Yep I guess so, pre term labor, so now I am sitting bored on a couch writing
this blog update.
I am currently 34 weeks and feeling I am more like 38 weeks,
but that might just be the age of my body this time around. Anyway, I really
cannot complain at all about pregnancy, I really have it easy. I have no
morning sickness, I can eat anything (including spicy foods) pretty much the
only thing I hate in the 3rd trimester is heartburn. Big deal right?
First I have to tell you how I started to see the difference
in Asian pregnant women and me. See, I want sweets! Give me candy, chocolate,
cake, whatever. But I realized as we took a 24-hour train ride a few weeks ago
to Beijing, that Asians in general do not like sweets. I mean that food cart
went by every few hours and I was hoping just once Snickers would show up. How
did I forget such a crucial thing on such a long trip anyway? Instead of sweets
on that food cart, it was pickled veggie packets, spicy nuts, roasted chicken
feet, and soda. OK I will take the soda!
I have been finding my sweets and decided Snickers are a
true heartburn relief. Also I love the Oreo flavors in this land. They have
many and my favorite right now is birthday cake. But ok ok enough of that… lets
move on.
Doctors visit. OK so in America I remember going to my baby
doctor, arriving at the scheduled time, listening to elevator type music in a
quite waiting room reading a magazine. I got to see my doctor after a few
minutes and maybe asked to take a urine test before entering my own private
room. We talked, she did her thing, and I was on my way about 15-20 minutes
later.
Here?!?
OK so yeah nothing like that, and so this why I think I went
into pre-term labor!!
You see everyone and their mother has no appointment. So you
have to show up 1 hour before the office opens in the afternoon. At 1:00pm you
stand in line for about 1 hour and get an appointment. Once you do that you walk
to another building wait for another 30 minutes at your doctors waiting
area. Then when they open the office
door to the OB, run and put your book on top of everyone else’s. (Yeah, great
sight, a lot of big belly women all trying to run) So it’s 2:30 and now you get
to wait to hear your name. With in the next 45 minutes to an hour you get
called in a room with the doctor and her 3 nurses at a desk and a computer.
Here you get a small chat and then the assignment for the day.
So last Monday I had to do only 3 things, take a urine test,
have an ultra sound to check the baby’s growth, and listen to the heartbeat. OK
here I go, up to the 3rd floor to get a number for the ultra sound.
But, the elevator is crazy busy and it is somewhere on the 17th
floor, so I might as well just take the stairs. So I did. I got up there,
handed my paper and realized I had to pay $13 before I can get a number. OK
fine, I ran back down, paid, ran back up the stairs and got my ultra sound
waiting number. They said about 1 hour wait. So I figured I should at least
take my urine test, because I know it takes an hour to get the results. So, I
went back down the 3 flights of stairs then over to another building and went
up the stairs to the 2nd floor to take my Urine test.
***This is not an easy process. I am given a cup the size of
a tablespoon with a handle the size of my pinky nail. Oh then I go to the
restroom (squatty). Do you realize I am 8 months pregnant people!!!! Wait, how
nice, they left the window open for all to see too. Nowhere to set this cup I
have to pull up my pants with one hand trying not to spill the little cup. Then
I go to a window with my tiny cup and they ask me to pour it into a test tube.
Then come back in one hour to get results.)***
OK So, I go back to the other building, take the stairs to
get to the 3rd floor again, wait..wait…wait…until almost 4:30pm and then I get an
ultra sound. They give me a print out and I leave. I head back to the other
building to pick up my UT results on the 2nd floor (b/c my goodness
it has been long enough) walk back to the original building and get to sit in a
chair to hear the heart beat and… measure any contractions. All in Chinese so I
have no idea what it says but find out at 5:45pm when I turn in all my paper
work to my doctor that…ummm your having contractions. “I am?? I thought it was
just pressure?” I said. This is my 3rd baby but it is also my 3rd
c-section, so I have never felt a contraction and therefore had no idea that
this ‘pressure’ was a contraction. So she quickly checked me, saw I was effaced
as well. She prescribed me a medication and said, “no more doing anything!!!
You don’t want a pre term baby here!” SO I paid for my $4 prescription, walked
back to the other building, got my medicine, walked out to the street, waited
about 10 minutes for a taxi and then arrived home.
So I don’t know about you, but I think that will put any
woman into labor!
I do really want to keep this little guy inside for at least
2 more weeks. So, all that to say, yes, I need to slow down, but here? Life is
just different. Please lift this thought up for us.
Hope the next blog post will include pictures of our
handsome new little guy!
The Joneses
