I grabbed Jerry's hand and said, "Feel how tight my belly is right now?  I wonder if these are Braxton Hicks?"  Because that's really what they feel like to me, even now.  I am not in pain.  The contractions do not cause me discomfort or take my breath away, or really bother me physically at all.  I am still dilated to 2 and have some serious cervical erosion occurring if the vaginal ultrasound I had a few days ago is telling the truth.  Yet, I feel fine.  The only reason I even checked into the rural hospital on Friday was because of the regularity of the contractions.  I wasn't even sure I was having them at all.  I thought it could easily be just me being paranoid.  I thought I would be home by 7, laughing at my own neuroses.  But alas, the contraction monitor agreed with me and here we are.

After I had to be fricking airlifted out of the rural hospital and my uterus was having regular contractions over the top of every pharmaceutical intervention they tried, I really thought I was going to have a baby when the magnesium got shut off.  But no.  My body does not do anything that's expected of it.  I'm not complaining.  It's just a fact.  I contract all the time, I have placental abruptions, I have panicky expensive plane rides just for my uterus' amusement. 

Anyway...by Tuesday I realized that because I was not in pain and felt largely fine, it was only the monitor causing the staff to panic.  I was (and am) still having constant contractions, but they were obviously not going anywhere.  So in my mind I started thinking that if I stayed off the monitors more during the day, I could perhaps convince Dr. VBAC to release me and let me stay in the city until delivery.  Obviously, I cannot go home to the Frontier right now.  But I could at least leave the hospital...

Nursing school must've sharpened my skills at bending medical personnel to my will because it worked, and the Dr agreed with me.  I got discharged yesterday!  Jerry, Roo and I are now safely settled into the hospital's "halfway house" a few blocks away from the hospital, where we will stay until this pregnancy/potential NICU stay is over.  I am so glad to be out of that hospital, I cannot even tell you.  

I'm on full bed rest, of course.  No heavy lifting.  Brief showers, etc.  Lots of laying around. I plan to modify this a bit as to how I feel.  Obviously I cannot go shopping, but I did kneel on the bathroom floor to do Kiddo's bath last night.  It feels so good to be able to take care of my daughter again.  I am likely a very bad candidate for bed rest compliance, but I'm doing my best (I did not mention this to Dr. VBAC).  I'm kind of Type A; it's difficult for me to be still and let everyone else do the work around me.  

I have so much more to post about, but this will have to be it for now.  Another post to come tomorrow!