Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Forty Weeks, Three Days: Appointment With the Midwife

Luckily, watching a movie last night seems to have stabilized my emotions (The Killing Fields... a real "feel good" movie about the Khmer Rouge massacre in Cambodia... who knows what's up with me these days???).

Because, not surprisingly, not much has changed.

The baby's head has still not dropped into my pelvis. Catherine says the baby is coming into my pelvis at a weird angle, and maybe that's why she's not dropping? She wants me to talk to the chiropractor and acupuncturist about focusing on that, getting her to drop.

Catherine said she is willing to induce next Monday (that will be 41 weeks, 2 days) if nothing has changed. If, however, things have progressed, she might want to wait a little longer to see if I go into labor on my own. Which puts me in the curious position of sort of hoping that things don't progress. Ironic.

The tentative schedule is for me to go see Catherine next Monday to get checked. After my appointment with her, I go to Methodist Hospital (not the hospital where I am delivering, but where I had my most recent biophysical profile (BPP) and non-stress test (NST) because they actually answer their phone! unlike the ultrasound place at my hospital) to get another BPP/NST done. After the BPP/NST, I go over to my hospital to get admitted and to have Cervadil, a prostoglandin suppository, applied to my cervix to help prepare it for induction. Catherine may decide to do two Cervadils, I'm guessing 12 hours apart?, if my cervix hasn't progressed from this week.

Then she would start me on Pitocin Tuesday morning.

The only possible wrinkle is that she wants to make sure her back-up OB is on for whenever she starts the Pitocin, in case I end up needing a C-section. So I guess if that doctor isn't on on Tuesday, that will delay things. Also I am not sure how needing two Cervadils would affect the timing.

So that's the scoop. I'm grateful that I am feeling remarkably resilient at the moment. Fingers crossed that it lasts.

3 comments:

  1. Don't automatically put yourself in the c-section boat just yet - you could be one of those who Cervadil totally kicks into labor (as it did for me) and if not, pitocin will most likely do the trick! And if it does end up going the surgical route, so be it, but it sounds like your midwife will be up for trying just about everything to see if that can be prevented. Also, sorry to be late to the commenting party, but I just saw the before/after pictures and the apt looks awesome! The decal looks so good and so does everything else! Nice job!

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  2. I was induced with Cervadil (two doses) and pitocin (induced at 37 weeks 5 days, baby born 38 weeks exactly). It was interesting, I'll say that for the experience. I'm sure you can do it, and it doesn't mean automatic c-section, I was nervous of that as well. I'm sure you can get things moving along before then, chiro and acupuncture, spicey food? :) Don't worry, once baby arrives you'll be so happy it'll all be worth it. And you'll somehow manage to forget and want to do it all again...

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  3. My older brother and I were both c-section babies (back in the 1970's). While we were both under 7 lbs., my brother was over two weeks late and breech. The doctor did an X-ray (yes an xray on a pregnant women! Like I said, it was the 70's) and discovered that my mom actually had a small pelvis, and that there was no way my brother was going to fit. Is it possible that lentil isn't going to fit? I'm really not trying to freak you out, it's just a thought.

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