My first ER experience

Last Friday, I went to my GP for my 38 weeks antenatal check-up. Turns out, my blood pressure was a bit high so she referred me to the hospital for further monitoring. I went straight to the hospital and waited for about 20 minutes to be seen by the midwife. She hooked me up to a CTG and did a urine test. While listening to my baby's heartbeat, she took my blood pressure and Alhamdullilah, it was normal. She took one more reading and then left me for 30 minutes with me still hooked to the CTG machine. She gave me a little button to press every time I felt the baby move. So I laid there, just baby and I, listening to each other's heart beat. After 30 minutes, she came back, took another blood pressure reading which was normal, and told me to sit at the waiting area until the doctor calls me in. 

I ended up having to wait 2.5 hours for the doctor to call me in. My case wasn't urgent so people kept being called ahead of me. When I was finally called in, the doctor did a quick scan to see if baby looks ok (she is), and told me to visit my GP again on Monday to check my blood pressure but he said he wasn't too worried. Turns out, it's normal for your blood pressure to increase as you are nearing full term. In any case, the baby is ready to be born anyways, so if my blood pressure goes up any further, they'll just induce me to get the baby out. 

In the end, I spent almost 4 hours at the hospital. Now I know why people complain so much about the ER in Ireland! And this is only the maternity ER. The husband told me that when he worked in a normal ER, the waiting time is way longer, and the environment so much more hectic, with broken limbs and crying children everywhere. Talk about stressful jobs eh?

Anyways, I am now at 38+3 weeks pregnant, and am counting down days till baby arrives. Hopefully sooner than later as I am feeling very uncomfortable. EVERYWHERE. My back hurts, my bladder is always full, I'm waddling around like a penguin, and I'm barely getting any sleep from the constant pee-ing. Come on little one, we can't wait to see you!