Cross posted from the mommy site:
So my due date was the 5th of November but all labor prep had stopped in my body. My nurse midwife had been going on for months about how the baby was big. At my Nov. 3rd appointment he wanted me tested for toxemia because my blood pressure had been in the 130s each time I'd gone in, with the second BP check showing it had gone down into first the 110s, then the 120s, and finally still in the 130s. My results came back normal and he had me make an appointment for the following week, which made me happy because it would mean William would have more time before being forced out.
At the 40 week appointment the ultrasound machine estimated my little man around 9lbs 8oz. The NMW even tried a second measurement hoping to get something less but the 2nd one was around 10lbs. He had me do an NST and while I was getting that done he made a call to the hospital for induction since we’d talked about it before the NST. He came in not too long after the call and told me it was set up for me to call Thursday at 5pm to see what time that night the hospital wanted me in. I was to be induced Thursday evening and deliver Friday.
Thursday, November 10th, rolls around and because of the NMW saying I was top priority the hospital called twice that day trying to get me to come in earlier. I managed to get through to them the second time that my plans were for after 5pm. So it was scheduled for 7:30pm.
At the hospital that night it took them a while to get to me. I was given the first piece of misoprostil (generic cytotec) around 9 or 9:30pm. I was still only 50% effaced and just barely 2cm dilated.
Things went fine, they had me hooked up to the monitors for an hour to make sure things were okay as the pill dissolved and all. After an hour I was able to get out of bed and be off the monitors. My mom and the doula took a walk with me around the L&D ward several times and in the room the doula worked on pressure points with me. After two hours the NMW came in to see me and I’d not progressed at all. No contractions or anything. When he checked me he tried to see if he could get stuff going a bit by being kind of rough with me cervix, it was not fun.
Around 11:30pm they gave me the next piece of misoprostil and this time I had to stay in bed for two hours while they monitored me. By the time they let me up I had to pee so bad it wasn’t funny. At this time my middle sister had gone back to the house to sleep since there was the doula and my mom there as well and they had to switch off sleeping in the chair thing. After that piece they wanted to wait a while to give my body a bit of a break. I wasn’t contracting at all and had only effaced 20% more.
The night was uneventful. I couldn’t sleep so I just messed around in bed, trying to sleep but eventually giving up around 3 or 4am. At 6am they gave me breakfast which was good because then it made the doula wake up and we could turn the lights on. I’d only managed to an hour and a half of sleep.
Doula did more pressure point work from time to time. For the most part we all just sat around watching TV and chatting. My sister came back around 9am I think. I was able to get a small hour nap in and she arrived while I was out.
Around noon my best friend got to the hospital and we all just took a walk and then sat in the room chatting and watching stuff. They put in the 3rd piece of the pill and it was very painful. The nurse I had didn’t have very long fingers and she decided to try and get stuff going as well. The amount of blood after she got done was crazy. Though, by the time the NMW came back, I’d lost a huge chunk of my mucus plug, so her fiddling with my cervix did something. Though I still was not contracting and my cervix was not dilating much at all. Even after the third pill there wasn’t much change. I guess I was effaced fully because no one said anything about it and they were only talking about dilation at this point. By this time I was having contractions but they had no pattern and weren’t very painful, though painful enough to be annoying.
I was going to take a nap around 6:30pm after I’d eaten dinner but they said the NMW would be back in around 7pm to discuss the next step and they were going to put me on the monitors around then so instead I took the chance to get up and walk around, do some more pressure points and whatnot. When the guy got there we talked about it and decided that breaking my water was the best thing now. The pills just weren’t having the desired effect and he didn’t want to confine me to the bed by giving me pitocin since I wasn’t going to have an epidural. So now I’d been in the hospital for about 24 hours (having gotten there around 7:40pm on the 10th). Though he figured we’d wait a little bit in hopes that maybe something might happen, which was good for me since I needed some sleep. So he left and called a little while later after I’d had a shower and we figured 9:30pm would be good for breaking my water. I then laid down and took a small nap since the shower eased up the pain in my pelvic are more so I could sleep.
At 9:15pm a nurse woke me up and checked me, still no real progress. At 9:25pm the doula did more pressure points on me hoping to get more stuff going. The NMW came in at 9:30pm and broke my water. It was the strangest feeling in the world. The liquid was so hot it made me wonder how on earth other women could think they were peeing themselves when it broke for them naturally. And I tell you what, amniotic fluid reeks!
I didn’t have to wait long for stuff to start. Within minutes I had a mild contraction. Around 10:15pm friend came back, having gone home to eat dinner and get a nap in since she was going to be up all night with me. By the time she got there I was having fairly strong contractions. I could sort of talk through them but not easily. This night my mom went home to get some dinner and sleep some since she didn’t sleep much the night before.
My contractions were coming within 3 minutes of each other and were getting stronger and lasting longer as the minutes went by. After an hour I was amazed it’d been an hour and we all decided to take a walk around the ward. As we began walking my contractions got worse where my knees would buckle and I’d hobble over to the nearest railing on the wall to lean against it and breathe through the contraction while gripping the railing with a death grip. The contractions were coming so fast now that I could barely walk a few feet before having another one. Once back in the room I sat up in the bed and had to moan through contractions. I had my sister put on the movie Thor because I felt like watching it but I ended up with my head back staring at the ceiling most of the time while I moaned.
I’m not sure how long I was like that for but I do know it was a long time and the contractions just kept coming. After a while they got so frequent I had no breaks whatsoever between them. They were painful but not really bad. And most of them had double spikes where they would ebb but immediately roll into the strongest part of the next one.
