Honey I'm Home

I had my baby on Wednesday, April 24, 2002 at 4:19 am. He was 8 lb 9.3 oz, and 21 3/4 inches long. After an induction attempt on Monday, a rest Monday night, and restarting the induction on Tuesday, I labored for about 20 hours naturally (except for the pitocin) and was in my 3rd hour of pushing when fetal distress was detected. We had an emergency C-section and DS is still in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). He has made great strides since Wednesday and is continuing to improve, but much more slowly now. I had an illius (sp?), which is problems with gas in the intestines, which caused my stay to be longer than usual. Check the links on the left in a few days for more details of the past week, including the birth story.

Here are some links that I found having information about amniotic fluid levels.
Amniotic Fluid: Oligohydramnios & Polyhydramnios
Oligohydramnios: Low Amniotic Fluid
Pregnancy Today - Oligohydramnios: When Amniotic Fluid is Too Low
High-Risk Pregnancy - Amniotic Fluid Problems / Hydramnios / Oligohydramnios

40w3d

Baby is still waiting... and the grown-ups are getting nervous and somewhat impatient.

Yesterday's biophysical profile (BPP) test caused quite a stir. The baby scored fine (8/8), but my amniotic fluid was deemed "low". (We later found out the measurement was "4" which was considered "the low end of normal" by my PCP's on call partner, but also "below the 5th percentile, which is when they get concerned" by a nurse that DH spoke with at the hospital where he works.) The OB to which I was referred for the BPP recommended that "I be delivered" (his word choice wasn't my favorite). He called my PCP and they talked, then he told me to go to the hospital. I was starting to freak out a bit as we left, and my DH said something to the effect of "let's go talk to our Dr." first. So instead of driving to the hospital, we drove to our Dr. and asked to see him (without an appointment). Within 15 minutes we were talking with him and discussing the test results, the possible induction, the risks, and our options. I was much calmer by the time we saw him than when I was at the OB's office. From what I remember, the main concern with low fluid is that cord compression problems are more likely, with the worst-case scenerio being stillbirth. After discussing things quite a bit, we scheduled me for an induction Monday morning, unless I go into labor or change my mind before then.

Apparently having chronic hypertension is related to low amniotic fluid when "past term". Since no one had mentioned that my controlled chronic hypertension was a problem, I don't know much about the relationship between it and low amniotic fluid. (That's the annoying part... why didn't anyone tell me that having hypertension would cause concerns if the baby went past the due date??) The OB mentioned the placenta deteriorating as being related to the hypertension also, but the placenta is over 40 weeks old, so one would expect it to show signs of being "old". At least he did say that the calcium deposits seen on it are not indicative of a problem, just of it's age.

We are keeping me well hydrated by our doula's recommendation (see "Reviewer's Conclusion" in this abstract also, and are still considering going in before Monday. We have also used some of the home techniques for stimulating and/or inducing labor. Nipple stimulation works. :-)

I'm actually feeling quite optimistic right now. The baby is still moving around and I am having contractions every 10-20 minutes without constant stimulation. So maybe... maybe... labor is starting this evening.

40w2d

Baby is still waiting. I slept very poorly last night. I couldn't get comfortable in bed so I tried the recliner for a few hours. I slept a little there, then went back to bed about an hour before DH went to work.

Official Due Date

My OB appointment went fine this morning. My cervix is thinning quite a bit more than last week, and is dilated a little (about to 2); fundal height is measuring right at 40, and I even gained a pound this week. We are scheduled for a biophysical profile (special sonogram) tomorrow. My Dr. said he expects it to be fine but since I'm 38 and have chronic hypertension he wants the test done today or tomorrow instead of waiting until next week. I also have an OB appt for next Thursday "if I'm still pregnant".

I'm feeling contractions more frequently than before, but they're still irregular and not very intense. Last night the baby was moving around a lot between them, so I wasn't sure if I was feeling baby or uterus, but after talking with my doula, I think I was feeling both. She said that babies move around as much or more during labor as they do earlier in the pregnancy.

