Hospital fun

I went into the hospital on Sunday for a routine 20 minute CTG scan - they hook you up to a fetal monitor that traces the babies’ heartbeats and also checks for contractions. To make a long story short, they became concerned because some contractions were showing up on the trace – I knew I was having them, but I hadn’t worried since they were so mild and so irregular (especially since they can last for weeks and mine had been going on for several days without worsening).

They put me on nifedipine to stop the contractions and I spent the next couple of hours periodically hooked up to the CTG – things settled down a fair amount but not all the way, so they kept me in for observation and further monitoring and treatment for the next 2 nights, which was about as thrilling as you might imagine (mmm...hospital food...).

Possibly the worst photo of me EVER. Hopefully the enormous bare belly isn't too disturbing...

By yesterday afternoon everything had smoothed out, so they did an ultrasound to double check that all was OK (along with the most painful internal exam I've ever had - OMG the doctor was awful) and then released me with a prescription for more meds and instructions to do even less than I had been before, which basically means I can do...well, nothing, really. I don’t have to stay in bed, but I’m not allowed to do much else.

The part of all of this that has me upset is that they’ve also adjusted my due date forward. For some reason, the hospital has taken my original due date – May 3 – and added five days to it. I asked three nurses and two doctors why the date was different, and none of them could give me an answer beyond, “That’s what it says here. Besides, five days isn’t that long.”

Well maybe it’s not that long to THEM, but the date I deliver on is a little tricky. My hospital will only take births from 36 weeks onward – anything before that and I will be transferred to a hospital that is a 45 minute drive away (that's the best case scenario – if they didn’t have space, I’d have to go to Sydney). So changing my due date means that in order to stay here, I have to hold on for another TWO weeks instead of one...and frankly, at the moment that extra week looks stunningly difficult.

I’ve been steadily focused on April 5 (the day I hit 36 weeks, which is considered term for twins) for months; it’s been such rough going and I've been hanging on with teeth and nails for the last few weeks - having that date to count down to has meant a lot to me. So for someone to suddenly switch the goalposts is just...well, it’s very hard to deal with, even if it is only a week...I've cried over this more times than I want to admit, I just feel so disheartened.

I’m seeing my OBGYN tomorrow and am going to discuss the date issue with him. I don’t know if he has any influence at the hospital (he used to work in the high risk clinic there and is still respected by many of the staff), but I really hope that somehow they’ll change the date back to May 3. Personally, I think it was probably a simple transcription error somewhere along the line (‘3’ and ‘8’ do look similar) since May 8 doesn’t even match up with any projected dates from any of the bajillion ultrasounds I’ve had, but no one will admit that’s a possibility. If they won’t change it, well...these kids will come when they feel like it and I don’t know if holding on for another two weeks is realistic at this stage, so if we have to go somewhere else, then that’s how it will have to be.

We're so close to the finish line now - please wish us luck...