Hospital Life

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I am currently on Day 4 in the hospital on bed rest. “Bed rest” can mean different things for different patients - for me it isn’t super strict, stuck to the bed 24/7; I’m allowed to get up and walk around every now and then, up and down the halls (sounds like an adventure, huh) but ultimately, I should be resting. There is a lounge down the hall with free (but weak) Wifi, a vending machine, free tea/water machine, and a washer + dryer. Down that same hall, I can see all the newborn premie babies thru a glass window. Omg, it’s my favorite part of walking down that hall. I’ll talk more about that later.

The hospital I am checked-in at is basically like a NICU but also where mamas who have high-risk pregnancies stay until birth. In my situation, because my placenta is low in the cervix area, it is super risky if I get into early labor. I will also talk more about this another time.

There is a lot going on and I’m still trying to get used to the daily “hospital life” schedule here with blood tests, baby monitoring, doctor check-ups and examinations; it isn’t as mundane as I was expecting it to be... at least not yet. As of right now, this is what my daily hospital schedule is looking like, more or less:

6am : Blood Sample Test + Baby Monitor Check
7:50am: Diabetes Blood Test
8am : Breakfast 
8:30am : Anemia Medicine
9am : Dr Appointment/Examination 
10am : Diabetes Blood Test 
10:30am : Baby Monitoring (30min)
11:50am : Diabetes Blood Test 
12pm : Lunch
2pm : Diabetes Blood Test 
5:00pm : Shower (Scheduled)
5:50pm : Diabetes Blood Test 
6pm : Dinner
6:30am : Anemia Medicine
8pm : Diabetes Blood Test + Baby Monitor Check
9pm : Lights Out

Along with my placenta previa, they are closely monitoring my gestational diabetes by measuring my food intake with each meal. I know hospital food gets a bad rep in general, but overall I am okay with hospital food, esp here in Japan. Here are the meals I have had these past few days: 

Day 1: Lunch + Dinner


Day 2: Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner


Day 3: Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner


Day 4: Breakfast + Lunch + Dinner


TBH, as much as I miss my people (esp my girl Loops, bc this is the first time I’ve been away from her this long since birth), I know being here, on bed rest under the close watch and care of all these amazing nurses, is the best and safest situation for baby and I. The language barrier is always an issue for me but with the help of today’s technology and apps, it is fairly minor. I have lots of time to study words and phrases now! 

And that's just a small glimpse of the space I am in for the next 3 weeks or so. It’s quite comfy, warm and cozy. I share a room with 3 other mamas who are also going thru similar situations as I am: bed rest + gestational diabetes + planned c-section + all without getting to meet their families. This makes me feel less alone. In the meantime, anyone got any good book read + Netflix suggestions? 

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