Finally the pain just became so intense I was beginning to really yell out. With no let up in the contractions and how hard they were coming we all began to talk about some pain relief. The plan was no medications like stadol and an epidural but after several hours of such horrible pain I could no longer stand it. Plus I’d only slept 2 hours total and it was very early in the morning on Saturday. I was so weak and from lack of sleep I was beginning to become overwhelmed, so I gave in and opted for the stadol. It was not only to relieve the pain on me but to also help me relax and get some sleep so I could be strong enough to push later. And by this time I was about only 5cm dilated. The pains were so bad my mom finally had to leave the room and when I looked up after one yell I noticed my friend had left, too. I felt so bad that they had to see me in so much pain.
It felt like it took forever to get the stadol. And as we were waiting we talked about the possibility of an epidural. I figured I’d go ahead and say yes, just in case because they needed me to sign a consent form before I got the stadol so I would be considered of sane mind if/when I said yes to the epi. So they finally got the stadol in me and I took this time to try and nap.
Unfortunately the stadol didn’t last long at all. Before even two hours were up I was in excruciating pain again. I said yes to the epidural despite still feeling fearful about the needle in my back. I went with it so I could have the strength to push. It took about an hour but they managed to get the epidural in. The guy was a bit brusque but apparently he flinched when I cried out as he stuck me so I feel bad about it lol.
After the epi was put in I was FINALLY able to get some sleep. Unfortunately the pain relief wasn’t long lived. The good thing was I was able to get about four hours of sleep. But soon the stuff began to wear off and it didn’t matter how many times I pressed the button for more, the pain was never relieved. It wasn’t as intense as before but it certainly hurt like hell! So they got the anesthesiologist back in to up the constant flow of the medication. It didn’t do much of anything.
It must’ve been early afternoon by this time and I was back to yelling through the contractions that weren’t letting up. The epidural had certainly decreased them so I had some breaks but it also did it enough so that the nurse midwife had me put on pitocin. He didn’t even have it giving me a ton. He just started me off small. But by now things were so bad and the epidural wasn’t working at all and I was only around 7cm now.
Not sure about time much after that but because I was in so much pain and screaming and bawling my eyes out they decided to get the anesthesiologist in there to see what else could be done. This guy was a different one from before since the other one was in the ER. First he checked the epi site and said that he had thought maybe things had shifted or it wasn’t in the right place but after seeing it, he said it couldn’t have been done better and it was just fine. He decided to give me some much stronger stuff but I had to wait for him to go get it.
While I was waiting, I was sitting up at the foot of the bed because for some reason it eased the pain quite a bit. The doula and my mom stood on my right when the guy came back in. He got the catheter for the epi and used that to put the medicine in. He told me I’d feel some cold but that’s definitely not what I felt.
Instead of cold, my entire back seized up so hard I could barely breathe because the muscles around my ribs wouldn’t allow my lungs to expand. I couldn’t move and I was screaming from the pain of it all. It took a good 5-10 minutes for the medicine to kick in around my uterus and once it did I wanted to cry from joy. I couldn’t feel the contractions at all. It was SUCH a relief! So I took the time to chat a bit and just focus on things not about labor. The nurse midwife came back in about an hour after to check me.
I hadn’t made any progress. He sat there for several minutes trying to see if he could get the baby to turn his head so it would sit right in my pelvis. All the pain I’d been having was horrible back labor and because the baby’s head was cocked to one side inside my pelvis. After he tried and tried to get my little man to turn his head manually, he decided to have me lay on my right side and tilt the bed back to allow gravity to pull the baby from the pelvis so he could then descend back in at the right angle. I was to try and nap during this time.
After just less than an hour I began to feel a little bit of pain. The nurse midwife had turned the pitocin up earlier hoping that while I couldn’t feel anything, he could really get stuff going. But it didn’t take more than 5 minutes after feeling the first twinge of pain to begin feeling things pretty much full force. By the time they got the anesthesiologist back in there I was nearly yelling again. He gave me this dose as I was lying down still because the nurse wouldn’t let me get up. This meant that the stuff didn’t work as quick. At some point I was finally allowed to sit up.
This dose lasted around an hour and a half. As soon as I began to feel any pain I asked to get another dose hoping to get the dose before the pain became too bad. Unfortunately the nurse didn’t quite understand and so took her time getting the guy back in. So again, by the time he got in there I was yelling through the pain. The nurse midwife came in after that and said that he’d let me go a little longer in hopes that I could progress some more, but I should begin thinking about the possibility of a c-section.
After I got this dose I talked with the doula and my mom about what would happen next if I still hadn’t progressed. I was only roughly 8cm now and it was creeping up on 23 hours after having my waters broke. So 23 hours of intense labor. After talking about it we decided it was late, I was exhausted, and I’d been trying as hard as I could to get to 10cm so if things weren’t any different I’d go ahead with the c-section.
That last dose of the pain medicine didn’t even last an hour. So we called the nurse midwife in and told him what I decided and he got to work by checking me first to make sure I hadn’t progressed and sure enough no change whatsoever.
While I waited for them to take me to the OR I tried to keep the pain at bay by pressing the epi button a few times. Soon they had me going to the OR and then on the table. I had to fight through the pain while they had me hunched over on the table and the anesthesiologist (the one who gave me the epidural) tried to get the spinal block done. Unfortunately he was having a hard time with it and stuck me several times. The first time he hit a nerve that tweaked in my left foot. It took over 5 minutes for him to finally be able to get something in. I had my sister count the number of stick marks on my back and she found twelve. I found out while I was in recovery that the guy had such a hard time with it because my muscles were so tense they bent the needles.
Well after they got the spinal block done they had me lay back and they put the blue partition sheet up. I felt the numbness slowly creep up my body, feeling like it ended just under my ribs. It was making my chest feel heavy so I had to breathe through my mouth to know I was breathing at all. I also was near to passing out from exhaustion. I could feel them moving stuff over my legs so I worried about feeling stuff on my stomach. But then one woman told me I should be feeling something sharp, she was pinching me pretty hard. I couldn’t feel anything at all so I was happy about that.
