She's here!

Well, she's been here for 5 days now.  Born Saturday, September 24 at 2:57 p.m. via stat c-section (oh yeah, more about that further down) weighing in at 7 lb 3 oz and 20 1/2 inches.

But before we get to the details.  Previously.........

In the last episode, I was scheduled for induction Monday, September 26.  I went in the Friday before for my last OB checkup.  All was well.  The doc I saw was actually going to be at the hospital Monday afternoon so we figured I'd probably end up delivering with her.  Yes, she looks like she's 12 years old, but I really do like her.  She's very straight forward and I get the sense that even though she's the least experienced at the practice, she's actually quite a good doc.

Anyhow, I was driving away (to the Blinds to Go store - don't ask) and I received a call from the surgery scheduler at the practice.  Did I want to go in this evening (Friday, September 23) and get induced tomorrow morning (Saturday) instead of Monday morning?  The doc who was head of the practice (and the doc who had done my D&C at 13 weeks of the Trisomy 18 pregnancy the previous year) was on call all day Saturday and I would deliver with her.  I told her I needed to call Mr.Right.  So I did.  We decided that, despite my desire to let babygirl come to full term (Sunday) and have a chance to come on her own, that this might actually be a good idea.  We like Dr.A and it would actually give Mr.Right a few more days at home with us.  And the fact that I hadn't progressed at all (read, no real dilatation) from the previous week meant it probably didn't matter if I was induced on Saturday or Monday.

So, we decided to go for it. I headed for home thinking about all of the things I'd been procrastinating doing because, gee whiz, this baby wasn't going to come until Monday!

I went in about 8 p.m. on Friday evening to the hospital.  After having to go back down to the lobby to wait for a room to open up, Mr.Right headed for home and left me there.  We figured he'd be more useful if he'd gotten a good night's sleep at home instead of on a recliner in the hospital room. As it was, I was shortly called back up to labor and delivery and put in my room, but with all the things they had to do - put in an IV, do an ultrasound to verify the baby's head was down, put in the cervidil (to soften my cervix), put on the monitors after the cervidil was placed and, finally, removing the monitors, bringing me my last food (jello, natch) - I never really got to sleep until about midnight.  My trusty British Airways eye shades and newly purchased ear plugs let me sleep a bit, but the anticipation had me up looking at the clock every hour or so.  Finally, about 6 a.m. they woke me up to remove the cervidil and break my water.

Mr.Right arrived about 7 a.m. and the pitocin was started.  We chitchatted with the nurses, Dr.A and he did work and I mostly lay there watching the baby's heartbeat on the monitor.

A first indication, although we didn't realize it at the time, that all might not go swimmingly was the baby's heartbeat got kind of erractic and dipped below 80 a few times not too long after they'd broken my water and started the pitocin.  So, they started an amniotic infusion - basically to replace some of the water to make the baby more comfortable.  This proceed to drip out of me for several hours.  At that point, they also decided to place an internal monitor - that monitored the strength of the contractions more accurately.

The contractions finally got to be fairly intense around 10 a.m. and I asked for the epidural.  It took nearly an hour to get but I made it.  Finally, about noon Dr.A came again and checked me - only 2 centimeters dilated, but she wanted to give it another 2 hours before making a decision.  Somewhere between 1 and 2 my parents and Mr.Right's mother showed up.  We chitchatted (the epidural was heaven!!!) until about 2:30 when while talking with my mother, Mr.Right and I both noticed that the baby's heart-rate was once again bouncing along around and underneath the 90 mark.  Just as Mr.Right was about to walk out to get the nurse, she came in.  They had me roll from one side to the other to see if things changed.  They didn't.  The heart-beat got more erratic and lower.  At about the same time, 4 more nurses came into the room.  It was suggested that the grandparents leave.  At this point, it was probably 2:40 or 2:45.  Things started moving very quickly.  I was given a shot to stop contracts.  I was told to get on my hands and knees (quite a feat with legs that felt like they were both asleep and tons of wires and catheters come out of me and tangling around me).  About this time, Dr.A came huffing and puffing into the room (and she's very fit - so she was out of breath, we later found out, because she'd run up the stairs from the lobby (to the 3rd floor)).

We were going for a c-section, stat.  The anesthesiologist was somehow there and I swear he practically had to hop on the gurney with me as they were rolling down the hall at top speed in order to put the additional medicine in my IV to make the epidural work for the c-section.  We rolled into the OR and mostly I remember talking with the anesthesiologist, asking him what I should and should not be feeling and trying to make sure I was actually feeling the block before they cut in.  At some point as I was still saying this to him, he said, "they've already made the incision."  In 33 seconds after the incision was made, the baby was out.  I heard her cry, but by the time someone pointed out that if I turned my head to the left I could see her at the table where the neonatologist was working on her, someone had stepped in my line of sight.

