Well, today was definitely my last OB appointment for this pregnancy. This one was much more informative than the last--I have actual numbers and stuff! Plus, now I know that my baby will definitely be born this weekend.
We'll get the big news out of the way first: I am to check into the Labor & Delivery section of the hospital at 7 P.M. tomorrow night if I don't go into labor on my own to be induced. This is being done for a few reasons. These days, many doctors prefer not to let pregnancies go on past 41 weeks. The longer the pregnancy goes on once a baby is really, definitely full-term, the more likelihood there is of some issue cropping up in an otherwise healthy pregnancy. There are concerns of placental insufficiency, plus worries that the baby will soon grow too big to be born vaginally. Inducement has its own risks, and can lead to a need for a C-section if things aren't moving along as quickly as they should. This is why many doctors try to avoid it if possible. In my own case, one thing driving this decision is that while I do not have preeclampsia, I seem to be flirting on the borderline of having it the longer this pregnancy goes on, and that puts both my life and my baby's life at risk.
Now for the other news about the visit. I was checked again for dilation because the doctor I had yesterday did not leave that information in her notes, and I was dilated about 3 or 4 centimeters. I am approximately 60% effaced, and I think I heard the doctor say that the baby is at the -2 fetal descent station. One of the doctors I saw today did another sweep of my membranes, and she was much more aggressive with it because they really, really would prefer that I go into labor without having to be induced. In any case, I'm just waiting to see what happens, but it's nice to know that there is a definite end in sight. The wait will be over sometime this weekend. If I don't go into labor tonight, I'm hoping I can get in some prime napping time tomorrow before we check in so that I can be well-rested for the labor.
I'm not sure it has really sunk in yet that I will definitely be meeting my baby this weekend. I'm a little nervous about the labor and delivery, but my excitement trumps everything else--Elizabeth is finally coming!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Almost Admitted
Today was a doctor visit, and boy was it a doozy.
Right away it was a different sort of visit--today was the first day of the second summer session of classes at ECU, and Michael was teaching. I had tried to reschedule my appointment to no avail, but his parents were kind enough to accompany me. I had them sit in the waiting room, because I was fairly certain that they would be performing a procedure that would be a little uncomfortable (and I was right). It will be easier to have them leave the room for short periods of time when I'm in the hospital than it would have been in the clinic, so I opted to be in the room alone.
The nurse took my vitals, and lo and behold, my blood pressure was higher than usual. She exclaimed at my feet, which were swollen as they usually are, and left so that I could strip off my bottoms and wait for the doctor. I waited in the room for quite a while because the clinic was especially busy. When the doctor came in, the swelling coupled with the high blood pressure had her worried and recommending that I be admitted to the hospital and be induced. Her supervising doctor (she's a resident) said that while my blood pressure was higher than usual, it wasn't high enough to warrant immediate admittance to the hospital. Thus, the recommendation was to strip my membranes (also called sweeping the membranes) and have me come back in tomorrow. The hope is that the procedure will get the labor going without having to use chemical inducement. I'm really hoping it will happen tonight and that I won't even have to keep the appointment, but with my luck I'll probably have to keep it.
Gentle readers, I'm not going to lie--having ones membranes stripped is pretty uncomfortable, and there are moments when it is even a little painful. It is certainly bearable though, and much less uncomfortable than I'd feared. I tried to concentrate on keeping as relaxed as possible, and not tensing up. The procedure is meant to stimulate the production of hormones that begin labor. Since it was done, I have felt some general crampy sensations, with occasional feelings that may or may not be contractions (I find that I'm getting irritated by those who claim "Oh, you'll know when you're having a contraction"--every contraction? Even the beginning ones? The mild ones?). My stomach and abdomen sometimes tighten up, and often the tightening is rolling down--top of stomach down to the abdomen. The muscles of my back are sometimes involved, but not in a painful way--just in a way that seems to remind me that they are there. None of these feelings are particularly painful at this time--just strange.
So I'm still waiting. Tomorrow my appointment is later in the day and Michael will be able to go with me. I'm very curious to see what the night will bring....