My mom was sitting next to my head by that time and I was trying hard to stay awake. Before I knew it I heard them calling out a time. 21:30. My mom smiled, near to tears and told me my son was finally here. At 9:30pm on November 12, 2011, William Michael finally made it into the world.
When I finally got to see him he had a full head of dark brown hair and incredibly chubby cheeks. His first cry was so cute and squeaky and it wasn’t long before they got all the fluid cleared and he was crying loudly. He was a lovely pink color and very active. I couldn’t have asked for a healthier baby.
They wheeled me off into recovery not long after taking William from the room. While in there I shook as if I’d been out, naked, in the cold for hours. I tried hard to sleep while in there but the shivering kept me up. By the time they brought William into the recovery room, it was time to move me to my new room. All the shivering stopped once in the room with my baby and I didn’t get to sleep until well after 1am.
When I got the stats on William, he was 9lbs 6oz, 20 1/2in, with a 15 head and a 14 chest.
They’ve been giving me and the little guy antibiotics because right at the end before opting for the c-section, I had begun to develop a fever and William had a slight one as well, not to mention he’d pooped at some point while still in the womb. So far his blood cultures have always come back negative for infection (as have mine) and then his blood sugars are wonderful and he’s not jaundiced. I can’t believe how amazingly healthy he seems to be. I am definitely blessed.
And despite how rough it was and that pretty much everything I wanted for this birth was thrown out the window, I still want more children some day and I still want to try for a natural birth. And when it happens that I am pregnant again, I just know I’ll be a VBAC success story. This birth was such an interesting experience!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Friday, November 25, 2011
Someday
Someday I will post all the goings on of the past two weeks. Maybe tomorrow, who knows? Until then...
During the day I'm fine. But when it comes time for my little man (yes, it's a boy ^_^) to sleep and for me to sleep as well, I start feeling panicky. I try to shut my brain off but by late evening I'm fully awake. At the hospital I wasn't going to bed until 2am. I manage to get some sleep between 8am and noon. Last night I got about four hours after midnight and then little cat naps from 4am to 11am when I gave him to my mom so I could take an actual nap for two hours.
So by night time I don't want to sleep. And while I'm lying in bed, trying to force myself to stop thinking, thinking is all I can do. Like how the hell did I get into all this? How am I going to do everything? I've got such a long road ahead of me. I mean I knew what was coming, but still. I don't do well with change. I miss my big pregnant belly. I wish I could go back and the labor and delivery could be different- could go the way I had wanted.
And Thursday morning my middle sister went home to Oregon. She was such a big help and I miss her so much. I wish she lived here. I got really lucky last night that my baby, his name is William, did so well. The first two nights at home were a terror and I really needed my sister. My mom said that when my sister left she'd sleep in the guest bedroom for a bit, but she hasn't. In a way I feel so alone in all of this. I should have been married, like I had planned. Nothing about having a child went the way I had planned it. From being single to not getting to give birth at the birthing center, to the way labor and delivery went, to the stuff after he was born. How does anyone do it?
And with needed sleep in the early morning, I don't eat breakfast. Thursday I ate only once. Today I would have eaten only once but I realized I hadn't eaten much and so made myself some cereal. I just don't know where the time is during the day to do anything. My sister helped me get my room re-situated so it has more room to move around in and was cleaner. Now it's a total mess from having to search for stuff I needed at the hospital and need here, getting clothes for William, clothes for myself, etc. I don't know when I'll be able to organize it all again. And I try to sleep when he sleeps but it's so hard.
I'm afraid I won't even begin to have things settled by the time January hits and I have to start looking for a job. What the hell am I gonna do? I've got a daycare lined up, but still. And the only help I have is my mom whose schedule can be 8-5 or 9-6 or 7-4. My mom wants me to go for a full-time job but I just don't know how I'm going to handle working full time and raising a child on my own. I know this is all just new mom stuff and eventually things will get better and easier to deal with as I figure things out, but for now, it's all so crazy and I'm scared and I really wish my middle sister was here. Well, I wish both of my sisters were here. It's not fair we're all separated.
*sigh* I almost wish I could fast forward to when I've got things figured out.
During the day I'm fine. But when it comes time for my little man (yes, it's a boy ^_^) to sleep and for me to sleep as well, I start feeling panicky. I try to shut my brain off but by late evening I'm fully awake. At the hospital I wasn't going to bed until 2am. I manage to get some sleep between 8am and noon. Last night I got about four hours after midnight and then little cat naps from 4am to 11am when I gave him to my mom so I could take an actual nap for two hours.
So by night time I don't want to sleep. And while I'm lying in bed, trying to force myself to stop thinking, thinking is all I can do. Like how the hell did I get into all this? How am I going to do everything? I've got such a long road ahead of me. I mean I knew what was coming, but still. I don't do well with change. I miss my big pregnant belly. I wish I could go back and the labor and delivery could be different- could go the way I had wanted.
And Thursday morning my middle sister went home to Oregon. She was such a big help and I miss her so much. I wish she lived here. I got really lucky last night that my baby, his name is William, did so well. The first two nights at home were a terror and I really needed my sister. My mom said that when my sister left she'd sleep in the guest bedroom for a bit, but she hasn't. In a way I feel so alone in all of this. I should have been married, like I had planned. Nothing about having a child went the way I had planned it. From being single to not getting to give birth at the birthing center, to the way labor and delivery went, to the stuff after he was born. How does anyone do it?
And with needed sleep in the early morning, I don't eat breakfast. Thursday I ate only once. Today I would have eaten only once but I realized I hadn't eaten much and so made myself some cereal. I just don't know where the time is during the day to do anything. My sister helped me get my room re-situated so it has more room to move around in and was cleaner. Now it's a total mess from having to search for stuff I needed at the hospital and need here, getting clothes for William, clothes for myself, etc. I don't know when I'll be able to organize it all again. And I try to sleep when he sleeps but it's so hard.
