Journal Entry: Now what?

On Tuesday night, I attended RS Enrichment and it was all about being spiritually prepared. Brother Kidd talked about many aspects of spiritual preparedness, taking most of his time driving home the point that ALL aspects of our life are spiritual. He talked about putting the spiritual needs first in our lives and that the mental and physical tasks would seem easier to handle if we did that. His presentation was uplifting and enjoyable. I was glad I went.

2 weeks ago, I had a doctor's appointment where the doctor told me she didn't think I would make it 4 more weeks to my c-section. I was given a list of things to look out for that would indicate early labor and would require having my baby as soon as possible. I have had many small indications that might mean something (they didn't, but at the time I was wondering) and have been worried about what to do with my children in the event of an unexpected visit to the hospital. Also, I have been slowly putting things into a pile to pack in my hospital bag, but it is still not actually packed. I just don't feel ready to have this baby.

Yesterday, I had a doctor's appointment. My blood pressure was high and I had protein in my urine, both are symptoms of Preeclampsia or the slightly less dangerous Pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH). (as a quick side note, the doc also found the baby's heartrate up above my belly button and said, "I don't think the baby is head down, I found the heartbeat too high." I told her that I was quite sure the baby was upside down. She did a quick sonogram proving me right and although she did not measure the baby she said that she looks really big.) So, back to the blood pressure issues... other signs of these conditions are headaches, swelling, and vision changes. In the last 2 weeks I have had fairly bad headaches and quite a bit of swelling. The doctor told me to go directly to labor and delivery at the hospital and have them do the blood tests for these conditions. If the tests come back positive for either condition, I would be having my c-section in the afternoon. I left the office, immediately called my husband to see if he could meet me at the hospital to watch Miana while they drew my blood. (I really thought that was all they were going to do, draw my blood, get results and then admit me or send me home...) I then went and picked her up from Chris' house, frantically trying to figure out what to do with Carter who was getting out of school in 1 hour. I called one friend, no answer. I called another who was leaving for the airport at the same time as needing to pick up Carter. She told me not to worry and that she would find someone to pick him up. I got to the hospital and there was not a single parking spot available anywhere near labor and delivery. I parked at the opposite end of the hospital. Grabbed Miana and the diaper bag out of the car and ran into the hospital. There I am standing at an information desk, obviously pregnant, holding my 2 year old. I asked which way was the fasted way to get to labor and delivery, the lady looked at me and said, a little shocked, "are you the patient?" I nodded and she said, frantically, "do you need a wheel chair?" I simply said, "I am the patient, but I am not in labor. I just need to do some blood work, but I might have the baby today, we won't know until I get the results." She smiled, although I am not sure she fully understood, and pointed me towards labor and delivery. I walked down the hall having Miana run next to me as fast as she could to keep up. I got to the right place and was very relieved to see Dave in the lobby ready to go (he had no idea what we were in for)... The got me registered and admitted me to the hospital. They took me to the surgical prep room, had me change into the hospital gown and hooked me up to all of the monitors. They drew my blood and then we waited. During this time we realized that we didn't know if Carter had been taken care of or who even had him. We made several phone calls and couldn't get ahold of anyone. Finally, we got 2 separate phone calls from both of my Visiting Teachers, letting me know that another friend had Carter and that we could leave him there as long as we needed to and wanting to know what they could do to help with the other 2 kids... I got one more phone call from a friend saying that she would keep an eye out for Spencer after school and have him come to her house if no one was home at our house... What a relief to have everyone taken care of and know that I have such great friends who were so willing to help. 2.5 hours after leaving my doctor's office, my blood work came back normal and I was discharged from the hospital. My next appt. is on Monday and they may move my c-section date up if my blood pressure is high again.
When I went to pick up Carter, Wendy told me that she was making us dinner for that night and even though I protested, she insisted. It was really nice to be able to go home and only worry about getting homework done and resting and not have stress over dinner. I have really amazing friends. I am extremely blessed.
While I was there in the hospital, we were scrambling to see if we had the camera with us, if it had batteries, etc. Dave said to me, "if nothing else comes of this, we will know to have your bag packed and in the car." I was not prepared at all. I was not prepared with plans for the children in place. I wasn't prepared with things I needed. I didn't even have phone numbers with me to call for help. Today I am typing up a list of phone numbers to keep in the car with me. I am packing my bag. I am finishing the schedule/instruction sheets for the kids. I am typing up a note for Carter's school with a list of people who have my permission to pick him up in an emergency. (They have a small list, but I will make a long list to include most of my ward.) Last night, Dave took care of his personal preparation, downloading a couple more movies to his phone and adding more of the scriptures to it. He said he is now ready to sit by my side through anything...
Preparation is something that we are told to do/have/be constantly. I really was not ready yesterday and am grateful for a second chance. You can believe that I will be contacting many people today to make arrangements for future "what ifs." Glad for the many reminders to be prepared.