Right away it was a different sort of visit--today was the first day of the second summer session of classes at ECU, and Michael was teaching. I had tried to reschedule my appointment to no avail, but his parents were kind enough to accompany me. I had them sit in the waiting room, because I was fairly certain that they would be performing a procedure that would be a little uncomfortable (and I was right). It will be easier to have them leave the room for short periods of time when I'm in the hospital than it would have been in the clinic, so I opted to be in the room alone.
The nurse took my vitals, and lo and behold, my blood pressure was higher than usual. She exclaimed at my feet, which were swollen as they usually are, and left so that I could strip off my bottoms and wait for the doctor. I waited in the room for quite a while because the clinic was especially busy. When the doctor came in, the swelling coupled with the high blood pressure had her worried and recommending that I be admitted to the hospital and be induced. Her supervising doctor (she's a resident) said that while my blood pressure was higher than usual, it wasn't high enough to warrant immediate admittance to the hospital. Thus, the recommendation was to strip my membranes (also called sweeping the membranes) and have me come back in tomorrow. The hope is that the procedure will get the labor going without having to use chemical inducement. I'm really hoping it will happen tonight and that I won't even have to keep the appointment, but with my luck I'll probably have to keep it.
Gentle readers, I'm not going to lie--having ones membranes stripped is pretty uncomfortable, and there are moments when it is even a little painful. It is certainly bearable though, and much less uncomfortable than I'd feared. I tried to concentrate on keeping as relaxed as possible, and not tensing up. The procedure is meant to stimulate the production of hormones that begin labor. Since it was done, I have felt some general crampy sensations, with occasional feelings that may or may not be contractions (I find that I'm getting irritated by those who claim "Oh, you'll know when you're having a contraction"--every contraction? Even the beginning ones? The mild ones?). My stomach and abdomen sometimes tighten up, and often the tightening is rolling down--top of stomach down to the abdomen. The muscles of my back are sometimes involved, but not in a painful way--just in a way that seems to remind me that they are there. None of these feelings are particularly painful at this time--just strange.
So I'm still waiting. Tomorrow my appointment is later in the day and Michael will be able to go with me. I'm very curious to see what the night will bring....
Monday, June 20, 2011
Due Date
So today is my due date and....I don't know if baby will be making an appearance or not. We'll see, I guess, but statistically speaking, it's very unlikely I'll deliver today. Michael thought it was necessary to have a picture marking the due date, and we are hoping this is the last pregnant Rachel picture:
On the plus side, there are definite signs that I am dilating, and I spent a good portion of Sunday feeling very crampy (strange that I take cramping to be a good thing, isn't it?). They weren't in any pattern to get excited over--it was just a general feeling of cramps that wouldn't really go away. They finally did go away sometime during my nap between 2:30 and 4:30 P.M.. Today I went to work as usual to the great surprise of all my coworkers. I took two short walks in an attempt to jostle her loose, to no avail so far.
As miserable as it is to be this far along, I am trying to keep it all in perspective. I really should count myself lucky that I've been able to carry Elizabeth to full term--it means she's very likely to be a healthy baby. So many people have complications and problematic pregnancies that it's pretty selfish for me to gripe about having such an uneventful, healthy one. I can't promise to keep this in mind all the time, but I'll do my best. My next doctor's appointment is Thursday, and if I don't go into labor before then I fully expect them to bring up the possibility of induction.
For now, we're here...still waiting.
I'm sure you can understand why people keep doing things for me--they're afraid I'm going to burst open if I move too much.
On the plus side, there are definite signs that I am dilating, and I spent a good portion of Sunday feeling very crampy (strange that I take cramping to be a good thing, isn't it?). They weren't in any pattern to get excited over--it was just a general feeling of cramps that wouldn't really go away. They finally did go away sometime during my nap between 2:30 and 4:30 P.M.. Today I went to work as usual to the great surprise of all my coworkers. I took two short walks in an attempt to jostle her loose, to no avail so far.
