A Not So Quick Hospital Detour...........

Yesterday I spent my afternoon in the local hospital Labor and Delivery unit. This is NOT how I had intended to spend my afternoon but one thing led to another.........
All morning I had been dealing with Braxton-Hicks contractions. No biggie. Until Josh and I were in Hobby Lobby (checking out the amazing Christmas stuff!) and I thought I would have to quickly find a bathroom for myself. Until I realized that this heavy, cramping type pressure subsided with my Braxton-Hicks contractions. Weird.
So we trudge home for lunch and some more chores. I decided I needed to drink some fluids....maybe my body is telling me I'm dehydrated. But the contractions keep coming with the same cramping feeling. Hmmmmm........................ so I call my sister to ask her if she ever had anything like this. She says very wisely, "Well, just call your doctor's office and ask the nurse."
Duh. I'm only an adult and this is my third kid. I should know the routine, right?
So I call the doctor's office and calmly explain the situation to the nurse. She FREAKS OUT and puts me on hold. When she gets back on the line she tells me to go straight to L&D and that they are expecting me. WHOA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What the.............?????????
I nicely try to explain that I am sure I'm fine, that I have a two year old and no sitter, that I will just lay down for an hour and take it easy. But she is insistent and guilt's me into a commitment by saying "It's better to check and see - after all - this is your baby!" Uh huh. The bad mom routine gets me every time.
So I rush out the door, cursing modern medicine and high-strung nursing staff. I dump Josh at my girlfriend's house and speed over to the hospital. Now the awkward part: I am obviously pregnant. Here I am, alone, walking into Labor and Delivery, not at all in pain or distress. People are trying not to stare as I sit in the little family waiting area and fill out my forms. (I actually wondered if I should fake some major contractions for them - just to make things more realistic)
The nurse I got was great - and beyond thorough. I spent two hours laying on the table being strapped to the monitors and asked every question in the book. I'm not exactly sure, but I do believe I've been Pre-Registered now. She did every exam in the book and took all the precautions of doing every possible lab test that the doctor might request. Very, very thorough.
Meanwhile, I've had only one Braxton-Hicks contraction and no deep cramping sensation to accompany it. Of course.
And now I'm looking at the clock and thinking: "Jessa will be home in half an hour from school. I need to get out of here!" But I am supposed to be waiting to see the doctor and we all know how long I could have ended up laying there in that Triage room. (I'd like to note here that hospitals should really make the beds a bit longer for us tall folks) So I ring for the nurse on the call button. Fifteen minutes later and nobody has answered - so I began to unhook myself from all the gadgets. I felt like a guilty kid, sneaking out. But I technically hadn't been admitted, so what could they do?
Long story but I made it home with three minutes to spare. Jessa got off the bus and the rest of our afternoon was business as usual. Except that those stupid cramps came back. But am I going to call the nurse again??? NO WAY!!!! This mama is going to put her feet up, relax at home on the cozy couch and keep her big mouth shut! :)