I'm afraid I won't even begin to have things settled by the time January hits and I have to start looking for a job. What the hell am I gonna do? I've got a daycare lined up, but still. And the only help I have is my mom whose schedule can be 8-5 or 9-6 or 7-4. My mom wants me to go for a full-time job but I just don't know how I'm going to handle working full time and raising a child on my own. I know this is all just new mom stuff and eventually things will get better and easier to deal with as I figure things out, but for now, it's all so crazy and I'm scared and I really wish my middle sister was here. Well, I wish both of my sisters were here. It's not fair we're all separated.
*sigh* I almost wish I could fast forward to when I've got things figured out.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Induction Day
I thought it'd be nice to document the day as it goes along. I'll also document as much as I can while in labor later.
So to start this thing, how I was woken up by a call from the hospital that interrupted what was turning out to be a very entertaining dream in which I was solving a murder.
It was around 8:20am when just as my dream was getting good my phone began to ring- or vibrate as that's what I keep it at while I'm sleeping. When I grabbed it I had to unplug it since I'd been charging it all night and looked at the number on the screen. It was one I'd never seen before but figured it to be some business number since the last four digits had two zeros (most business around here are given a thousand number for the last four digits, with at least two zeros). Thinking it was probably something to do with medical stuff I was just about to answer it when my voicemail got it it first. So I laid back and waited for the message.
When the phone vibrated to tell me a message had been received, I pressed the Listen button on the screen and waited with the cell pressed to my ear. After the automated voice told me I had one new message, a female voice came on announcing the message was for me and that she was calling from the women's center at the hospital. They had me scheduled for an induction today and wanted to see if I wanted to go ahead and come in. Confused, I deleted the message and got up, walking to the TV room where my mom was sitting watching Melissa & Joey on Netflix.
I sat on the couch and laid the phone on the small table in front of it as she asked me how I was feeling this morning. I told her I was fine but tired (seeing as I didn't get to bed until about 2am) and then explained about the call. We figured I should just call them back to see what was going on. My nurse midwife told me I was his top priority but to call the hospital around 5pm today to see what time they'd like me to come in for the induction.
So I called them back and asked about it. The woman said they had me as number one on the induction list today. I told them what my nurse midwife said about me being top priority but not going in until later this evening. The woman said okay and then asked if I'd like to come in sooner or if my plans were all for tonight. I told her my plans were for tonight so I would call back around 5pm as planned. She then asked me what would be a good time for the induction and I said any time after 6pm. So she wrote that down and said she'd call the nurse midwife to run it by him and make sure about what I was told.
With that done I grabbed my computer and took it to the TV room to sit and check things on the internet and watch television with my mom. I posted about the upcoming induction on my Facebook. Then I got up and grabbed some canned peaches and some water.
After an hour or so my mom and I got to talking about what to make for dinner tonight which led into what to have for breakfast. As my mom was making it (sausage patties and cheesy biscuits) I went into the kitchen and noticed that it was snowing pretty heavily outside. The flakes are super small but there's so many of them that at just a glance it looks like it's a bit foggy outside. This is when I decided to document the day with pictures. But as I was taking some the camera started giving me the low battery signal. So I have to wait for my sister to wake up in order to get more batteries from the rechargeables in the room she's staying in.While I wait I'm typing up what I can of the day so far.
So to start this thing, how I was woken up by a call from the hospital that interrupted what was turning out to be a very entertaining dream in which I was solving a murder.
It was around 8:20am when just as my dream was getting good my phone began to ring- or vibrate as that's what I keep it at while I'm sleeping. When I grabbed it I had to unplug it since I'd been charging it all night and looked at the number on the screen. It was one I'd never seen before but figured it to be some business number since the last four digits had two zeros (most business around here are given a thousand number for the last four digits, with at least two zeros). Thinking it was probably something to do with medical stuff I was just about to answer it when my voicemail got it it first. So I laid back and waited for the message.
When the phone vibrated to tell me a message had been received, I pressed the Listen button on the screen and waited with the cell pressed to my ear. After the automated voice told me I had one new message, a female voice came on announcing the message was for me and that she was calling from the women's center at the hospital. They had me scheduled for an induction today and wanted to see if I wanted to go ahead and come in. Confused, I deleted the message and got up, walking to the TV room where my mom was sitting watching Melissa & Joey on Netflix.
I sat on the couch and laid the phone on the small table in front of it as she asked me how I was feeling this morning. I told her I was fine but tired (seeing as I didn't get to bed until about 2am) and then explained about the call. We figured I should just call them back to see what was going on. My nurse midwife told me I was his top priority but to call the hospital around 5pm today to see what time they'd like me to come in for the induction.
So I called them back and asked about it. The woman said they had me as number one on the induction list today. I told them what my nurse midwife said about me being top priority but not going in until later this evening. The woman said okay and then asked if I'd like to come in sooner or if my plans were all for tonight. I told her my plans were for tonight so I would call back around 5pm as planned. She then asked me what would be a good time for the induction and I said any time after 6pm. So she wrote that down and said she'd call the nurse midwife to run it by him and make sure about what I was told.
With that done I grabbed my computer and took it to the TV room to sit and check things on the internet and watch television with my mom. I posted about the upcoming induction on my Facebook. Then I got up and grabbed some canned peaches and some water.
After an hour or so my mom and I got to talking about what to make for dinner tonight which led into what to have for breakfast. As my mom was making it (sausage patties and cheesy biscuits) I went into the kitchen and noticed that it was snowing pretty heavily outside. The flakes are super small but there's so many of them that at just a glance it looks like it's a bit foggy outside. This is when I decided to document the day with pictures. But as I was taking some the camera started giving me the low battery signal. So I have to wait for my sister to wake up in order to get more batteries from the rechargeables in the room she's staying in.While I wait I'm typing up what I can of the day so far.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Induction
First off, if there are any typos and whatnot, please forgive me. I'm super tired right now but I really want to go ahead and put this post up before I forget.
