24 Hour Fetal Monitoring

We reached the ER & filled up the necessary paper-work. Within 5 minutes, I was wheeled to the second floor of the hospital- the maternity ward. The plan was to monitor Tweetu for x hrs & if needed, I will be sent back to the ER for further tests.

Let me tell you something about this wheelchair ride. I love the TV shows ER, House, Grey's Anatomy - you name it. I crave for that Adrenaline rush! I love the action that takes place on the ER floor & have always wished to be a care provider.
I have always jumped into action when any family member or friend has gotten injured & had to be taken to the hospital. I would gladly drag the wheelchair & the patient without any hesitation!
But yesterday, when the roles switched & I was the one sitting on the wheelchair, being pushed by someone else- it felt so eerie! I was scared. The hospital seemed like the worst place in the whole world - & I didnt want to be there! People passing us thought I was in labour- few wished me luck! Not now, not so early...I was screaming within myself!

Anyways, I was taken to the L&D room. The room was large & pleasantly decorated. I was asked to lie down on the bed. A nurse came in & hooked me on to external Electronic fetal heart rate monitoring (EFM) & contraction(maternal) probes; blue & pink elastic-like bands were tied across my tummy. Within a second, the fetal monitor started registering Tweetu's heart-beats & my contractions(yes, I had some Braxton's) were getting recoreded too. The nurse showed me how the bed operated, took my BP & checked my body temperature.

Thus began our long journey into the unknown...we were not sure if things were ok, we didnt know how long I would be monitored, tests to be performed, which OB/Gyn would see me, & when we would get to go home! There was a complete loss of control & everything was new to me...I mean you dont normally read up on trauma related emergency procedures...

My body temperature was 99.5 F- a little higher than expected. The nurse quickly concluded that I was dehydrated, which I was, & brought me 12oz of orange juice & a large can of water. Tweetu was doing fine between 140-150 beats/min. After about 40 minutes, the OB came in, looked at the chart & saw a couple of declerations & contractions. Typically Fetal Heart Rate(FHR) recordings correlate accelerations and decelerations with uterine contractions and identify the pattern. I was told that I would be monitored for the next 6 hours.

Later on, the nurse came in almost every 1.5hrs to check on me or if the recordings concerned her. She carried out the routine BP, temperature checkings too. Around 8pm, dinner arrived. Looking @it, we decided that TD would go out & get dinner for us! I dont know why they say hospital food is like airline food...airline food is 100 times better!

The next OB on rotation arrived & looked at the charts & told us that we were not going home that night. In the morning, after breakfast, she had scheduled an u/s & based on that she would decide if I would be allowed to go home. TD was given extra linens & a pull out chair bed was available for him.

A few years ago, my Dad met with a terrible accident & was hospitalized for almost 9 months. He had broken bones & stitches everywhere. He couldnt move. I cannot imagine what he must have gone through...I had all the comforts- pillows, a reclining bed, my Snoogle, the TV...my Dad had none...

I hardly slept that night. Everytime I moved, Tweetu would also move & her heart rate would change...sometimes, it would go up, others, it would slowly go down& get back up again. And sometimes when Tweetu moved all by herself, the monitor would stop recording as she would go hiding someplace & out of the probe range! The monitor noise kept me aware and awake. I tried not to move as much as I could. But then I realized, how would I function otherwise! After about 6 hrs, I gave up & became immune to the accelerations & decelerations! These ups & downs, within normal ranges, are a part and parcel of pregnancy.

Later, another nurse came in & drew some blood to check the presence of Tweetu's cells/blood in my blood. If positive, based on the amount, this would indicate the extent of trauma. Unfortunately, the test came positive. Around 2ccs of Tweetu's cells were found in my blood. The OB told us that the amount was pretty negligible but to be on the conservative side, and after she gets to see the ultrasound results, I may have to be monitored for a full 24 hrs ie until 1pm the next day.

Around 10:30am the next day, I was wheeled to the Radiology department for an u/s. Every nurse, doctor who saw me was aware of the accident & so was the Radiologist! The u/s went well. My bladder was full & Tweetu was active. After I was sent back to my room, the OB visited us one more time and showed satisfaction. The u/s & the overnight monitoring had gone well. She enquired if I had any pain, backache or blood discharge. I had none. Later that day, the OB came back for one last time & told us it was time to go home! She asked me to schedule NSTs, twice per week for the rest of my pregnancy & an u/s @ week 36. I am not allowed to exert but take it slow.

We were so relived to be discharged from the hospital. The 'outside world' looked different to me! I almost felt like I had come out of seclusion; was in exile for a very long time...the feeling is unexplainable! I can only wonder, how Dad must have felt when he got out of the hospital...

So as you can imagine, my darling TD is in top gear! He is managing everything so well...& today, he did something that I could only dream of! He made my favourite Masala-Dosa!