I can't believe I'm not writting my birth story! I went in on 2/11 to be induced. Got there at about 7:15am and after all the admission paperwork and Dr. Marshall arrived to give instructions pitocin actually started at 10am or so. The bad news was when the Dr. checked me I was NOT dilated AT ALL. It's like I went backwards a little bit but I still had confidence that the pitocin would take effect and I'd dilate. I'd never had a problem with dilation with my other 3 kids so why would I have trouble now. I would be SOOOO wrong. Everyone was nice and everything but it just really felt like torture. Being hooked up to an IV, a blood pressure cuff AND the baby heart rate monitor + the contraction monitor and being confined to the bed can do a number on you. And it's not like you can just move around ON the bed, I had to be in a certain position or the baby's heart rate would dissapear and the nurse would have to come in and find him again. Anyway, a nurse checked me (she was not super experienced) and she could not reach my cervix but said she would have the Dr. in L&D check me once she was out of a csection. Dr. Nelson came in at about 1am, checked me....I can tell by the amount of reaching effort she was making that I was still waaay high up and probably not dilated. When she was done checking, she was like you are a "loose" 1cm BUT she was able to strip my membranes!! She was just like, we'll turn up the pitocin and see where that takes you. I was SO tired and hungry by then that I remembered what Dr. Marshall said. If no progress by the time they check me, stop pitocin take a break and eat. So that's what I did. I ate at 2am and I was starving! So did that, took a nice hot shower and slept sitting up cause I could not bear to lay down on my side anymore. on 2/12 I woke up, they started Pitocin, teased me with feeding me breakfast then said "nope sorry nevermind". Dr. Marshall came to check on me and told me that if I didn't dilate by the evening the only choice was c-section. I really didn't want that and I had hope that Day 2 would work. I was super uncomfortable all day again and hungry and tired (and bored). I could not believe this kid was just not coming! So the Dr. checked me at about 4pm but I just had a feeling nothing had happened...Serg and I discussed just doing c-section and he's SOOOO against it. He would have let me decide in the end but I know he would have hated me getting one. He still gets angry at the fact that I had one with Alexis. So we could have had our little one yesterday but I didn't want to do it with him not being happy about it so the Dr. called Dr. Marshall, asked him if they could discharge us and see if we can wait around for a few more days and see if he comes on his own. The Dr. returned a few minutes later and said that Dr. Marshall said we COULD go home but we have to go to NST on Thursday for monitoring AND go to Labor and Delivery on Sunday morning to have the baby. That basically means that if I'm NOT dilated anymore and they can't rupture my water bag when I arrive it's an automatic c-section. I'll be 40 weeks + 4 days. I will actually be overdue which is just crazy to me. I am wondering if this baby is different because of the Single Umbilical Artery issue they diagnosed me with at 16-17 weeks. Not sure but I just hope he's ok and remains ok until he decides to come. I slept really well last night. My right hand hurt soo bad yesterday from the IV and was really swollen but I took two tylenols for pain which helped a little bit. It's not swollen anymore which is good. Sergio took me to this Sushi teriyaki place for lunch and I practically licked the plate clean. I had shrimp and veggie tempura, white rice, fried chicken strips w/teriyaki, small salad, and 4-5 sushi rolls. SOOO good. Then we went to walmart to walk a little and get some TP and I got some caramel popcorn cause I wanted something sweet. I ate a little too much of it but it was good. Then for dinner (i should have skipped it since we had a late lunch) we had green chile small pork ribs, some spanish rice and beans. I had a bad heartburn when I woke up because I fell asleep on the couch about 40 min after eating so I had to take a tums and proped myself up with a few pillows to get more sleep. Status as of this morning, I have throbbing feeling down below and I keep having BM which means I was backed up! When I went to wipe I saw a huge glob of my MP. Soooo gross I kinda freaked out which is weird being that I was expecting to see it last week....but now with the failed inductions and all the expectations I had beforehand, I'm just really NOT expecting things to happen as they should. I remembered again that Dr. Nelson actually stripped my membranes early yesterday morning so MAYBE just maybe that actually did do something and I will start dilating on my own soon. Plus, Dr. mentioned that Dr. marshall said that the 2 days on pitocin may have actually helped soften/prepare things a little more than they would have otherwise on their own. We are going off for a nice long walk in an hour or so to see if walking will help. I actually feel so much more tender down there and I feel like I am actually walking like a pregnant person which has not been the case this whole pregnancy for the most part. Here's hoping for another VBAC in the next few days, if not on Sunday! Regardless my son will be born by 2/17/12.
