It's Birthday Eve

Today I went to the doctor for another NST to make sure Baby C is doing well in there before his eviction tomorrow.

Unless he decides to come out in the next 13 1/2 hours, which I really doubt will happen at this point, I will be heading to the hospital tomorrow morning to be induced. I have to call them at 5 AM to make sure they have a bed open for me, and as long as they say they're ready, I'll need to be there at 6 AM to register and get settled in. By 7 AM they said they should be starting things for me. The doctor said first he'll break my water, then they'll start me on Pitocin to get the contractions going. From there we just wait and let things take their course.

I was planning to try the natural route if he came on his own, because then I would be able to stay home for a while before being confined to the hospital room and could move around, eat, drink, etc. as I pleased. However, if I'm starting pretty much from square one already imprisoned to the hospital bed, I plan to go ahead and get an epidural. From what I've heard from a lot of people (including the doctor today), induced labors can give you a lot stronger and more frequent contractions than when it just happens on its own. I have talked to a few women who've had both completely natural as well as induced/medicated labors, and even though they told me that they felt much better with the natural births and preferred them, they still said just go ahead and get an epidural if it's an induction. We'll see how I progress, but at this point I plan to trust them on this one and do what they suggest once things start kicking up.

The doctor told me that just by feeling he can tell it's not a little 6 pound baby, but it's not like a gigantic one either. Matt and I were guessing between 7-8 lbs, since that's what we both were, so we'll see. He said he didn't think it'd be a really drawn out 20-something hour labor either, especially since I'm already somewhat dilated and effaced, so his guess was that Baby C would make his arrival by mid-afternoon or possibly dinnertime.

Am I scared or nervous now? No... not really. Only because I don't think it's really hit me that I'm going to be having a baby tomorrow. It's like I say it and I know it in my head, but it's not really real or something. I'm pretty sure that I'll be shaking the entire way to the hospital though, and simply scared crapless once I'm actually there and getting set up. We shall see.

Anyways, I'm going to bring my laptop to the hospital tomorrow and I'm pretty sure we'll have internet, so I'll try to post (or get someone to make posts) updating our progress as we go along. And of course I'll be putting up pictures as soon as I'm able.  :)

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WHY IS LABOR INDUCED?
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - INDUCING LABOR

Only 3 days or less... For sure this time!

This morning my mom, Matt, and I went to breakfast at Rolly Polly, then headed over to my doctor's office for my 41 week check-up.

First I did the usual - urine sample, blood pressure, and weight. (I've now officially gained 30 pounds! Yikes!) Then we went to a room where they hooked me up to a fetal monitor for a NST, or Non-Stress Test. It monitored the baby's heart rate as well as any contractions over a period of about 15-20 minutes. Every time I felt the baby move I had to push a button. The baby decided to move a lot, which was good because they were looking to see that he was moving, and that his heart rate would go up when he moved and back down when he was resting. I didn't have any contractions so that line just stayed the same.

After the NST, we went to a different room for an ultrasound so they could measure the amount of amniotic fluid still in there. We got to take another inside peek at him, including a front view of his smushed chubby face.  :)  It was really cool this time to be able to see more detail of what he really is going to look like.  They said there is plenty of fluid right now, so there is no rush to get him out. (But he still has to be out before I hit 42 weeks.)

After that I went to yet another room for a pelvic exam. I'm still 90% effaced and 1-2 cm dilated. I thought for sure there was something going on in there over the last week, but apparently not... Either way the doctor said that if I need to end up being induced I'm a "favorable" candidate since I'm already mostly effaced and dilated a little, as opposed to having nothing whatsoever going on down there yet. Oh and he is still head down and in the right position, which is definitely a good thing.

If I make it through the rest of the week, I will need to go in to the office again on Thursday morning at 10 AM for another NST and exam. As long as everything looks good, I will be showing up at the hospital at 6 AM on Friday morning to be induced with Dr. Laffitte.

So at this point, whether Baby C decides to come on his own or not, he'll still be here by the weekend!!! EEEEK!!!!

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 41

Officially Overdue.

Well, despite what everyone thought would happen, Baby C has decided to stay where he's at for now. 


