The Good With The Bad

Sunday April 19, 2020 came and went with out many problems. I spent the day talking to family, researching more, and hydrating. The next day we were all set to close on our house with an online notary. Travis did a facetime last walkthrough of our soon to be new home and got all the information ready for us to set up utilities as well as printing the vast amount of paper work we had to have at closing. Unfortunately the easy day did not last through the night. At 4 am on April 20, 2020 I woke up to blood. As I said in the last post, we have a toilet next to the bed at the moment, so it did not take much for Travis to wake up and realize something was wrong. We once again rushed to the hospital in tears. We got to the ER and went through the steps of being able to get into the waiting room. Travis sat me down and went to explain to the check in desk what happened. This time I was brought a wheel chair and sent up to labor and delivery.

Once upstairs, we were sent to a triage room. They found the baby's heart beat and checked my cervix via pelvic exam (which I later found out they should not be doing as it increases my risk for infection.) They said I was indeed bleeding, obviously, and I might be in the early stages of labor. They decided to admit me to the hospital and we got in a room. We got an IV in to get some fluids in me, and the nurse almost immediately blew my vein. After a few minutes there was a shift change and we were introduced to the first nurse who had any positivity for us. We talked about what was happening, and what my options were if I was in labor. About 12 hours later, she came in to let us know that they might be discharging me even though I was still bleeding and cramping. We discussed the fact that we have been staying with friends due to our house flooding as well as proximity to the hospital. We talked about how as much as I appreciate them letting us stay in their house, I feel like such a burden when I am there. The nurse and midwife decided not to discharge me and let us stay the night without telling the doctor. She went ahead and took my IV out since I was done with the saline and they had no plans to run more. We also found out I had become anemic, which was expected in the pregnancy. In three months i dropped from an 11 to an 8, so I was then given iron pills. We checked on the baby again and his heart rate was still in the 160's. The day was hard, the bleeding continued, and we somehow still managed to close on our house. This was supposed to be such a happy day with us getting our first home. This was a significant date in my mind for the last two months as we prepared for closing. I never thought it would turn to this.

Travis will hate that I posted this photo, but it was such a nice sight to see in such a hard time. We napped during the day and I woke up to see him like this. He has been such an amazing support through everything. I know this hurts him too, but he stays so strong for me. He helps me do everything. He sets up my dinner, helps me to the bathroom, and even checked my temperature with the fancy hospital thermometer. The thermometer was more of a protest on my part because I didn't want him to get us in trouble, but he was very persistent so I decided to let him have some fun. I even thought about trusting him with putting my IV in since the next one they put in also had complications.

We went through the night with continued bleeding and were woken up around 7am to the news that we were being discharged. They checked the babies heart beat, which was still in the 160's, and did ANOTHER speculum exam. I had not progressed in any dilation, but I was told that there was more blood. after the nurse and doctor left I decided I was going to go back to sleep again. I heard them come in 3 times to sign the discharge papers and just purposely slept through it until the woke me up the last time. I asked if I could shower before I left and they said yes. I was told that I should come back if I felt any cramps or had any blood. So even though I was still having cramps and had more blood, I was being discharged, but being told to come back if I had the symptoms that I already have. The doctor also said she still thinks I am in the early stages of labor.

So now I am back in bed at my friends house, still bleeding. I'm not even sure what warrants going back to the hospital because I was discharged with the symptoms I am supposed to be hospitalized for. I don't want to go back, expose myself more to Covid-19, move and lose more fluids and bleed more, all just to be turned away. We were not told that I was supposed to have an iron prescription, but luckily found it in the discharge papers. We called the OB clinic that I am supposed to have weekly visits in now. Friday they said every two days, but now it's only weekly for some reason. It took about 15 minutes to get an appointment after repeatedly explaining that even though I am only 18 weeks, my water broke, and labor and delivery told me I had to have weekly appointments. She would not give me an appointment for this week until I insisted that she had to. I finally got an appointment for this Friday, so that's my next goal to make it to. According to my mom, if I can make it to one week after the water broke, my chances go up of making it many more. I'm just not sure at this point. It's too hard to just stay positive. I am handling it better, but it still hits me in waves.

My grandmother contacted the senator in our home state, Louisiana, to see if they could push for anything. They said that if I was in Louisiana, then they absolutely would, but since I am here, there is nothing that can be done. They suggested that we contact the senators here, so we sent them a request today with our story. We will see if that does anything. I just don't understand how I know people who went through the exact same thing, at the same week, in the same hospital, and were sent to Anchorage, given medicine to postpone labor, and multiple other treatments, all while I am just sent home. I just want my baby to have a chance, but at home with no care we have almost no chance.