A dry ice run

Week 37 Day 5

Austin’s forecasted one to two inches of snow was supplemented by some ice, and the roads all over the city were treacherous or impassable. Up here on our hill, we weren’t sure how we’d ever get down. Dr. Binka-Binka’s office was closed by the weather, but when we had a phone conversation about the mid-night symptoms, he wanted me to go to the hospital. Dr. Oliver’s nurse said the same thing. So we finished packing The Bag and plotted a route that would have the minimum number of gullies we might slide into on the way down.

Taking a moment before the big drive (and the possible hospital stay). Here we (might be) go(ing!)

And then we set off. It wasn’t too bad. Our first route led to a turnaround when there was a problem on a bridge up ahead, but our second route after that, while circuitous, got us to the hospital in about 35 minutes. They were waiting for us, apparently, and everything was handled with ease and efficiency. After my whole patient history was recorded (a step that will save time later), a thorough check of the situation revealed that I was not in fact in early labor as Dr. Binka-Binka had been concerned, but instead was just getting ready to go there sometime in the next week. Blood pressure low, pulse steady, Little Dude putting out yet another great track on the fetal monitor. He is just fine, and with the exception of a little swelling of feet and face, so am I. No actual centimeters of dilation yet, but with the exam came the prediction from one of the nurses that I might not make it to next Friday. (So, ladies and gentlemen, start your pool!) Plus now I know what to expect when we go in, which in my expectation-driven book is always a huge plus.

The drive home took more than an hour, as we kept coming across roads that were blocked by accidents, but now we are home and everyone from the cats to sweetoldyellowdog Bailey to the two of us are going to take a nice long nap.