Had my 40 week appointment today. Gained 3lbs since Thursday. Some is food related, some is baby related, some is water retention related. All I know is for some reason I have this urge to ask for a gym membership for Christmas or something. I actually feel like getting in some exercise. I want to try and set a good example for my child and to do that I need to be in the habit of doing what my body needs.
Blood pressure was the highest it's been all pregnancy. 140/91. True I'd just come from walking around Sam's Club for about an hour and they took me in right away so I had no time to rest, but still. The nurse midwife did a second blood pressure check after the exam and it went down to 130/70-something. The exam was only about 10 minutes, maybe 15.
Cervix is still around 1 1/2cm dilated and 50% effaced. It really sucks. I was sure it was effacing some more because of all the bleeding. The baby is estimated around 9lbs 8oz. I'm not sure how they'd even calculate weight since it comes up after the circumference of the head is measured, the torso is measured, and then a femur is measured. It's all lengths so where exactly does this weight guess come in? But I'm confident my baby is under 9lbs. I think the little one just has a big head. The only thing that would be a huge problem concerning that is if my pelvis just isn't big enough to accommodate a large head.
So we talked of induction. I mentioned I'd be happy making it to tomorrow or Thursday at the earliest if I have to be induced. The guy said okay and I am all set for Thursday evening with the plan being to deliver this Friday. So I'd almost be allowed to make it to 41 weeks, so yeah, I'm pretty comfortable with this. And he's not going to use pitocin unless stuff just isn't happening. He says since I'm going to do this with an epidural he'd like for me to have more room to move and hooking me up to an IV for the pitocin wouldn't give me that. I think he also said it has something to do with my blood pressure and something else.
I'll be getting a tablet inserted somewhere in there which will ripen my cervix more which should hopefully start contractions. No matter what, though, this baby will be here by my birthday this Saturday.
And I'll be happy to not have to deal with this idiot much after that. I was very upset at how he reacted to my asking about the pitocin. He asked me if I had any questions before he started talking about what he was planning to do. I mentioned my doula had said something about how some doctors start off with the smallest amount of pitocin and if that gets things going they allow it to wear off and let the body take over. I asked if he did that and said I thought that sounded good. He answered by going into what he was going to do for my induction and then went on to say that he and the nurses at the hospital were the medical professionals and they've got the say so on however things have to go. That they're "the captains of this ship" and my doula should leave things like that up to them. He wasn't very nice about it.
The man looked offended when I even asked if he knew any good doulas that his patients had had and liked. He looked offended when I told him I'd gotten a doula. And now he's acting like a typical man, thinking his judgement is coming into question and being disrespectful to my doula. I really like this woman and she's helped me a lot so I was NOT happy when he went into his little tirade. I wanted to slap him.
I really, really hated that he acted like that. I was finally becoming more comfortable with him and he went and did something like that. I will never be seeing this guy again for a pregnancy if I'm still here the next time I get pregnant and end up being high risk. I'm also going to let the midwives at the birthing center know that this man is NOT the one to send women to who really, really want to go as natural as possible after being labeled high risk. He's great for those women who don't care one way or the other, as long as they and their baby are fine, but for those like me, who like to know as much as they can about their pregnancy and about labor and delivery, and who like to have a say in things he's not very good. Well, he might be okay if the woman actually gives him a piece of her mind and makes sure he doesn't do anything stupid.
Normally I trust the practitioner to do the right thing by me. It's stupid to trust them like that, but I do. In this case, though, I won't give them free reign. It's my body, my baby, my pregnancy.
But yeah, things are all set for later this week. I wonder how it'll be.
Had my 40 week appointment today. Gained 3lbs since Thursday. Some is food related, some is baby related, some is water retention related. All I know is for some reason I have this urge to ask for a gym membership for Christmas or something. I actually feel like getting in some exercise. I want to try and set a good example for my child and to do that I need to be in the habit of doing what my body needs.
Blood pressure was the highest it's been all pregnancy. 140/91. True I'd just come from walking around Sam's Club for about an hour and they took me in right away so I had no time to rest, but still. The nurse midwife did a second blood pressure check after the exam and it went down to 130/70-something. The exam was only about 10 minutes, maybe 15.
Cervix is still around 1 1/2cm dilated and 50% effaced. It really sucks. I was sure it was effacing some more because of all the bleeding. The baby is estimated around 9lbs 8oz. I'm not sure how they'd even calculate weight since it comes up after the circumference of the head is measured, the torso is measured, and then a femur is measured. It's all lengths so where exactly does this weight guess come in? But I'm confident my baby is under 9lbs. I think the little one just has a big head. The only thing that would be a huge problem concerning that is if my pelvis just isn't big enough to accommodate a large head.
So we talked of induction. I mentioned I'd be happy making it to tomorrow or Thursday at the earliest if I have to be induced. The guy said okay and I am all set for Thursday evening with the plan being to deliver this Friday. So I'd almost be allowed to make it to 41 weeks, so yeah, I'm pretty comfortable with this. And he's not going to use pitocin unless stuff just isn't happening. He says since I'm going to do this with an epidural he'd like for me to have more room to move and hooking me up to an IV for the pitocin wouldn't give me that. I think he also said it has something to do with my blood pressure and something else.
I'll be getting a tablet inserted somewhere in there which will ripen my cervix more which should hopefully start contractions. No matter what, though, this baby will be here by my birthday this Saturday.
