33w4d

Hello from the new apartment! We are finally moved in and have spent some time setting up Bubba's room. The place is still a wreck and I have more bumps and bruises on my legs from slamming into boxes and furniture in the dark than I know what to do with. The holidays were low-key and nice, and I've been sleeping a lot.

We've been having a bit of an adventure in the last week. I went and saw my friend C, the ultrasound tech at a local hospital last Wednesday, just to get a peek at everything. I've been having some trouble finding a new OB, since no one can see me until February (I'm DUE in February, so this is not really so helpful, especially given my history). C. is pleased overall, but mentions that little Bubba is breech and my placenta is anterior. Then she mentions my fluid looks a little on the low side. She tells me it's not really anything to panic over, but I should drink ten 8 oz glasses of water a day and come back and see her in 2 weeks to check the AFI. (The fluid came in at an 11.6, for the record, and the baby was measuring normally.)

So my fabulous friend M. recommends her wonderful OBGYN practice to me. They get me in immediately and I went to meet with Dr. Norm McDonald yesterday (he only sounds like him, he looks like a skinny Santa Claus). We discuss my history and he thinks I need to start having weekly BPPs, minimum. Fabulous! I give him the sono records from last week and he sends me down the hall to his sonographer. She notes the same details C. did - breech presentation, anterior placenta, and a AFI of 10.5. She also notes a double nuchal cord. (It's believed that Gregory died partly as a result of a triple nuchal cord.) The doc points out that this normally isn't a big deal, plenty of babies have them, I agree, but he is concerned because of the apparent drop in fluid + history. Off we go to the exam room where he listens in with the doppler and we discuss my repeat section - ideally he'd like to schedule it for 38 weeks or so, IF I make it that far. BUH?! Now I'm concerned. He wants to play it safe, so....

Off to the perinatologist down the hall we go! I have another ultrasound where the other sono tech confirms that yep, he's breech and posterior, and he's got an anterior placenta. And yep, uh-oh, the fluid level doesn't look fabulous. She asks if I've been leaking fluid at all. I tell her that I've been noticing some thinner discharge, but it didn't seem to meet the criteria of leaking amniotic fluid. Now it's time for the first invasive vaginal exam of the day. Dr. Perinatologist is a few fingers deep before she realizes the nurse isn't in the room. This is just awesome. Some fun lab tests and a meet-and-greet with my cervix later, and I can get dressed. They draw some blood and I'm off to talk to Dr. Peri, where I'm told I'm being sent to the hospital for some prolonged monitoring and steroids. OH JOY.

So after 4 hours in the doc office, we stop off at home so I can cover my butt for some work stuff since I don't know if I'll be home anytime soon. I have small nervous breakdown #1 at this point because no matter how long I've waited to hold Bubba, I'm realizing I'm not mentally prepared to meet him this way. He's early and I'm concerned for his health. We head off to the hospital which is in a less fabulous part of town and we're sent to fill out paperwork in the lounge area of OB triage. Only one seat is available in this large lounge, and some thug-in-training actually gives me a dirty look for sitting there. Sorry asshole, I'm pregnant and an actual patient, don't make me punch you in the mouth. I'm in no mood. We're taken back to evaluation and they start taking my history and setting me up. I'm eventually brought to a room where I undress and get hooked up to the monitors. Dr. Peri is thrilled with the tracing after about 30 mins or so and says she's sending me home after I get my steroids.

Ten minutes later she's back - nope, I'm not going anywhere, I'm staying overnight. She didn't realize I might be leaking fluid and we're playing it safe. At this point I start having nervous breakdown #2. She's talking to me about my scar from Gregory and I'm trying to hold back this floodgate of emotion and I tell her I want to go home. 33w4d with Gregory, we were involved in a car accident and I had to stay in the hospital for premature labor and get steroids and this was all way-too-fucking deja vu. It's only one day off. After that with Gregory, it was all down hill... She decides I'll probably be calmer at home, and we compromise. She sends Dr. Resident Winnie Cooper in to do painful invasive vaginal exam #2 to check for fluid. She needs to do a ferning test, so she whips out the cold metal speculum from hell and proceeds to crank me open like I'm a car getting jacked up to change a tire - click click click click - meanwhile, it feels like Freddy Krueger himself is in there ripping me open and I'm contorting in ways that might normally make me blush all while screaming "FUCK! THAT HURTS!", which I'm sure the guy in the coma on 12 heard. Yay, no fluid is leaking! After that, the shot in the ass was a breeze.

They release me, tell me to drink lots of water, and give me a prescription for dose #2 of the steroids, which I have to have by 9am. It's already almost 10pm. I also have to come in to see Dr. Peri and Dr. Norm on Friday - I'll be having twice weekly monitoring in their office for my fluid levels and Bubba's cord until they decide it's too dangerous and they'll pop him right out! I leave and head to the 24/7 W.algreen's where I'm told that they can't fill this prescription. Well, crap. I call the next closest 24/7 pharmacy where I'm told the exact same thing. It's now 7:09 am and I have no idea where I'm getting this prescription filled. I could scream. Couldnt they have just sent me home with a needle? I don't know what to do and I do not need this panic.

Hoping to post again before little Bubba makes his grand entrance!