Birth Story, Part 2

We got to the hospital a little before 7:00pm. I got checked in and they took me straight to triage. I was pretty convinced that they were just going to monitor us for a bit, maybe keep me overnight for observation, and then send us back home. I spent the next three hours in triage, hooked up to all kinds of machines - two fetal monitors, a contractions monitor, and a blood pressure machine, and on a stretcher. I couldn't get up to walk around, and I couldn't have anything to eat or drink. I had to lay perfectly still on my back. It was the most uncomfortable I had ever been. At about 10:00pm, the on call doctor came into the room, introduced herself to us for the first time (yes my friends, I had never met the doctor that eventually delivered my sweet girls), and said "You're done being pregnant - you guys are going to be parents tonight!".

Umm, excuse me, what?!

She explained to us that while my BP was elevating, it was still under control and that the best thing was for the babies to come out before things got bad, which could happen fast and then we'd be in an emergency situation. She had already consulted with my Maternal Fetal Medicine (aka high risk)  doctor, and he agreed that now was the time. I asked her when my OB/GYN would be here - all through my pregnancy, my doctor assured us that he'd be the one to deliver, no one else - and she informed me that she was going to be the one delivering. I remember telling her "I don't mean to be rude, but is there any way you can get Dr. Parnell here? He promised us he was going to deliver us, and with all due respect, we just met you." I was trying so hard to keep it together, but I was just about losing it on the inside. They were coming, I wasn't ready, and a complete stranger was going to slice me open and take them out of me. She was so nice about it though and said "Sure, I'll try him again." She came back in shortly after and said, "I'm so sorry, Dr. Parnell just isn't able to come in." Apparently he was sick - doctors aren't supposed to get sick! 

Anyway, Dr. Diaz was super nice and completely understood why I was feeling the way I was. She reassured us that she had everything under control and that me and the girls would be just fine. They moved me from triage to OR prep, where I'd wait another 2 hours before being taken into the OR...