Aaaaargh. I wish I could be peaceful, easygoing, and Zen about the end of this pregnancy. But if you know me at all, you know that I am not peaceful, easygoing, or Zen about ANYTHING.
This is terribly embarrassing to admit, but I have been to the maternity ward triage TWICE with this pregnancy. Both false alarms. I have two children. I know what labor feels like. I KNOW BETTER.
One of the false alarms happened to be last night. Garrett had a little stomach bug on Friday, and when I woke up Monday horrendously nauseated, unable to eat, drink, or lift my head from the couch, I thought maybe I too had caught the stomach virus.
And then, I started having contractions. Not TERRIBLY painful, but they were coming at regular 5 minute intervals.
I called my OB nurse, asking if I could take some Pepto for my tummy...the answer was no. After discussing how I was feeling, she suggested just heading to triage to have things checked out, thinking that they could maybe give me fluids if necessary, or some medicine that would ease the nausea.
Here's how triage went:
1. They find I have ketones in my urine, and ask if I've been sick. Uh, YEAH. PAY ATTENTION WHEN I TELL YOU I'M NOT FEELING WELL, WOULD YOU?
2. My cervix is checked. No progress since last week.
3. I get hooked up to monitors. They show a healthy, active baby, and mild to moderate contractions every 5 to 8 minutes or so.
4. I am ordered to drink a giant mug of water and walk the halls for an hour.
5. My cervix is checked AGAIN. Nothing's changed.
6. I'm sent home to wallow in my misery and impatience (they could have at LEAST given me a damn Am*bien, I tell you). I cry and feel really stupid. And then I demand an ice cream bar on the way home.
And about 3 minutes out of the hospital parking lot, I start having really hard contractions. By the time we get home, we're wondering if we should head BACK to the hospital. I convince myself that it's probably just from having my cervix poked at twice in an hour, but we throw the hospital bags in the car anyway. You know, just in case.
So Seth runs around for a couple of hours, finishing up work, switching loads of laundry, picking up the house, and showering, while I lay in bed moaning / having nightmares about labor / trying to sleep.
The contractions must have let up in the night, because I eventually fell asleep.
I had my OB appointment this morning, and I went in thinking all those contractions MUST have gotten me SOMEWHERE.
Not really. I'm 1 cm dilated, my cervix is still not fully softened, and baby is still floating up high. Yes, I cried. DAMN HORMONES.
And seriously, if ONE MORE PERSON, MEDICALLY TRAINED OR NOT, tells me to "WALK, AND GET THAT BABY'S HEAD DOWN," they are going to get a sharp stick in the eye. This is something you DO NOT tell a 500 pound (okay, slight exaggeration) pregnant woman when it has been 98 degrees and humid for the past two weeks.
I will lay on the couch, and I will like it.
And the weird thing about all of this is: As anxious and eager as I am to get this show on the road, I'm still terrified of labor, and a tiny part of me would just prefer to stay pregnant and forget the whole taking-care-of-three-small-children-on-zero-sleep thing.
I'm sorry for posting ONLY about my never-ending pregnancy lately, and for not having anything entertaining for you to enjoy when you visit. I can definitely only entertain one subject right now.
But have no fear...it won't be long before I'll lose my ever-loving mind, and have TONS of bloggy material.
Oh, and for those of you wondering about the INSANE hospital bill that I mentioned in the last post:
We do not have maternity coverage on our stupid, expensive, private insurance. It cost almost $500 a month to add it to our plan, and we were NOT planning on getting pregnant, remember? So we are "Self Pay", both to the hospital and to my OB.
We wiped out our savings last week to pay the OB his portion ($4000, with a 20 percent discount for paying early, in cash).
The hospital cost? Well, for a 2 day stay and basic uncomplicated delivery (no epidural or anything), the DISCOUNTED rate (since we are Self Pay) is $7500. And now, I have to have IV antibiotics because of the group B strep, so tack on another $1000 or so for that. Plus, if baby doesn't hurry up, and I end up being induced, who knows what that would add.
In short, we're going to owe the hospital around $10,000. I think I just threw up a little. Socialized medicine? I'm so in. GO HILARY! OR OBAMA!
This is terribly embarrassing to admit, but I have been to the maternity ward triage TWICE with this pregnancy. Both false alarms. I have two children. I know what labor feels like. I KNOW BETTER.
One of the false alarms happened to be last night. Garrett had a little stomach bug on Friday, and when I woke up Monday horrendously nauseated, unable to eat, drink, or lift my head from the couch, I thought maybe I too had caught the stomach virus.
And then, I started having contractions. Not TERRIBLY painful, but they were coming at regular 5 minute intervals.
I called my OB nurse, asking if I could take some Pepto for my tummy...the answer was no. After discussing how I was feeling, she suggested just heading to triage to have things checked out, thinking that they could maybe give me fluids if necessary, or some medicine that would ease the nausea.
Here's how triage went:
1. They find I have ketones in my urine, and ask if I've been sick. Uh, YEAH. PAY ATTENTION WHEN I TELL YOU I'M NOT FEELING WELL, WOULD YOU?
2. My cervix is checked. No progress since last week.
3. I get hooked up to monitors. They show a healthy, active baby, and mild to moderate contractions every 5 to 8 minutes or so.
4. I am ordered to drink a giant mug of water and walk the halls for an hour.
5. My cervix is checked AGAIN. Nothing's changed.
6. I'm sent home to wallow in my misery and impatience (they could have at LEAST given me a damn Am*bien, I tell you). I cry and feel really stupid. And then I demand an ice cream bar on the way home.