And I'll be happy to not have to deal with this idiot much after that. I was very upset at how he reacted to my asking about the pitocin. He asked me if I had any questions before he started talking about what he was planning to do. I mentioned my doula had said something about how some doctors start off with the smallest amount of pitocin and if that gets things going they allow it to wear off and let the body take over. I asked if he did that and said I thought that sounded good. He answered by going into what he was going to do for my induction and then went on to say that he and the nurses at the hospital were the medical professionals and they've got the say so on however things have to go. That they're "the captains of this ship" and my doula should leave things like that up to them. He wasn't very nice about it.
The man looked offended when I even asked if he knew any good doulas that his patients had had and liked. He looked offended when I told him I'd gotten a doula. And now he's acting like a typical man, thinking his judgement is coming into question and being disrespectful to my doula. I really like this woman and she's helped me a lot so I was NOT happy when he went into his little tirade. I wanted to slap him.
I really, really hated that he acted like that. I was finally becoming more comfortable with him and he went and did something like that. I will never be seeing this guy again for a pregnancy if I'm still here the next time I get pregnant and end up being high risk. I'm also going to let the midwives at the birthing center know that this man is NOT the one to send women to who really, really want to go as natural as possible after being labeled high risk. He's great for those women who don't care one way or the other, as long as they and their baby are fine, but for those like me, who like to know as much as they can about their pregnancy and about labor and delivery, and who like to have a say in things he's not very good. Well, he might be okay if the woman actually gives him a piece of her mind and makes sure he doesn't do anything stupid.
Normally I trust the practitioner to do the right thing by me. It's stupid to trust them like that, but I do. In this case, though, I won't give them free reign. It's my body, my baby, my pregnancy.
But yeah, things are all set for later this week. I wonder how it'll be.
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Officially 40 weeks
Just before going to bed last night I had the lovely (only partial sarcasm there) surprise of finding a bit of my mucus plug in my urine. It's definitely not finished coming out but it's progress. I've been having the tiniest little spots of it since then so things are still trying to go.
Got some fresh pineapple today after the doula left. Yes, the doula did pressure points on my feet. She said she could come back Saturday (which would be later today since it's 12:23am) to do more or since my sister was doing some on me, I could just rely on her. This woman is a very good doula. Glad she's the one I have ^_^
So after getting lunch and grabbing the pineapple, my sister and I went to see Tower Heist, which was really good. Then we stopped by this baby store in town to look at the different kinds of cloth diapers and their slings/carriers.
Leaving there we headed home with the thought of having potato skins and hot wings for dinner. Had our mom grab the extra stuff we needed.
At home my sister cut up the pineapple and holy cow it was the best pineapple I've ever had! When I walked into the kitchen after it'd been cut all I could smell was the sweetness of the pineapple. Apparently it was just me who could smell it, but I think it didn't have anything to do with me being pregnant but more to do with the fact that my mom and sister were in the kitchen smelling it for a while. The fruit was indeed very sweet with that lovely tart bite to it. My mom ended up getting a few pieces for herself and I chowed down on the rest. It was absolutely delicious! There was a bag of candy corn right next to the fruit and it wasn't even appealing to me the pineapple was so yummy.
After a while I noticed a little bit of blood on the toilet paper but not much. Then, well after my sister had been doing pressure points on my back and then tickling my back, there was quite a bit of blood. So I'm thinking there's definitely some more effacement going on. Yay!
I really don't like trying to force my baby to come before its ready, but I need it to get here before the NMW wants to medically induce. I'm going to try and make sure I get the guy to tell me exactly what he's thinking in terms of when the baby should be here. Not that it should be his decision anyways but he's being annoying with thinking my baby's too big.
With luck the baby will come before the NMW goes bonkers about it. Really, induction won't work unless the body is already trying to go into labor. And remember, according to the days I most likely ovulated, November 7th is the more accurate due date.
So yeah, there's some progress going on. And crazy to think that if I make it through to the next midnight still pregnant I'll be one day past due.
Got some fresh pineapple today after the doula left. Yes, the doula did pressure points on my feet. She said she could come back Saturday (which would be later today since it's 12:23am) to do more or since my sister was doing some on me, I could just rely on her. This woman is a very good doula. Glad she's the one I have ^_^
So after getting lunch and grabbing the pineapple, my sister and I went to see Tower Heist, which was really good. Then we stopped by this baby store in town to look at the different kinds of cloth diapers and their slings/carriers.
Leaving there we headed home with the thought of having potato skins and hot wings for dinner. Had our mom grab the extra stuff we needed.
At home my sister cut up the pineapple and holy cow it was the best pineapple I've ever had! When I walked into the kitchen after it'd been cut all I could smell was the sweetness of the pineapple. Apparently it was just me who could smell it, but I think it didn't have anything to do with me being pregnant but more to do with the fact that my mom and sister were in the kitchen smelling it for a while. The fruit was indeed very sweet with that lovely tart bite to it. My mom ended up getting a few pieces for herself and I chowed down on the rest. It was absolutely delicious! There was a bag of candy corn right next to the fruit and it wasn't even appealing to me the pineapple was so yummy.
After a while I noticed a little bit of blood on the toilet paper but not much. Then, well after my sister had been doing pressure points on my back and then tickling my back, there was quite a bit of blood. So I'm thinking there's definitely some more effacement going on. Yay!
I really don't like trying to force my baby to come before its ready, but I need it to get here before the NMW wants to medically induce. I'm going to try and make sure I get the guy to tell me exactly what he's thinking in terms of when the baby should be here. Not that it should be his decision anyways but he's being annoying with thinking my baby's too big.
With luck the baby will come before the NMW goes bonkers about it. Really, induction won't work unless the body is already trying to go into labor. And remember, according to the days I most likely ovulated, November 7th is the more accurate due date.
So yeah, there's some progress going on. And crazy to think that if I make it through to the next midnight still pregnant I'll be one day past due.