Next I saw Mr.Right come into the room, crying.  It still makes me tear up to think about how upset he was.  I later learned that they left him outside the OR door, because there were too many people working around me. He headed for the baby on the table.  And then he headed for me.  I tried to tell him it was all right.  And, it was.  The baby was perfectly find.  The neonatologist actually left and they continued on with the usual things - vitamin k shot, ointment in the eyes.  Eventually, Mr.Right was able to bring the baby over and hold her next to my head so I could kiss her.  We got a picture.

Then they left.  And I spent the next - who knows how many minutes - being sewn up.  Dr.A is incredible, really.  She was talking to me through the whole sew up procedure.  She took out my fibroid near the cervix since it was where she'd made the incision anyhow.  She kissed my cheek before she left to let the surg techs finish up the sewing up.

I ended up having to wait around then for the radiologist to come to do an x-ray.  Apparently, when they do a stat surgery and there's no time to count the instruments before the surgery they have to order an x-ray just to make sure nothing has been left inside :-)  Nothing was.  No airport scanner issues here.

Finally, off I went to the recovery room.  Mr.Right was there with the baby in a bassinet.  He'd been holding her for 1.5 hours.(!)  The grandparents and my sister were allowed to come up for a very brief time only.  After some time, we were finally transported to the post-delivery area and our room for the next two days.

Yes, folks, I came home on Monday afternoon after the Saturday afternoon c-section.  I just couldn't stand it in the room in the hospital anymore.  It felt like I was crawling the walls.  And basically my OB and the pediatrician cleared us to go if we wanted.

So, that's the story.  Kind of dramatic, huh?  But all's well that ends well.  Babygirl is absolutely perfect.  Everybody says she's beautiful (of course! ;-) And we think she truly is.  She has so many expressions I want to take a picture of every single one.  And at 5 days old only I'm already realizing this time with her at this stage of her life is going to be soooooo short.

More on the first 5 days in another post.

I leave you with this pic:

She'll be here next Monday at the latest

Well, I took the plunge last Friday when talking to the OB and requested a Monday (Sept. 26) induction date.  I learned Monday afternoon that I'm #2 on the waiting list which, according to the scheduler, means I'm almost definitely going to go that day.  That is, of course, if babygirl doesn't decide to come before Sunday, her due date.   I'll get the final word about the induction schedule (and instructions) on Friday afternoon.

We ultimately decided that we just didn't want to push our luck.  Even though yesterday's NST/AFI says baby and amniotic fluid are perfect and I'm still not feeling that's she 'dropped' (nor have I been really able to identify any contractions - even though I apparently had one while on the monitor yesterday afternoon), we just didn't want to look back in regret (or get into an emergency situation with the placenta starting to give out.)

I realize this means induction most likely and that means longer labor and maybe a c-section but I'm ok with that.  I still hope she decides on her own to start her way out by Sunday, but I'm also kind of happy to know the 'end date' of this pregnancy.

I was only a finger tip dilated last Friday and while 2 weeks ago one of the OB's said I was 50% thinned/effaced, the OB this past Friday said my cervix was fairly long still.  So......we'll see what this Friday's OB appointment holds.  But, regardless, unless I don't make it onto the schedule, I'll be going in Sunday night to the hospital so they can place the prostaglandin near my cervix and then I'll be induced on Monday morning.  Hopefully, I'll be able to get some sleep in the hospital (if I don't start contracting and if it's not too noisy).

Meanwhile, I'm feeling a bit more pressure every time I stand up on the underbelly (the part I can't see anymore!) and the occasional twinge down through my groin so maybe she is starting to move down?

But I've managed to walk the last two afternoons and intend to get out with the dog this morning before it rains this afternoon (again!)

Oh and, can I say this?  I never thought I'd still be enjoying what my RE always called 'marital relations' with the husband this late in pregnancy, but Mr.Right came home early last night and it was marvelous (blush!)  It's supposed to help induce labor, right?!?  :-)

38w5d and counting.....

Counting down, that is!  9 days to go until due date on the 25 of September.  I have my weekly OB appointment this afternoon so we'll see if there's anything to get excited about.  I had my weekly NST/AFI monitoring appointment on Tuesday of this week and babygirl was doing great.  The MFM who saw me afterwards (this is routine - there are about 5 docs and one of them usually quickly reviews the NSF and AFI results afterwards with you) asked what the schedule was for my delivery.  I told him the due date again, but he seemed to think I should have an induction scheduled.  He said if it were up to him, he wouldn't let me go past my due date.  I asked whether this was based on anything he'd seen in the monitoring results and he said, no, just based on my age (41 yrs and 3 months now).

