Operation Eviction went down like this. My doc appt was on Wednesday morning. A non-stress test for baby and a quick check of the cervix. We found out Baby B was not stressed, I was still at 1 cm and my cervix was nice n' thick. Neither of the later statements meant labor was anytime soon. I was super upset b/c Mike had off Thurs-Fri-Sat and then was back on the schedule for SIX days. I just knew I'd go into labor while we was away. I asked about induction options and she looked me straight in the eyes and pretty much said, "Are you kidding me? You are only 40 weeks and 1 day, we don't look into those options until you're at least 41 weeks." That hope was shot down. The doc wouldn't even strip my membranes. Bummer. I sent out a text letting everyone know that I would not be having the baby today (being Wednesday, March 16th).
This was the 5th doc I've seen at my practice...I was only missing one more as there are 6 total. BUT since this was a new doc I had to re-explain that I'm measuring small, I've had ultrasounds that prove everything is OK, I'm just little. She measured me at 1 cm less than the week before (red flag #1), six inches less than a typical woman at 40 weeks (red flag #2), and my ultrasound was a month "old" (red flag #3) meaning I needed an update. So, we went in for an ultrasound. Everything looked fine. She said the fluid level was normal and the baby looked healthy. Whew!
I sat in the room waiting for the doc to return to tell me any sort of news. She kinda took awhile. (my door was open at this point, I was dressed and ready to know what the future held for us...as I'm fighting back tears b/c my baby wasn't coming today). After the ultrasound the tech looks up the averages of fetuses baby B's age and compares. Apparently, our little bean was in the 40th percentile in Feb and dropped to the 20th percentile in March. HUGE red flag. The further details are that baby B's head and limbs measure much closer to what they 'should' be (the head measured as a typical 39 w 6 d old). But the abdomen was where the issue stood. This was reason enough for them to believe the baby wasn't prospering in utero. Maybe it was the placenta, the umbilical cord, or just a small baby, but nonetheless the baby needed out. She told me I didn't need to go to Children's Mercy of Chicago, but if I felt it necessary, it was my call in the end. I told her we were fine to deliver locally. And just like that we were schedule for an induction at 6 pm.
I called Mike in a panic...tears streaming down my face. It's not everyday you hear that your baby isn't growing inside you anymore. Honestly, you can't help but question yourself. What did I do wrong? What could I have done differently? Am I not eating enough/the right foods? When I finally got ahold of hubsy, who was flying until 4 pm and coming home, thank heavens, I said, "Hun, looks like we are having the baby tonight." The funny thing is, I couldn't have been more wrong :)
We arrived at the hospital fashionably late b/c Mike's flight was delayed. No big deal to anyone- whew. We got checked in, settled in our sweet room, and prepared for a long night. Still at 1 cm and thick, my nurse told me we were in this for the long haul. They put the tiny, tampon like, gel pack on my cervix to start contractions. I guess it worked, but they weren't strong enough for me to feel = they didn't count. They stayed there for 12 hours (overnight)...and we tried to sleep. I also got my IV that night...I almost passed out. This was THE MOST PAINFUL thing about my whole entire visit. Mike told me I was the color of my hospital gown and the nurse ordered me some apple juice!
{My labor coach :) I swear, I cannot live without this man.}
{Still looking chipper, this must be early on}
Hooray! :) So glad that it all turned out so well. She is just perfect! Hope all is going well at home. When do you get to move in to your new house?!
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