Friday, November 4, 2011
39 Week Appointment
Hmm, first off, deja vu.
Anyway, for me it's still technically Thursday, even though it's 36 minutes into Friday. Well at 9:30am I had my 39 week appointment. I haven't gained any weight since last week, which is great because between the 37th and 38th week appointments I'd gained 5lbs (most of it from water retention).
Had the NMW check my cervix again, hoping something was different. He said everything was pretty much the same. So still 1 1/2cm dilated and 50% effaced. Bleh.
The ultrasound machine is saying my baby has gained another pound, estimating him at around 9lbs. I don't believe the thing. Unfortunately the NMW does. Knowing I haven't gained any weight means I've lost some and the baby gained what I lost. To me, that means the baby took from me what it needed, meaning that it got exactly what it needed and gained exactly the amount of weight that it should. So my baby is the right weight for it and I refuse to lump the little one in with what's considered "normal." There is no normal. It's just crap that doctors spout so they can make their patients do what they want. Most women aren't educated about pregnancy and whatnot so they're easily tricked into doing unnecessary things. Luckily I've looked into a lot of stuff and I've got a doula who will back me up on things.
Well, the NMW wanted to check my blood pressure a second time, like he's done the last two times, because my blood pressure taken by his assistant was again over 130. The first time it had gone down to 117 or 118 for the second check, the second time it went down to around 127, and this time it only went down to 130 (it was 135 from the assistant check).
Because of that he is having me do a 24 hour urine sample collection that will be taken to the hospital once it's done so they may check for signs of preeclampsia (toxemia). He doesn't really think it'll come back positive for it, but he'd rather be safe than sorry. As annoying as it is having to try and hold it while I put this little collection thing in the toilet and then have to dump the contents into a container, I'd rather make sure something isn't going wrong either.
I did ask him how long he'd let me go past my due date and first he said he wanted to wait until he checked my BP again, but he never gave me an answer. I'm going to ask him again when I talk to him about the results of the urine tests. When I mentioned what my views on going over were (that I don't want to go more than a week over) the tone in his voice and the look on his face told me he doesn't even want me to get to a week overdue. So I'm thinking he's going to want to induce me no matter what before the middle of next week.This all because he's letting a machine tell him what it thinks my baby weighs. Those machines can be off by 2lbs. For him to take it so seriously, to me, just shows me he's not got much faith in himself as a practitioner. While I've accepted him for now, I still stand by my choice that if I'm still in Fairbanks the next time I'm pregnant and I become considered high risk, I will not be seeing him.
So it wasn't the best appointment.
I'm still trying to do some pressure points the doula showed me. Had my middle sister help me with some tonight. They don't work right then and there and usually don't do much unless your body is already trying to go into labor. But I'm hoping things will progress. The doula will be coming by around 10am to do the pressure points on me herself.
The only good thing about my pregnancy today is that the last time I went to the bathroom, another piece of my mucus plug came out, so yay! That's something. After a week of nothing, it's nice to see something, even if it's something that can be regenerated before I give birth. I wish it would just all come out, though. Stop all this tiny piece by tiny piece dislodging. *fingers crossed*
Really don't want to be medically induced. I'm not even sure what the NMW would do first. If he would start my on pitocin from the get go, or if he would break my water first and see if that started things. I'd rather have my waters broke first than go with artificial hormones. Here's hoping.
Anyway, for me it's still technically Thursday, even though it's 36 minutes into Friday. Well at 9:30am I had my 39 week appointment. I haven't gained any weight since last week, which is great because between the 37th and 38th week appointments I'd gained 5lbs (most of it from water retention).
Had the NMW check my cervix again, hoping something was different. He said everything was pretty much the same. So still 1 1/2cm dilated and 50% effaced. Bleh.
The ultrasound machine is saying my baby has gained another pound, estimating him at around 9lbs. I don't believe the thing. Unfortunately the NMW does. Knowing I haven't gained any weight means I've lost some and the baby gained what I lost. To me, that means the baby took from me what it needed, meaning that it got exactly what it needed and gained exactly the amount of weight that it should. So my baby is the right weight for it and I refuse to lump the little one in with what's considered "normal." There is no normal. It's just crap that doctors spout so they can make their patients do what they want. Most women aren't educated about pregnancy and whatnot so they're easily tricked into doing unnecessary things. Luckily I've looked into a lot of stuff and I've got a doula who will back me up on things.
Well, the NMW wanted to check my blood pressure a second time, like he's done the last two times, because my blood pressure taken by his assistant was again over 130. The first time it had gone down to 117 or 118 for the second check, the second time it went down to around 127, and this time it only went down to 130 (it was 135 from the assistant check).
Because of that he is having me do a 24 hour urine sample collection that will be taken to the hospital once it's done so they may check for signs of preeclampsia (toxemia). He doesn't really think it'll come back positive for it, but he'd rather be safe than sorry. As annoying as it is having to try and hold it while I put this little collection thing in the toilet and then have to dump the contents into a container, I'd rather make sure something isn't going wrong either.
I did ask him how long he'd let me go past my due date and first he said he wanted to wait until he checked my BP again, but he never gave me an answer. I'm going to ask him again when I talk to him about the results of the urine tests. When I mentioned what my views on going over were (that I don't want to go more than a week over) the tone in his voice and the look on his face told me he doesn't even want me to get to a week overdue. So I'm thinking he's going to want to induce me no matter what before the middle of next week.This all because he's letting a machine tell him what it thinks my baby weighs. Those machines can be off by 2lbs. For him to take it so seriously, to me, just shows me he's not got much faith in himself as a practitioner. While I've accepted him for now, I still stand by my choice that if I'm still in Fairbanks the next time I'm pregnant and I become considered high risk, I will not be seeing him.
So it wasn't the best appointment.