As miserable as it is to be this far along, I am trying to keep it all in perspective. I really should count myself lucky that I've been able to carry Elizabeth to full term--it means she's very likely to be a healthy baby. So many people have complications and problematic pregnancies that it's pretty selfish for me to gripe about having such an uneventful, healthy one. I can't promise to keep this in mind all the time, but I'll do my best. My next doctor's appointment is Thursday, and if I don't go into labor before then I fully expect them to bring up the possibility of induction.
For now, we're here...still waiting.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Not Yet
Well, I had another appointment yesterday and everything looks good--blood pressure was phenomenal and Elizabeth's heartbeat was as strong as ever. My feet were extremely swollen, but given my low blood pressure and everything else it wasn't a real concern. I was checked for dilation and......*drumroll* there hasn't been any *cymbals crash to floor*. My cervix hasn't started softening, either (sorry if this is TMI, but this is a pregnancy blog), though it is in a low position. If inquiring minds would like to know, the doctor warned that the exam might be painful, and maybe if I'd been dilated it would have been, I don't know--but it wasn't. So, gentle readers, if there are any among you who will have to undergo a similar check soon, don't fear it.
After my visit was finished, we dashed over to the Women and Children's Center for a prenatal tour of the place where I'll be doing this whole laboring and delivering business. Given that I've never been in the hospital for anything (for myself--I was in the hospital with Michael for a week) and I've never even had so much as an IV, I thought it would be a good thing to see the place where the magic would happen and to ask questions.
The place seems very nice--there are several different types of rooms, and I hope that one of the Labor, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum (LDRP) rooms is available when I check in, because you get to do everything there and don't have to be moved, etc.. I'm low-risk enough to qualify the room, but there are lots and lots of pregnant people around so I might have to get another type of room. They have birthing balls, and in a lot of the rooms they have rocking chairs, both of which are said to help with weathering contractions. In most of the rooms (and certainly in the rooms I'll most likely be in) they have birthing beds, which allow you to sit up better and have a bit more flexibility in position. I was concerned about that, because I've seen a lot of YouTube births with the woman flat on her back when pushing (for all I know it will be best to be in that position, but I want the option of sitting up if that feels better). All rooms have showers in the bathrooms, but some even have whirlpool tubs.
There's a fridge in each wing and I can bring popsicles to store in the freezer for eating while laboring, if I like. The woman giving the tour said that I really should consider doing that, because the plain ice chips weren't the tastiest--this struck me as pretty funny, given that I eat plain shaved ice just about every night (but I'm a weirdo). I will heed her advice though--maybe their ice tastes funny? They also store snacks in the fridge so that if I deliver in between a mealtime and miss an opportunity for a food tray, I won't starve while waiting for the next mealtime. All in all, my impression of the place is that it is a very positive and encouraging environment geared toward making women and any of the people they want in their rooms as comfortable and relaxed as possible. Michael and I were both glad that we were able to take the tour.
It's all becoming a little more real now.
After my visit was finished, we dashed over to the Women and Children's Center for a prenatal tour of the place where I'll be doing this whole laboring and delivering business. Given that I've never been in the hospital for anything (for myself--I was in the hospital with Michael for a week) and I've never even had so much as an IV, I thought it would be a good thing to see the place where the magic would happen and to ask questions.
The place seems very nice--there are several different types of rooms, and I hope that one of the Labor, Delivery, Recovery and Postpartum (LDRP) rooms is available when I check in, because you get to do everything there and don't have to be moved, etc.. I'm low-risk enough to qualify the room, but there are lots and lots of pregnant people around so I might have to get another type of room. They have birthing balls, and in a lot of the rooms they have rocking chairs, both of which are said to help with weathering contractions. In most of the rooms (and certainly in the rooms I'll most likely be in) they have birthing beds, which allow you to sit up better and have a bit more flexibility in position. I was concerned about that, because I've seen a lot of YouTube births with the woman flat on her back when pushing (for all I know it will be best to be in that position, but I want the option of sitting up if that feels better). All rooms have showers in the bathrooms, but some even have whirlpool tubs.
