I was told by the doctor this morning that he likes to play things conservatively and would feel most comfortable if I stay in the hospital for one more week, until I'm 34 weeks pregnant. He seemed apprehensive to share this information with me, most likely because most people in this situation would be chomping at the bit to get home. However, I had already resigned myself to the fact that I am in the hospital, it is the best place for me to be, and I will likely be here for a while. Here are my reasons why I am really okay with staying in the hospital for one or more weeks:
1. I have people cooking for me. True, the food may not be great, but I am learning with each and every meal which items I should order and which I should avoid. If I get a truly horrible meal, Keith can always run down to the cafeteria and use some of his meal stipend to get me a replacement item.
2. I have people cleaning for me. I can get clean bed linens as often as I desire. I also have people who come in daily to take out the trash, mop the floor, and clean my bathroom. At home, the house would slowly deteriorate into a state of mess since I would be unable to clean up after myself (however, I do realize it would get less messy than usual since it is pretty hard to make a mess when you are restricted to bed).
3. I don't have to remember when to take medicine. I have nice nurses who keep track of that for me and tell me it is time to take a pill.
4. I am less likely to get blood clots. I currently am being given heparin, wearing TED hose (anti-clotting socks), and have "space booties" that inflate every few seconds to simulate walking. At home I would likely only have a blood thinner and my own initiative to keep blood clot free.
5. I enjoy both eating and going to the bathroom every day. At home I can either lay down in bed on the top floor of our house, where the bathroom is located, or I can lay on the couch on the main floor of our house, where the kitchen is located. There is no kitchen on the top floor and no bathroom on the main floor. This means that I would have to take stairs several times a day in order to accomplish both eating and bathroom while I am home alone.
6. I have seen Keith more in the past week than I had in the previous several months. It is nice that he is a doctor in the same hospital in which I am a patient. He swings by between cases and before he has to go to conferences. He is also working just 2 floors away in the same wing of the hospital, so if I need him for anything he can be here in about 3 minutes flat. At home, I could go all day without hearing from him. In the hospital, I am becoming spoiled by seeing him every few hours. Also, he is doing his Anesthesia rotation so he wears scrubs every day. That means that his wardrobe is provided on carts distributed throughout the hospital. He also has a meal stipend, so he can get food from the cafeteria around the clock. If he stays at the hospital with me, he gets an extra hour each day to visit with me or sleep, since he doesn't have to drive back and forth from home.
7. At the hospital I am seconds away from health care. At home, I would either have to drive myself to the hospital (I doubt they will give me driving privileges though, since right now I only have bathroom privileges), call an ambulance, call a friend who lives a good distance away from us and may or may not be at home, or rely on the nice woman who lives next door to me but has dementia to drive me to the hospital (they took her car keys away from her a couple of years ago, so I don't think that she would be the best choice of a driver). Being close to health care is very much a benefit at this point.
8. Peace of mind. While it would be nice to sleep in my own bed, I would likely instead lay awake and worry in my own bed. If I have any concerns that something isn't "right," I can push my nurse call button and ask them to examine me. At home I would just have to wonder, or find a way to my OB's office or hospital. Furthermore, if baby were born today, it would be much better to be down the hall from the NICU than to accidentally give birth at home and be 20-25 minutes away.
So, while it's a bummer, I prefer staying in the hospital to going home right now.
1. I have people cooking for me. True, the food may not be great, but I am learning with each and every meal which items I should order and which I should avoid. If I get a truly horrible meal, Keith can always run down to the cafeteria and use some of his meal stipend to get me a replacement item.
2. I have people cleaning for me. I can get clean bed linens as often as I desire. I also have people who come in daily to take out the trash, mop the floor, and clean my bathroom. At home, the house would slowly deteriorate into a state of mess since I would be unable to clean up after myself (however, I do realize it would get less messy than usual since it is pretty hard to make a mess when you are restricted to bed).
3. I don't have to remember when to take medicine. I have nice nurses who keep track of that for me and tell me it is time to take a pill.
4. I am less likely to get blood clots. I currently am being given heparin, wearing TED hose (anti-clotting socks), and have "space booties" that inflate every few seconds to simulate walking. At home I would likely only have a blood thinner and my own initiative to keep blood clot free.
5. I enjoy both eating and going to the bathroom every day. At home I can either lay down in bed on the top floor of our house, where the bathroom is located, or I can lay on the couch on the main floor of our house, where the kitchen is located. There is no kitchen on the top floor and no bathroom on the main floor. This means that I would have to take stairs several times a day in order to accomplish both eating and bathroom while I am home alone.
6. I have seen Keith more in the past week than I had in the previous several months. It is nice that he is a doctor in the same hospital in which I am a patient. He swings by between cases and before he has to go to conferences. He is also working just 2 floors away in the same wing of the hospital, so if I need him for anything he can be here in about 3 minutes flat. At home, I could go all day without hearing from him. In the hospital, I am becoming spoiled by seeing him every few hours. Also, he is doing his Anesthesia rotation so he wears scrubs every day. That means that his wardrobe is provided on carts distributed throughout the hospital. He also has a meal stipend, so he can get food from the cafeteria around the clock. If he stays at the hospital with me, he gets an extra hour each day to visit with me or sleep, since he doesn't have to drive back and forth from home.
7. At the hospital I am seconds away from health care. At home, I would either have to drive myself to the hospital (I doubt they will give me driving privileges though, since right now I only have bathroom privileges), call an ambulance, call a friend who lives a good distance away from us and may or may not be at home, or rely on the nice woman who lives next door to me but has dementia to drive me to the hospital (they took her car keys away from her a couple of years ago, so I don't think that she would be the best choice of a driver). Being close to health care is very much a benefit at this point.
8. Peace of mind. While it would be nice to sleep in my own bed, I would likely instead lay awake and worry in my own bed. If I have any concerns that something isn't "right," I can push my nurse call button and ask them to examine me. At home I would just have to wonder, or find a way to my OB's office or hospital. Furthermore, if baby were born today, it would be much better to be down the hall from the NICU than to accidentally give birth at home and be 20-25 minutes away.
So, while it's a bummer, I prefer staying in the hospital to going home right now.
Great post! You should write one after birth on why you would prefer to be in the hospital!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Another reason that I am a little bit thankful for bed rest is that I realize that this is going to be my last break before baby. I think I will be longing for bed rest about a week after Gwen is born. :-)
ReplyDelete