I'm still trying to do some pressure points the doula showed me. Had my middle sister help me with some tonight. They don't work right then and there and usually don't do much unless your body is already trying to go into labor. But I'm hoping things will progress. The doula will be coming by around 10am to do the pressure points on me herself.
The only good thing about my pregnancy today is that the last time I went to the bathroom, another piece of my mucus plug came out, so yay! That's something. After a week of nothing, it's nice to see something, even if it's something that can be regenerated before I give birth. I wish it would just all come out, though. Stop all this tiny piece by tiny piece dislodging. *fingers crossed*
Really don't want to be medically induced. I'm not even sure what the NMW would do first. If he would start my on pitocin from the get go, or if he would break my water first and see if that started things. I'd rather have my waters broke first than go with artificial hormones. Here's hoping.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Impatient
With 4 days left until my due date, I'm growing increasingly impatient. Remember there was all that stuff with the baby dropping and the bleeding? There was also some swelling of my calves and feet and some changes in parts of my body I won't mention. All of this was labor prep.
But then, after my last appointment with the nurse midwife, everything has seemed to come to a stand still. No more bleeding, no contractions real or preparatory, the swelling went down, etc. I met with the doula yesterday to go over pressure points that help move things along if the body is already ready for labor. I mentioned how everything seems to have stopped and she said that was normal. Just like how we get breaks between contractions, we get breaks during labor prep.
It's annoying! I was thinking, well, I'm 1 1/2cm dilated (so only 1/2cm more since the first check at 36 weeks) and 50% effaced (meaning my cervix is halfway thinned out, 100% means paper thin), then that means things could progress even more soon and the baby will be here!! Woohoo!
But it all stopped that day. I had bleeding from the cervical check of course but it was all done by the end of the day. I was even bleeding a bit before I went in, but now, nothing. I'm so impatient I want to cry!
I know I shouldn't wish this to be over too soon cause Lord knows when I'll be pregnant again, but still, I just want to meet my baby.
I've got everything done except pre-registering at the hospital so I'm totally ready but still, seems like the little one needs a little longer. *sigh*
Good news is that my middle sister is coming up for a bit. She'll be here midnight of Wednesday. Which means in a little less than 14 hours she'll be here!!!! I don't know if I'll be able to stay up so late. I might could force myself but then I'm afraid if I do that, then I'll screw up my nice new sleep schedule. I finally managed to sleep through the night once when I was super tired and went to bed around 7:30pm. Slept for 10 hours. Since then I've been getting tired around 9:30pm and so I'm in bed, at the latest, by 11pm and I wake up anywhere between 6 and 8am and I'm able to stay up all day. Except yesterday. I think I got up before I was ready so I ended up taking a two hour nap in the late afternoon. I might need a nap again today, though, I'm still pretty tired since I tossed and turned a lot last night and I only got up because I was getting hungry.
Blargh! I want to see my baby! lol. It's very frustrating. Baby's been less active lately thanks to having dropped so I miss my little one more than normal. Though, last night I had some fun because the baby was super active for a while. Hasn't been that active in a few weeks.
I could have a bit longer to go anyways. Thinking of the time I most likely ovulated, Nov. 7th is the more accurate due date. Really, it all comes down to lung development. So I can't try to force the baby out because I don't want to hurt it by not allowing all the necessary growth to finish. As cool as it would be to give birth closer to my birthday and when my best friend is here, wanting to see my baby is getting the better of me.
Hopefully baby will be done very soon.
But then, after my last appointment with the nurse midwife, everything has seemed to come to a stand still. No more bleeding, no contractions real or preparatory, the swelling went down, etc. I met with the doula yesterday to go over pressure points that help move things along if the body is already ready for labor. I mentioned how everything seems to have stopped and she said that was normal. Just like how we get breaks between contractions, we get breaks during labor prep.
It's annoying! I was thinking, well, I'm 1 1/2cm dilated (so only 1/2cm more since the first check at 36 weeks) and 50% effaced (meaning my cervix is halfway thinned out, 100% means paper thin), then that means things could progress even more soon and the baby will be here!! Woohoo!
But it all stopped that day. I had bleeding from the cervical check of course but it was all done by the end of the day. I was even bleeding a bit before I went in, but now, nothing. I'm so impatient I want to cry!
I know I shouldn't wish this to be over too soon cause Lord knows when I'll be pregnant again, but still, I just want to meet my baby.
I've got everything done except pre-registering at the hospital so I'm totally ready but still, seems like the little one needs a little longer. *sigh*
Good news is that my middle sister is coming up for a bit. She'll be here midnight of Wednesday. Which means in a little less than 14 hours she'll be here!!!! I don't know if I'll be able to stay up so late. I might could force myself but then I'm afraid if I do that, then I'll screw up my nice new sleep schedule. I finally managed to sleep through the night once when I was super tired and went to bed around 7:30pm. Slept for 10 hours. Since then I've been getting tired around 9:30pm and so I'm in bed, at the latest, by 11pm and I wake up anywhere between 6 and 8am and I'm able to stay up all day. Except yesterday. I think I got up before I was ready so I ended up taking a two hour nap in the late afternoon. I might need a nap again today, though, I'm still pretty tired since I tossed and turned a lot last night and I only got up because I was getting hungry.
Blargh! I want to see my baby! lol. It's very frustrating. Baby's been less active lately thanks to having dropped so I miss my little one more than normal. Though, last night I had some fun because the baby was super active for a while. Hasn't been that active in a few weeks.
I could have a bit longer to go anyways. Thinking of the time I most likely ovulated, Nov. 7th is the more accurate due date. Really, it all comes down to lung development. So I can't try to force the baby out because I don't want to hurt it by not allowing all the necessary growth to finish. As cool as it would be to give birth closer to my birthday and when my best friend is here, wanting to see my baby is getting the better of me.
Hopefully baby will be done very soon.
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