At my last 39 week Dr. appt I went in there with assurance that I had indeed dilated and THIS time the doc would be able to strip my membranes and the baby would have been delivered for SURE this weekend. That would not be the case. I was only 1 fingertip dilated making membrane sweep impossible but I did make a little progress with effacing from 50% last week to 70%. My induction date was scheduled for 2/11 and I just had this strong feeling that I would not make it to that day. Well here we are and this is the last time I will be waking up pregnant....on 2/11. I am going in to Labor and Delivery at 7:30am. I am not sure what I'm feeling right now. I've always said that "birth day" is my very favorite day. I get to meet my new son, and I will be back to "normal". I'm actually a little bit scared which I really wasn't with Gabriel. I think it was because I had such a miserable pregnancy with him and no amount of pain I was up against could be worse that all the things I went through with him. This has been a great pregnancy....the end was harder because of contractions and such but I can't really complain toooo much. I missed church the past few weeks and that was just because I could not bear sitting there going through contractions and people constantly asking "WHEN WHEN WHEN"....so annoying. Anyway, I'm getting ready to head out now. I'm hoping this baby will be no more than 8 1/2 pounds but we shall see. The past few weeks I really felt him fatten up. I wasn't so great at keeping my weight under control these past 2 weeks. I think I am up to about 245. The limit I had set for myself was 241. Close enough but still makes it 40 pounds gained. That's quite a bit. I hope I come out 25 pounds lighter!! Ok out!
So at my appt. on Thursday Dr. wasn't able to strip my membranes because I was not dilated at all. I was actually pretty shocked that I wasn't because when I was pregnant with Gabriel and Dr. sent me to labor and delivery due to preeclampsia I was already dilated to 4cm at 38+3 so I expected to be at LEAST 1 cm. Anyway, I was bummed but I am 50% effaced, said my cervix was SUPER soft and that my placenta is at the point where it looks ready to be done. I was dissapointed but not to the point where I went home and cried my eyes out like I would have with Gabriel. I was actually pretty good. Serg & I went to Shakey's buffet and enjoyed a nice lunch (I only gained 1 pound, weight = 241 now). My last day of work was on Friday so it's nice to know that tomorrow I don't have to get up early and get ready for work. I can go and come as I please which is nice! Yesterday (Saturday) me and the hubs went to some yard sales. There was not too much good stuff so we only got a few things then we went to breakfast at Mr. Pete's and came home to pick up the kids as we decided I should get in a good long walk to hopefully get things progressing. It looks like something worked because it seems like some white tissue like stuff has been coming out. My contractions have been stopping me in my tracks but are very very sporadic. I keep thinking back to when my water broke with Alani and how many weeks/days I was when it happened and trying to think back to Dr. appts and all that but the truth of the matter is, each baby is different and he'll come when he's ready. SOOOO, my next Dr. appt is on 2/7 which is Thursday and he's going to try and strip my membranes again on that day and he scheduled my induction for 2/11 (Monday 7am). I am secretly praying that I don't make it to Thurs. but again, we'll see. If I do I think I'll go into labor on Saturday maybe?? I'm grasping at straws here lol. I am going to call Veronica (my Dr's nurse) tomorrow to make sure she got my Dr's note to book my induction and will ask her if she can keep an eye on 2/8 (Friday) to see if any mom's that were scheduled for an induction on that day happened to have their babies and I can get squeezed in somehow. My Dr. was going to have me come in for induction on the 8th but there was no open spots so I have to wait till Monday. Sigh...I just want to meet him at this point. Any way, watching the Super Bowl right now waiting for Alexis and Serg to get home from church. I stayed home with the kids as they were napping and I feel like I keep peeing myself. I keep thinking I'm loosing my mucus plug completely or that my water is about to break but NADA. I'll update later this week with increased symptoms I hope.