Yesterday I went for my 40 week appointment and my friend Robyn came along with me. I'm now 90% thinned out, which is good, and still 1-2 cm dilated. His heart rate is still good - between 130-140 BPM - and he likes to move around a lot in there. (Well, as much as he has room to.)


If I make it to my next visit, which is scheduled for next Monday Sept 27, I will have to have another ultrasound and some tests done to be sure that the fluid levels aren't getting too low for little guy in there. If everything doesn't check out, they'll be sending me across the street to the medical center to induce me right away. Even if the fluid levels and stuff looked okay, they'd still want to induce me by the end of the week anyways, since 42 weeks is the most they will allow you to go. (In other words, if he doesn't come out on his own before October 5, they're going to make him.)


So back to yesterday -- After a bit of debate we decided to go ahead and let the doctor "strip the membrane" and see if that would help to bring on labor naturally for me. (Basically what that means is they move their finger up inside the cervix in order to separate the sac the baby is in from the wall of the uterus.) Apparently this can release some sort of hormone in your body that can trigger labor and I guess usually if it's going to have any effect, you'd know usually within the next day or so. It's been about 21 hours now since I had that done and so far nothing besides being extra sore now...


After leaving the doctor's office, Robyn and I went to the gym where we walked, went up and down some stairs, and did some lunges. Then we had lunch at Zoë's Kitchen. It was a nice day.  :)  


So I guess we'll see if I make it to Monday or not... I've been partially effaced and dilated some and having Braxton-Hicks and all those "pre-labor" signs for about a week and a half now, but I guess he's still not ready to come out...


PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 40

Daddy Says It's Time.

A couple nights ago I got pinned with a notice and Baby C was told he had 24 hours to leave his current residence...

Obviously he didn't listen to his daddy yet. 

I'll be honest, I wouldn't mind if he came today or tonight myself because that's when our families will all be able to come right away. It'd be nice if they could all be there... I know he'll come in God's perfect time, but I still can't help but think that.

Matt keeps saying "It's like Christmas Eve when you're a kid, except you keep waking up and it's not Christmas - it's still Christmas Eve again..."

C'mon Baby! Everyone is ready to meet you and Mommy is ready to get this part of things over with.  :)

Probably the Last Pregnant Update...

I went to the doctor last Thursday and was still 50% effaced, not dilated at all. Or, as the doctor says, I was "high and tight"... Yes, that's probably TMI for most people, but oh well.

This morning I went again for another visit and Baby C has now moved down even lower than before, I'm more effaced (didn't ask how much but he said I was), and also now 1-2 cm dilated. Obviously there is no way to know for sure when he's coming, but the doctor said he thinks it will be in the next week or less. I think it could even be before the weekend, and Matt says he also "has a feeling" it will be in the next few days. So crazy!!

Now that it's so close I don't even know what I feel right now. I'm really excited and scared somewhere in there, but now that I'm realizing what's going on and how soon, I almost feel kind of blank... Like I'm thinking, "Wait, is this for real?"

So, until next time..............

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 38
PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 39

Nothing new, really...

I went to the doctor again on Tuesday. Still 50% effaced (or "thinned out"), still not dilated at all. And he's still dropped down real low, head first. So nothing has changed in the last week except that I've gained another pound, so I'm up to +25 lbs total now. I'm okay with that -- They say the average you usually gain is 25-35 lbs, so I think by the time he comes I'll still be in that range, unless I get some major swelling right at the end.

My next appointment is next Thursday morning. We'll see if anything has changed by then...

Also next week we're meeting with two different pediatricians for consultations. On Tuesday we're meeting with Dr. Grant Willard from Sandhills Pediatrics. Then on Thursday we're meeting with Dr. Ramkumar Jayagopalan (aka Dr. Kumar) from Carolina Pediatrics. Location-wise, their offices are pretty close to each other and where we live, so we'll see which doctor and office we end up liking better.

Once that is done I guess there really isn't anything else major we need to do to "get ready" for little guy to come... I hope he doesn't decide to come anytime before then, just because I'd really like to visit the doctors first, but whatever happens, happens. Personally, I don't think we'll see him before the week after next, but then again, who knows?

PREGNANCY HEALTH GURU - WEEK 37