There's a fridge in each wing and I can bring popsicles to store in the freezer for eating while laboring, if I like. The woman giving the tour said that I really should consider doing that, because the plain ice chips weren't the tastiest--this struck me as pretty funny, given that I eat plain shaved ice just about every night (but I'm a weirdo). I will heed her advice though--maybe their ice tastes funny? They also store snacks in the fridge so that if I deliver in between a mealtime and miss an opportunity for a food tray, I won't starve while waiting for the next mealtime. All in all, my impression of the place is that it is a very positive and encouraging environment geared toward making women and any of the people they want in their rooms as comfortable and relaxed as possible. Michael and I were both glad that we were able to take the tour.
It's all becoming a little more real now.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Just Another Appointment
Yesterday I had my weekly appointment, and all is well. My blood pressure and fluids are fine and Elizabeth still seems happy in my womb, because she isn't trying to get out yet. My biggest complaint these days: the foot and ankle swelling. My lower limbs look like something out of a horror flick.
No contractions, other than some Braxton Hicks from time to time. No one has checked me for dilation or effacement yet--I'm thinking they'll wait until I pass my due date before they start doing that. A friend who is a doctor and who had a baby almost a year ago says that isn't unusual. Apparently, checking that stuff can be quite uncomfortable, but once I pass my due date they'll want to check to see if my cervix is dilated at all. If it is, then I'd be a good candidate for induction if it came to that, but if it isn't they'd want to wait and see if it would start dilating on its own before trying to induce. I'm hoping that it won't come to that, and that I'll just go into labor in a timely manner.
My in-laws are coming back down next weekend, so as long as Elizabeth doesn't arrive before then, they will likely be here when she arrives. This is going to be such a big help, especially since we'll need someone to let our dogs out and to feed them when I'm in the hospital, particularly if the laboring takes a long time. It's not that we don't have people here who would be willing to do it, but no one here really knows our dogs and I know that I wouldn't want to traipse into someone's house to feed their dogs without being acquainted with them first.
For now, I'm still hyperaware of every twinge or flutter, and I'm monitoring myself for all the signs of labor. I'm still convinced that I'll be caught unawares--I'll be engrossed in a book or a video game, and I'll just keep thinking, "Man, my stomach is sure upset today" and it won't occur to me that I'm actually in labor until I'm in really active labor. I am reading Game of Thrones now and really old issues of X-Men comics, so it could totally happen this way.
No contractions, other than some Braxton Hicks from time to time. No one has checked me for dilation or effacement yet--I'm thinking they'll wait until I pass my due date before they start doing that. A friend who is a doctor and who had a baby almost a year ago says that isn't unusual. Apparently, checking that stuff can be quite uncomfortable, but once I pass my due date they'll want to check to see if my cervix is dilated at all. If it is, then I'd be a good candidate for induction if it came to that, but if it isn't they'd want to wait and see if it would start dilating on its own before trying to induce. I'm hoping that it won't come to that, and that I'll just go into labor in a timely manner.
My in-laws are coming back down next weekend, so as long as Elizabeth doesn't arrive before then, they will likely be here when she arrives. This is going to be such a big help, especially since we'll need someone to let our dogs out and to feed them when I'm in the hospital, particularly if the laboring takes a long time. It's not that we don't have people here who would be willing to do it, but no one here really knows our dogs and I know that I wouldn't want to traipse into someone's house to feed their dogs without being acquainted with them first.
For now, I'm still hyperaware of every twinge or flutter, and I'm monitoring myself for all the signs of labor. I'm still convinced that I'll be caught unawares--I'll be engrossed in a book or a video game, and I'll just keep thinking, "Man, my stomach is sure upset today" and it won't occur to me that I'm actually in labor until I'm in really active labor. I am reading Game of Thrones now and really old issues of X-Men comics, so it could totally happen this way.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Twenty-nine and Pregnant
Not quite as dramatic as "fifteen and pregnant", is it? Today marks my 29th birthday--the last year of my twenties starts out with me awaiting the birth of my first (and perhaps only) child. With such an event looming over us, it's easy to feel like this is just another birthday. But I find that I am thinking more than ever about what this date meant to my parents all those years ago--when I had a birthday in the past, my thoughts rarely strayed to that consideration (in fact, it mainly didn't go past, "hey, where's my cake?" I really love cake.). My mom always joked that she was happy she had me just in time to watch M.A.S.H. (I was born in those dark days before DVRs), and I know that both of my grandmothers were at the hospital at the time. I don't know if my grandfathers were there. I don't remember my dad ever saying much about his perspective on the whole event--I'll have to ask him about it sometime.
I've already had cake and ice cream in honor of my birthday--Michael took me to Coldstone Creamery over the weekend, and we gorged ourselves. It was delicious, and lots of fun. Elizabeth danced like mad in my belly as I indulged, obviously very excited over such a sugary treat (well, as excited as she can be at this point in her mental life). While my birthday won't go unnoticed, and while I am very happy with the birthday wishes and gifts I've already received, I find that I'm much more excited about Elizabeth's this year--whenever it will be.
I've already had cake and ice cream in honor of my birthday--Michael took me to Coldstone Creamery over the weekend, and we gorged ourselves. It was delicious, and lots of fun. Elizabeth danced like mad in my belly as I indulged, obviously very excited over such a sugary treat (well, as excited as she can be at this point in her mental life). While my birthday won't go unnoticed, and while I am very happy with the birthday wishes and gifts I've already received, I find that I'm much more excited about Elizabeth's this year--whenever it will be.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
On Monday, Elizabeth technically became full-term. Apparently, that was just the kick in the pants I needed to take care of a few remaining tasks before her arrival. The nursery has been dismantled just a bit, because we moved her crib into our bedroom and made a secondary changing area in there, as well. We washed all of the baby clothes and blankets, and I finished packing my hospital bag. We are ready, stuff-wise. I’m not sure it’s possible for me to be ready, mentally.
Right now, I’m preoccupied with thoughts about the labor. I wonder when it will begin—will it be at night, or during the day? Will it start in the wee hours of the morning, or while I am at work? Will it be relatively unproblematic, or will I need some sort of emergency intervention? So many unknowns surround this huge event that it's a little unnerving.
Every new twinge, cramp, or feeling is suspect. I actually had some cramping in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, which of course put me on high alert and made it nearly impossible to go back to sleep. Whenever I’m antsy like this, the only thing I can do to ease it is consume information about the thing that worries me. I’ve already read lots of information about childbirth and related topics several times before, but in the search for new information that I might have missed, I am doing a lot of review.
Today was a doctor visit (all is well, though I need to drink more water) and you get a picture:
Right now, I’m preoccupied with thoughts about the labor. I wonder when it will begin—will it be at night, or during the day? Will it start in the wee hours of the morning, or while I am at work? Will it be relatively unproblematic, or will I need some sort of emergency intervention? So many unknowns surround this huge event that it's a little unnerving.
Every new twinge, cramp, or feeling is suspect. I actually had some cramping in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, which of course put me on high alert and made it nearly impossible to go back to sleep. Whenever I’m antsy like this, the only thing I can do to ease it is consume information about the thing that worries me. I’ve already read lots of information about childbirth and related topics several times before, but in the search for new information that I might have missed, I am doing a lot of review.
Today was a doctor visit (all is well, though I need to drink more water) and you get a picture:
Though you can't really tell in this picture, my uterus has dropped a little--not a lot, but enough for me to notice some differences in the way it feels. For some reason, I always assumed it was an all-or-nothing kinda thing and that I'd wake up one day and my bump would be really low, but it can be more gradual than that. As a result of even this little bit of dropping, I feel a little more pressure on my pelvis pretty much all the time, and I'm especially sore when I wake up after I've been sleeping in one position for a while.
For now, I'm keeping my feet up and sipping on water, and just....waiting.
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