whitewriter | Stretch and sweep (Reply)

stretch and sweep today by a female Indian doc with long skinny fingers.
The two docs were in an almighty rush. By this point I had already sat in the waiting room for a whole hour, as it slowly filled up - until the point where there were other ladies who also looked 38+ and there weren't enough chairs.

No one brought their kids and there were hardly any miscelaneous people. From memory, in the past- when I had Wendy, there were at least double the no. of chairs so seeing as they needed more, why did they remove them? who knows.

Anyhow. It was a very uncomfortable hour, those chairs aren't really for sitting, let alone at 38 weeks or otherwise.

So then I went in and before you know it It was "so how's the diabetes" and can I take your blood pressure - and as I mentioned the stretch and sweep she was gloving up.

Its not like I was a first timer but they seemed in a very big rush. Clinic is supposed to end by 13:00, which was only an hour away - so I figured they wanted to get onto that.

I commented that she had good fingers - and she did. I really felt that sweep, very uncomfortable. It felt like she really rooted around in there (lolz but honestly) and so my bottom felt amazingly sore afterwards. Bruised almost, but I know it was just her finger up my cervix trying to sweep the membrane.

She said I was 3cm (and I can only think really?) but with a bishops score of 6 - so for which she would reccomend cervidil. Well, it's only 38+1 so.

In anycase I wasn't surprised.

While she was up there, the other doc phoned Birth unit (I told you they were in a rush) and was asking about booking induction.

The two of them were talking about when to do it - and how it had to be done before Monday, preferably before Friday - I don't know why (staffing? the GDM? Had they prediscussed my case and the BGLs and etc). I had questions re: insulin infusion (did I need one? But they said it gets decided on the day, by endocrine). So maybe yes and maybe no.

From memory, with Gwendolyn, my BGL actually went up in labour despite eating nothing and vomiting. Great. So. I did get like 4U of novorapid at some point for I don't know who decided.

They check BGLs hourly so I guess they titrate as they so choose.

It's weird when it goes up. In BU at SSH usually I see it is normal or low, and we start an insulin infusion - and go from there.

But they said they don't do infusion unless your T1DM or T2DM (not just GDM) so. Different policies I guess. i can't remember what the MISH policy is for GDM management in IOL. I don't think I've read it.

In anycase, sore bottom and all, they asked me if Sunday at 3pm was okay, and I agreed it seemed fine- and then they said go talk to the diabetes educator who then checked my numbers and said to increase the protophane to 30U but to do it in 2 lots, at two sites of 15U because the absorption is better.

The educator was the same I'd had with Wendy and she said she's sorry she was going to be away next week or she'd come see me on the ward- and asked if I'd send her a photo of the baby when it came out. I guess I'll add her to the list.

On the way out of the hospital, my bruised feeling bottom (perineal area) - I saw 2 old workmates who had recently left ICU - and were working upstairs in other day shift only roles. One was trying to convince me to go up there too (lolz. well. Maybe, but lets get through mat leave first?) I told her about the Induction on Sunday and how I had a sweep just then in an appointment - she hasn't got children and isn't a midwife so she thought that meant I was in labour at first (lolz). Then she started texting an old colleague who is due around the same time as myself to see if she had her baby yet.

Like a huricane they left - and I left - and $3.05 later I'd mailed a mini photo album I was intending to send to a friend for Christmas - and 4 mins later I was on the bus back home by 13:00.

Wendy was at Apoh's so I had approx 3 hours to get shit done-

and the goal tonight - is to go to bed early.

It's valentines tonight and the only special thing about it is I got a 900g bag of pecans from costco and Pete and I were sharing it while we watched Weeekend at Bernie's of SBS on demand - because it's a movie I've always wanted to see and Pete said it was a classic and was ok to rewatch. It's a work night so we've made it about 25% of the way through: Bernie's dead and the party is happening all around him and only those 2 boys have noticed something nefarious has happened. They were about to report it until Gwen walked into the party.

So.

if I'm not in labour we'll watch more tomorrow sometime possibly. Not sure- as I promised my cousin I'd drive her home after her day procedure around about the time Pete and I would have normally had any sort of time for TV.

Might get pushed to the weekend.

Weekend at Stanmore lolz.

Last weekend as a parent of 1.