Nearing your due date is a tricky time. You don't know how to plan anything and you have to take each day by day and every minute by minute. I don't work well under these circumstances. On Wednesday, October 5th, a week before my due date I went in for a standard check-up where they had me do an NST to monitor the baby's heart rate. For about an hour, the baby's heart wasn't showing the variables they like to see, so Dr. Drachler turned to me and asked, "So, what are your plans for today? Ready to have a baby?" My eyes bulged out and my jaw dropped. Really? I will admit that one of the next thoughts that came to mind was, "But I haven't cleaned the bathrooms yet!" ha ha! I called Geoff who had just finished an appointment nearby, he zipped over to the doctor's office, and the doctor explained we'd go to the hospital for more monitoring and if the baby's heart continued to show the same patterns, I'd be induced. I called Mom (who was prepping for a colonoscopy) and she was ready to come first thing on Friday and we made arrangements with our next-door neighbors to watch the girls until the baby arrived. Geoff let his boss know the baby was being monitored and there was a chance I could be induced that day--we chuckled when his boss sent out an email to his company that stated: Woodhouse's wife is in labor, don't bother him for a week!
I was grateful that the concerns over the baby's heart were not urgent, the baby's heart was still beating at a healthy rate, but from what I understood, the doctors were concerned that the baby's heart patterns were showing that it could be using up the placenta and because I had a two-vessel cord (instead of a three vessel cord) there was a higher chance the cord could be getting pinched and the baby was not getting what it needed. So we got to the hospital and I was monitored for two hours--and the baby's heart was super strong and healthy for every minute of those two hours. It could be that the baby was just in a deep sleep when I was at the doctor's office, or that this little one was really digging the sausage sandwich I had on our way to the hospital. ;) Regardless, we were sent home with a completely healthy report. Part of me was relieved, but later that night I did have a teary moment thinking that I could have been holding our baby right now if we had to be induced.
So, we continued to wait...and the baby continued to grow. When I went over my due date and the Doctor recommended we induce this labor--I was definitely ready physically. I dreaded going up stairs, picking anything up, and I was constantly out. of. breath. Dr. Drachler scheduled the induction 2 days after my due date for when he was in the hospital next. At first I was unsure about the timing, I had been set on waiting at least a week after my due date, but because I wasn't dilated even after experiencing some contractions and back labor pains for a few days, I figured I'd either be induced on Friday when Dr. Drachler was in, or I'd be induced on Wednesday with a different doctor. Geoff and I felt most comfortable knowing Dr. Drachler would be delivering this baby, so we accepted the appointment.
Mom came in on Thursday and Friday morning, we left for the hospital (and yes, the bathrooms were clean)!
No comments:
Post a Comment