I wouldn't mind at all if the baby decided to wait until Sunday. My singing group is competing on Saturday and I would really like to watch them.

40w

Baby's still waiting, which is fine with me. I have quite a cold and I will be happy if I get over it before the baby decides to meet the world.

I discovered last night that a friend of mine in my singing group is preparing for an IVF. Her first u/s to check the follicles after stimulation drugs is today. Good luck S!

39w6d

Baby is still waiting... and today is my birthday. I feel like I'm coming down with a cold. We have slept with the bedroom window open for the past 2 nights because it has been so warm, and I thought that maybe that's why my nose was stuffy/runny, but now it's starting to feel more like a regular cold. I hope not.

I have not worn my shoes at all today. My feet are very puffy. Hopefully they will go down overnight like they usually do, then tomorrow I will wear shoes and try to remember to keep my feet elevated when possible. Even my DH's sandals were tight across the top (of course the arch didn't fit right & my toes were nowhere near the end).

39w5d

Baby is still waiting to pick his or her birthday. I have gotten a few stretch marks the past couple of weeks. Primarily they are directly below my navel, and wow, do they itch! Everything is still going fine. I do have contractions once in a while, but never closer than an hour apart and very irregular.

39w3d

Baby is still inside me. I've been passing a lot of gas yesterday and today. I don't remember reading anything about that, but I do remember reading that the digestive system kind of clears itself out before labor begins. I'm working on getting my bag packed to take to the hospital this afternoon. It hasn't seemed like a priority, but I know DH will feel better when it is ready.

39w2d

I'm out the door, not to return to work for 3 months. It's hard to imagine not coming in to work for that long. The longest I have taken off in the past is 3 weeks, once for an overseas vacation (14 years ago) and once after knee surgery (11 years ago). I've cleaned off my desk, cleared my inbox, finished my documentation, and done everything else that I can think of before I leave, including changing my voice message to say that I won't be checking voice mail messages. Very strange feeling.

39w1d

My OB appointment went well today. The doctor says I'm looking good, my BP was fine, the baby is low, and all is well. I measured 40cm. I did have a vaginal exam and am starting to dilate and efface a little. The exam was optional, but I thought it would be good to see how it feels now, so I won't be surprised during my first check while in labor. It was uncomfortable, but not unbearable. I spotted just a little afterwards, too. My PCP is extremely gentle with exams, too bad he stopped delivering babies!

I have noticed that my countdown dates on my blog headings are off by a day. I guess since conception was on a Wednesday, I started counting the next Thursday as Day 1, then Day 7 hit Wednesday so that became Week 1. I'm not sure how we got 4/18 as the due date, but it might have been from one of those "wheels" that doctors have.

39w

I'm sleeping less and waddling more. I think I'm having practice (aka Braxton-Hicks) contractions. It kind of feels like squeezing on the inside, but also kind of feels like a massage from the inside out. It's not painful at all, but sometimes it catches me off-guard. It could just be the baby moving around (in what little extra space exists), too.

I'm planning on having this Friday be my last day of work. Originally I was thinking that I might work some next week, possibly until my due date or until the baby comes, but now that I'm not sleeping as well (and we still have things to do around the house), I'm thinking that a few days at home would be really nice.

38w6d

I did something wierd this morning. I overslept... okay, that's not wierd... but after my shower I squirted cleanser around the tub to soak. I also squirted some in the toilet then cleaned out the bowl after I was dressed. Am I nesting?

Mothering Magazine has an online version, here is a link to their main Articles page, as well as several articles that I have read today and enjoyed.
Mothering Magazine -- The Joy of Cloth Diapers
Mothering Magazine -- A Foot in Your Face, or Ten Other Reasons to Family Bed
Mothering Magazine -- Zen and the Art of Mothering