Here we are past my due date again. I'm not surprised at all I went over, but I am surprised by how oddly peaceful I've been about it this time around. I feel physically pretty excellent still. I even ran about a mile yesterday on the outdoor track and have been walking, doing jumping jacks and squatting like it's my part-time job. I don't sleep very well, but I'm pretty sure that's the mantra of every pregnant woman in her third trimester. I've been enormously blessed to have easy pregnancies in the physical department.
I was a insane last time. Sel had research that summer which basically took a few hours everyday and I quit my job at 38 weeks. Since Row didn't come until 42 weeks, it meant Sel and I sat around for A MONTH thinking of nothing else but having a baby. We went on 3-4 "labor" walks a day, ate pineapple until my tongue was red and raw, downed spicy food and tried every other natural labor inducing method on the planet. We were both basket cases.
This time around, we are without the luxury of sitting around staring at the empty nursery. Row keeps me on my toes all day and Sel has work plus endless studying to accomplish. The only time I start to feel crazy is during nap time or bedtime when I can just sit around and think about the baby staying in there forever.
BUT we have an end date in sight. As much as I have prayed and pleaded to go on my own, I likely won't before my induction date. I've done hoards of research on when it is still "safe" to have a baby and it tends to say after 41 weeks starts to see an increase in risks to both mother and baby. Do plenty of women go past that and have healthy babies? For sure. I obviously did. I'm not someone who would be okay being part of the percentage that end in stillbirth from going over 41 weeks though. I'm pretty sure no woman would be. I feel a little like I have to justify my agreement to being induced since there are definitely two camps on the matter. I don't want this post to turn into my thoughts on the debate, but I do feel like I need to let my future self know it was not an easy decision to decide to be induced again. I still dream of the day when I go into labor on my own and get to spend the first part of it at home. I haaaaated being in the hospital last time and will be there for a minimum of 12 hours again. We had my OB appt yesterday and I strong-armed Sel into coming with me (Joke, he totally was all for it when I asked if he would). My wonderful friend took Row during my non-stress test and then dear Doctor told me some pretty excellent news: I was dilated to about 1 1/2cm. I never even got to 1 cm with Row after 12 hours of cervadil, a bulb catheter, and 12 hours of pitocin. Sort of a monumental moment to find out my cervix did all that work without the efforts of last time. My OB wasn't as impressed as I was since he thinks I still need to go in and have cervadil again. Major sad face. He even said it's rare for him to have to do it on a second time mom, but because my cervix is so extra special and excellent at keeping babies in... We set an official induction date for Monday with my night of cervadil starting Sunday. UGH. I just hate the idea of spending a night in the hospital hooked up to the dumb monitors and an IV for 12 hours with a prostaglandin-drenched tampon in trying to "get some rest" before I have a baby. I sleep crappy enough in my beautiful king-sized bed and now will try to sleep in an uncomfortable hospital bed with constant beeping going off. WHY IS MY CERVIX THE WORST?! ( I bet you readers are so thrilled we talk about this so much. Who doesn't want to talk about cervixes all day, everyday?)
I got a call today from the office saying he actually made a mistake and he won't be on call until June 20th so would I be able to come in tomorrow night and start my cervadil. I'm still trying to process the change, but I'm grateful it's happening. My sister and mom were going to come up tomorrow anyway to visit and will be here for Rowan while we are at the hospital. My in-laws come in Saturday and stay until the 20th! We are so lucky to have such loving families come and help us. It brings me to tears thinking about how wonderful they all are. I was getting extra panicky about my sister having to leave before the baby came and my in-laws only being here for a few days after she came. Having her this weekend will be the absolute perfect time to arrive.
I feel like it has been a divine intervention that I didn't get to follow my mother's trend of having her first two weeks late after an awful induction to then have a baby a day early after six hours of labor that started on its own. My dad (he'll hate me for posting this because he is such an oddball about that sort of thing) found out he had a blood clot last night that stretched from his femoral artery to his ankle. If Lyra had come in the past few days, I sincerely doubt anyone would have been paying his swollen leg attention. I hate thinking about what might have happened if he hadn't been forced to the ER by my sister, mom, and hubby. Now that he's all taken care of, we can get this baby show on the road. I'm still reeling a little bit from the fact that tomorrow is my last as a mom of one. I plan to spend it doing all of Row's absolute favorite things for as long as he wants. I'll miss being a just us, but know this next adventure will be pretty spectacular all on it's own. Wish us luck! The next time I post will be a birth story!!!
