Walking all Over Abbott

When Adam and I got to Abbott, we parked in our usual ramp and walked around the city blocks until we got to the main building. I was told to meet in the MAC, but neither Adam or I really knew what or even where that was. We asked a couple people for directions and got pointed there. Once we were sitting in there, we read the sign on the door and figured it all out "Maternal Assessment Center." Then we remembered Katy talking about it in our classes.

Nikki came in to meet us and gave us a tour of the birth center. She showed us the labor rooms (which were really small, but at least they were private). Then she showed us where the OR and delivery rooms were. (They have two rooms that are connected to another room in the middle. The room in the middle was where they will be taking baby after she is born to hook her up to everything and to make sure she is doing alright.) Then she showed us where the recovery rooms were and told us that they were "a little smaller than the delivery rooms." That didn't quite make sense to me, because that is when people will be coming to visit you and the baby. So why wouldn't they have the recovery rooms be a little bigger? She asked if we had any questions, and we had a few. Then led us back to the MAC.

When I got there, they pulled me back, through some kind of dirty/ messy rooms to a room that was a little cleaner, but very small and cramped (as were the hallways). We waited for Cindi to come in and do the ultrasound. Their machine was newer and more portable than those that the Perinatal clinic has, but much less fancy. The only had one probe (so no 3D's), and the image wasn't all that great. Baby got four of the points right away (for breathing and fluid), but it took her a while to get the other four points (she was sleepy). But she passed with eight out of eight! We left there and headed for the Perinatal clinic in another building.

Nina, a nurse, called us back and asked all the usual questions. I told her that I'm having some false labor, once in a while. But she didn't seem to concerned. When she finished, the familiar face of Dr. Calvin walked in. He, like Dr. Fairbanks last week, strongly suggested doing a c-section. Though he was a little less bold about it. He also brought up that if baby's heart rate does drop during labor, she could risk brain damage, if she can't get enough oxygen up there.

After talking with Dr. Calvin, Adam and I are discussing more and more about the idea of having a c-section instead. It would be safer for her. Plus, since they schedule them a week before your due date, we'd get to meet our baby girl a lot sooner!