I told him my regular OB (head of the practice) said she wouldn't let me go more than 3 or 4 days past due date for same reason, but he seemed fairly adamant about not going past my due date.  So, I'll ask the OB I see today for her opinion.

I'm a bit of two minds about it.  On one hand, I think the MFM (kind of an odd duck; seems a little old school) underestimates the health of my 41 year old body (!) I mean, I'm still walking 3 miles every morning.  My blood pressure has been consistently low the entire pregnancy.  I've gained only about 21 pounds.  I have no gestational diabetes, etc.  On top of that, last time they measured babygirl she was 40th something percentile I think for size.  She's super-reactive to the NST and the amniotic fluid is perfect.

On the other hand, I don't want to push it.  We waited a long time for this baby.  And, it would be kind of nice to be able to call my parents at a reasonable time of day and say 'hey, I'm scheduled for an induction on x day' instead of calling them at 2 a.m. to tell them we're heading to the hospital.

On the other, other hand, I'd love to see babygirl come before an induction is necessary.  I guess I might end up with a c-section in either case but it does seem like an induction before she's ready my make that risk higher.  But, really, if it takes a c-section, that's the way it is.  I'm not at all going to be worked up about that.  I just want a healthy baby out of it all.

So, there we are.  I really feel like nothing has changed with my body in the last couple of weeks.  I feel no closer to having this baby come out.  I still can't tell if I can really identify even any Braxton Hicks contractions.  (I thought I might have the other night, but it turned out just to be gas.)

In the meantime, trying to tie up all the little loose ends:  getting the rest of my hospital bag(s) packed; off to the cloth diaper store today to buy a few things (my sister has given me all of her diapers); off to meet my friend who's given me her Bugaboo stroller to get the bassinet piece (which she had forgotten the other day) and finally, this afternoon, on to the OB who will undoubtedly do an internal exam this week and I'll at least get some news about whether I'm at all dilated or not.

Just for kicks, here's the (probably) last belly shot:

Vacationing at 34 weeks report - very belated!

Remember when I asked for advice about going to the beach for a week of vacation during my 35th week of pregnancy?  I thought I'd just report in on how it was for anyone else contemplating the same.

It was fabulous!!!  Of course, it was with eyes wide open that we committed the money to a rental on the beach.  The OB had said she didn't have a problem with it as long as there wasn't something going on by then for which they needed me to be kept home/monitored.  So, of course, it was still a risk.

But nothing like that happened.  We drove about 5.5 hours to the beach each way with at least 2-3 stops for potty breaks (we had the dog too so it wasn't just me).

I was a little worried that all I'd want to do was sit in the air-conditioned condo and look out at the beach, but we ended up going down to the beach every afternoon for at least 3-4 hours.  Bikinis were the best.  I did try out my maternity 2-piece, but found it too hot on my belly to sit around in (I swam in the pool a bit with it.)  I'm by no means a stick, but I had 2 bikinis from pre-pregnancy that worked fine.  One other no longer fit my boobs so I didn't wear that one, but the others were a different style/size and worked out just fine.

I was able to keep up my 3 mile walk every morning with the dog (while Mr.Right went for his 5-6 mile run) and every late afternoon around 5:30 as everyone else was clearing out from the beach we'd walk with the the dog off-leash (allowed on our beach anytime but we kept her on-leash during the afternoon when a lot of people were around) down the beach throwing the tennis ball and watching her dodge waves.

It was truly, truly an idyllic week.  And I'm so, so happy we went.

One day I did seem to have the blues (Thursday of our Sunday to Sunday rental) and I'm not sure why. Maybe I hadn't slept too well that night.  I was always famous in our family for being cranky on the last day of vacation --- because I didn't want to go home!  Thursday was a little early though and I got over it and enjoyed Friday and Saturday and even the driving-home day immensely.

I am so eternally grateful for such an easy pregnancy (after the initial weeks of course).  I'm so grateful to my body for being so well-equipped at 41 years old to handle this.  I've just today hit the 20 pound weight gain mark (ok, 25 if you count the 5 pounds I lost in the first month of pregnancy) and people continually tell me I don't look big enough to be less than 3 weeks from my due date.  Not that I was trying to look small, but still being able to walk 3 miles every morning has helped a lot I think and is such a wonderful opportunity to get out of the house (and get the dog exercised!)

Off to the weekly NST/AFI check today.  Last week babygirl had her hand in front of her face (probably sucking her thumb as we could only see the four fingers) so no pics.  Hopefully, she won't be sucking her thumb today and we'll get a 37w2d pic!

In the meantime, I leave you with this pic from our beach vacation: