Wednesday, December 18, 2013

41 Weeks

So here we are, one week overdue.  I really didn't think this pregnancy would last this long (I actually thought she would come early) but I've come to the conclusion that I have a very comfortable uterus which causes my children to want to hibernate for as long as possible.  That and they're stubborn, which is a trait that runs in the family (I won't say which side ;)).

I had my double appointment on Monday which started with a biophysical profile (ultrasound) to make sure the baby was still moving, heart rate was strong, amniotic fluid was sufficient, etc. and she passed with flying colors.  From there, I waited to meet with my doctor but was thrown a bit of a curveball.  He was on-call and was stuck with another patient at the hospital.  This didn't bother me because when I go into labor, I hope he makes me his priority.... so I really didn't mind waiting.  The nurse was able to get Dr. Walsh, the woman doctor of the practice, to come meet with me briefly instead.  I really did appreciate her taking the time to see me but she uses a very different approach than Dr. Lambert (and Dr. Barrett) does, which I don't appreciate.  The first thing she said when she walked into the room was "so, should we go ahead and just schedule your c-section?"  Dr. Lambert and I have a plan for going forward so I really want to stick with it to have the best chance of achieving my goal of a VBAC.  I understand that Christmas is coming up and it could be a good idea to get on their schedule, just in case, but I feel that by doing so I'd be admitting defeat before I even have a good chance of going into labor spontaneously.  And maybe it's just me, I don't know, because another girl I spoke to while we were in the waiting room said that she had a successful VBAC with Dr. Walsh and she had nothing but good things to say about her.  Anyway, I told her about my plan with Dr. Lambert and that seemed to satisfy her.  I asked her about doing a membrane sweep so she checked me but said I was only "fingertip dilated" so she wasn't able to do it. 

I scheduled a Non Stress Test for this Friday (assuming I'll still be pregnant), which is where they will strap a fetal monitor onto my belly and I get to relax for about 30 minutes while they get readings of baby's heart rate to make sure she's still doing ok.  Assuming all goes well (which I'm praying it will), Dr. Lambert said he'll let me go through the weekend but if I'm still pregnant next Monday we'll have to "make a decision" (i.e. - schedule a c-section).  This is where I'm a little nervous... I doubt they'll let me go past 42 weeks, which is Christmas day so they'll probably want me to schedule a c-section sometime on Monday or Tuesday.  If it's Monday, I should be able to get discharged on Christmas Day but if it's on Tuesday, I'll be stuck in the hospital until the day after Christmas.  I'm so excited about Christmas this year because this is the first year that Logan is really into it and I want it to be a really special day for him.  I'm sure it will be regardless, but still.  I'm just praying (and praying and begging and pleading) for labor to start SOON!  I'm sure I've mentioned before but my doctor will not induce labor since I'm attempting a VBAC, which means labor has to start naturally/spontaneously.  This leads me to my next point:

I've been looking into natural methods of induction.  Of course there's castor oil, evening primrose oil, blue cohosh, etc. but whenever I get my hopes up I end up reading about a negative side effect that causes me to backtrack.  I actually bought some evening primrose oil capsules tonight with the intention of taking some to 'prep my cervix' but then I read that it can act as a blood thinner.  In the event that I might have another c-section, I don't want to risk bleeding or hemorrhaging.  I also read that it (as well as blue cohosh) can increase chances of uterine rupture... and castor oil just scares me, mainly because I don't want the baby to poop before she comes out.  So I keep going back to my original decision to just wait it out and pray that baby comes :).  Please cooperate, baby Elise!

Not much new is going on this week other than her being lower and causing more pelvic discomfort.  Sometimes when I walk around, I feel fine... other times I feel like she's about to fall out and it causes a very painful waddle.  I'm sure I'm quite the sight to behold :).  Everyone at work has been very sweet and supportive, even though I can tell they feel bad that I'm still there.  My boss keeps commenting that he's happy I'm there and he wants me to hold out as long as possible (as if I have a say in the matter) and I finally had to tell him to stop because he was getting on my nerves ;).  I have moments where I feel extremely emotional and think I'm going to have a breakdown but I've been able to 'keep my cool' pretty well so far.

Here are some updates for this week:
*Braxton Hicks contractions - I get them a LOT so I think my uterus has been thoroughly prepped ;).
*Carpal tunnel - my right index and middle fingers are almost permanently numb as well as the tip of my thumb.  My wrist brace only helps slightly.  My left hand is starting to do the same thing, but not nearly as often.
*My heartburn has gotten worse this week... how, I have no idea, but it's really hitting me hard.
*Exhaustion - pretty self-explanatory
*Swelling - Feet, ankles, arms, hands, belly, and I think I'm starting to get "prego nose"

In spite of all the above, I'm actually doing ok.  Just trying to take one day at a time and I know that by this time next week we'll have this sweet baby girl in our arms :).

Also, on the bright side, cankles make it nearly impossible to cut my ankle area while shaving my legs... that is, providing I can actually reach my legs to shave them ;).

That's all for now, folks.  Prayers for labor are very appreciated!!!

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