Here is one of my last bump pics. I look a little in pain because Sel was trying to make me laugh and it was a little painful to watch him make the same smiling-coaxing faces he makes at our toddler at me. My sister asked me the other day if I have less body hate while pregnant and it really is true that I do. I don't feel like a sexy beast at all, but I'm certainly more gentle with my criticism while growing a human being. Too bad I likely won't be this kind to my postpartum self in the next few weeks.
I was a insane last time. Sel had research that summer which basically took a few hours everyday and I quit my job at 38 weeks. Since Row didn't come until 42 weeks, it meant Sel and I sat around for A MONTH thinking of nothing else but having a baby. We went on 3-4 "labor" walks a day, ate pineapple until my tongue was red and raw, downed spicy food and tried every other natural labor inducing method on the planet. We were both basket cases.
This time around, we are without the luxury of sitting around staring at the empty nursery. Row keeps me on my toes all day and Sel has work plus endless studying to accomplish. The only time I start to feel crazy is during nap time or bedtime when I can just sit around and think about the baby staying in there forever.
BUT we have an end date in sight. As much as I have prayed and pleaded to go on my own, I likely won't before my induction date. I've done hoards of research on when it is still "safe" to have a baby and it tends to say after 41 weeks starts to see an increase in risks to both mother and baby. Do plenty of women go past that and have healthy babies? For sure. I obviously did. I'm not someone who would be okay being part of the percentage that end in stillbirth from going over 41 weeks though. I'm pretty sure no woman would be. I feel a little like I have to justify my agreement to being induced since there are definitely two camps on the matter. I don't want this post to turn into my thoughts on the debate, but I do feel like I need to let my future self know it was not an easy decision to decide to be induced again. I still dream of the day when I go into labor on my own and get to spend the first part of it at home. I haaaaated being in the hospital last time and will be there for a minimum of 12 hours again. We had my OB appt yesterday and I strong-armed Sel into coming with me (Joke, he totally was all for it when I asked if he would). My wonderful friend took Row during my non-stress test and then dear Doctor told me some pretty excellent news: I was dilated to about 1 1/2cm. I never even got to 1 cm with Row after 12 hours of cervadil, a bulb catheter, and 12 hours of pitocin. Sort of a monumental moment to find out my cervix did all that work without the efforts of last time. My OB wasn't as impressed as I was since he thinks I still need to go in and have cervadil again. Major sad face. He even said it's rare for him to have to do it on a second time mom, but because my cervix is so extra special and excellent at keeping babies in... We set an official induction date for Monday with my night of cervadil starting Sunday. UGH. I just hate the idea of spending a night in the hospital hooked up to the dumb monitors and an IV for 12 hours with a prostaglandin-drenched tampon in trying to "get some rest" before I have a baby. I sleep crappy enough in my beautiful king-sized bed and now will try to sleep in an uncomfortable hospital bed with constant beeping going off. WHY IS MY CERVIX THE WORST?! ( I bet you readers are so thrilled we talk about this so much. Who doesn't want to talk about cervixes all day, everyday?)
I got a call today from the office saying he actually made a mistake and he won't be on call until June 20th so would I be able to come in tomorrow night and start my cervadil. I'm still trying to process the change, but I'm grateful it's happening. My sister and mom were going to come up tomorrow anyway to visit and will be here for Rowan while we are at the hospital. My in-laws come in Saturday and stay until the 20th! We are so lucky to have such loving families come and help us. It brings me to tears thinking about how wonderful they all are. I was getting extra panicky about my sister having to leave before the baby came and my in-laws only being here for a few days after she came. Having her this weekend will be the absolute perfect time to arrive.
I feel like it has been a divine intervention that I didn't get to follow my mother's trend of having her first two weeks late after an awful induction to then have a baby a day early after six hours of labor that started on its own. My dad (he'll hate me for posting this because he is such an oddball about that sort of thing) found out he had a blood clot last night that stretched from his femoral artery to his ankle. If Lyra had come in the past few days, I sincerely doubt anyone would have been paying his swollen leg attention. I hate thinking about what might have happened if he hadn't been forced to the ER by my sister, mom, and hubby. Now that he's all taken care of, we can get this baby show on the road. I'm still reeling a little bit from the fact that tomorrow is my last as a mom of one. I plan to spend it doing all of Row's absolute favorite things for as long as he wants. I'll miss being a just us, but know this next adventure will be pretty spectacular all on it's own. Wish us luck! The next time I post will be a birth story!!!
Here is one of my last bump pics. I look a little in pain because Sel was trying to make me laugh and it was a little painful to watch him make the same smiling-coaxing faces he makes at our toddler at me. My sister asked me the other day if I have less body hate while pregnant and it really is true that I do. I don't feel like a sexy beast at all, but I'm certainly more gentle with my criticism while growing a human being. Too bad I likely won't be this kind to my postpartum self in the next few weeks.
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