And about 3 minutes out of the hospital parking lot, I start having really hard contractions. By the time we get home, we're wondering if we should head BACK to the hospital. I convince myself that it's probably just from having my cervix poked at twice in an hour, but we throw the hospital bags in the car anyway. You know, just in case.
So Seth runs around for a couple of hours, finishing up work, switching loads of laundry, picking up the house, and showering, while I lay in bed moaning / having nightmares about labor / trying to sleep.
The contractions must have let up in the night, because I eventually fell asleep.
I had my OB appointment this morning, and I went in thinking all those contractions MUST have gotten me SOMEWHERE.
Not really. I'm 1 cm dilated, my cervix is still not fully softened, and baby is still floating up high. Yes, I cried. DAMN HORMONES.
And seriously, if ONE MORE PERSON, MEDICALLY TRAINED OR NOT, tells me to "WALK, AND GET THAT BABY'S HEAD DOWN," they are going to get a sharp stick in the eye. This is something you DO NOT tell a 500 pound (okay, slight exaggeration) pregnant woman when it has been 98 degrees and humid for the past two weeks.
I will lay on the couch, and I will like it.
And the weird thing about all of this is: As anxious and eager as I am to get this show on the road, I'm still terrified of labor, and a tiny part of me would just prefer to stay pregnant and forget the whole taking-care-of-three-small-children-on-zero-sleep thing.
I'm sorry for posting ONLY about my never-ending pregnancy lately, and for not having anything entertaining for you to enjoy when you visit. I can definitely only entertain one subject right now.
But have no fear...it won't be long before I'll lose my ever-loving mind, and have TONS of bloggy material.
Oh, and for those of you wondering about the INSANE hospital bill that I mentioned in the last post:
We do not have maternity coverage on our stupid, expensive, private insurance. It cost almost $500 a month to add it to our plan, and we were NOT planning on getting pregnant, remember? So we are "Self Pay", both to the hospital and to my OB.
We wiped out our savings last week to pay the OB his portion ($4000, with a 20 percent discount for paying early, in cash).
The hospital cost? Well, for a 2 day stay and basic uncomplicated delivery (no epidural or anything), the DISCOUNTED rate (since we are Self Pay) is $7500. And now, I have to have IV antibiotics because of the group B strep, so tack on another $1000 or so for that. Plus, if baby doesn't hurry up, and I end up being induced, who knows what that would add.
In short, we're going to owe the hospital around $10,000. I think I just threw up a little. Socialized medicine? I'm so in. GO HILARY! OR OBAMA!
Labels: pregnancy
16 Comments:
Hang in there (I bet you're tired of hearing that one, huh?)! That sucks about the OB/hospital bills. I'm all for national healthcare too. :)
Let's GO, Delaney!!
So do you get charged for those hospital visits too? The cost of giving birth astounds me!
Socialized medicine? Hmmm... there is another side to that. LOL
Anyway-I think I threw up a little after reading the cost. I am not going to give you the generic *you will be fine* because I wouldn't be! Feel better? LOL
Say it with me now E-P-I-D-U-R-A-L ;o)
Come over here. I'll get that baby out. Fifty bucks, plus tip.
:o)
Seriously, though, praying for you in all of this. Good God, the medical bills. Blah!!
I was for sure this was going to be it....
If you were in my hospital, I would totally make your bills "disappear"...
Oh you poor thing. Lay on the couch for as long as possible. I too went to triage 3 friggin times before it was finally the real thing. He was also the 3rd child as you know.
Relax, take a deep breath and tell yourself it will be ok. Do you want me to come down there and take your ass to the mall or something?
As for the medical bills it makes me sick for you. They can't get blood out of a turnip is what my momma always says.
Hang in there girl.
Crapbag...I was hoping this was THE baby post!! I'm sorry :(
Holy crap on the hospital bills!! I had health coverage while pregnant through my employer. Once I resigned, I (obviously) lost it. If I were to have a baby NOW, I'd be in a HUGE panic over paying for it. With everything I had to have Morgan, it cost $17,240!!!
Hang in there, girly....you're doing awesome!!
I'm like Kellie, Alyssa's birth was arond $15,000! That was just the hopsital bill. Luckily, I had insurance. They would have had to repossess her by now if I hadn't!
I hope that baby comes soon!
Holy shit, is all I have to say about the insurance stuff. It makes me think everyone should switch to a health savings account. Instead of dealing with co-pays every time you go in, you get a bill from the doctor, which arrives about a month after your visit and is always discounted, and the payment counts toward your deductible. Once you hit your deductible, you're free and clear for the rest of the year.
My personal deductible is $3,000, so I will not pay more then that in medical expenses this year. The total family deductible is $6,000. Seriously, everyone should look into this.
Let me throw in another holy shit on the medical bills! And that's WITHOUT A F-ING EPIDURAL! Dude any woman who is as brave as you are, to have a baby without an epidural, shouldn't have to pay a damn dime. That should be your reward. No epidural? Free childbirth.
Holy freaking crap. I think I threw up in my mouth a little bit just now for you.
And I might have cried some too.
I really thought that maybe the delay in posting was the real thing, but I guess not. You poor thing.
I saw this weekend.....for reals.
Is she here yet?
Delaney is here! Born August 9
OH Shit. I'm just readin along here and there it is. Yippy! I can't wait to hear all about the whole birth. I feel so relieved. I can only imagine how you feel Stacey. Hi Delaney.Kisses to you.
Yea! Congrats! Can't wait to see her.
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