40 Week OB Appointment

I hadn’t meant to double post today, but it happened so oh well! Ronny and I went to what will be our very last OB appointment for this pregnancy today. We did see the same doctor that we saw last week (an actual doctor, not an intern or a resident). Poor guy has definitely got his hands full with me. I was in the midst of a contraction when he came in and leaning over the exam table with my head in my hands and Ronny rubbing my back.

We discussed the past week. I told him that I’ve been having even more leaking than what he was visually able to see last week, my contractions were stronger, I can’t seem to shake the indigestion feeling and am swelling quite profusely. We decided to do a complete workup again to see if I am making any progress or in active labor. First up was a speculum exam where he could see fluid collecting at the opening of my cervix, but we couldn’t get an active gush from anywhere. He did take several samples to exam. The results were negative for amniotic fluid and negative for infection.

Next up was a cervical exam to see if my cervix has dilated any at all given the contractions that I have been having. I found out yesterday that you have an inner and outer opening on the cervix. I asked the doctor about this and he said that the only one they are really worried about is the internal opening. Mine unfortunately hasn’t changed……..at all……… It is still barely open and they can’t get a finger in to even attempt a membrane sweep. Luke’s head is slightly lower than it was, but still not able to put enough pressure to get things going.

The last thing he did was an in-room ultrasound to check on Luke’s position and fluid levels. I told the doctor that it felt like he had rotated and was tapping on my pubic bone and digging his tiny fingers into my hips. The ultrasound revealed that he has rotated and is now sunny side up, rather than looking sideways. This is news that we definitely didn’t want to hear. Because of his new position, his head is unable to apply the appropriate amount of even pressure on my cervix, which is making dilation and effacement difficult. It also carries the potential of a longer, more painful labor since the largest portion of his head will need to fit through the cervix first (assuming he doesn’t roll over). It was difficult to tell his size, but he is looking to be on the smaller side of average. This is good news because it means he’s only about 7.5 pounds right now……totally pushable.

So at this point I am not in any type of active labor. We have no idea why my body is contracting without actually doing anything or producing as much fluid as it is. Either way no progression has been made in 2 months. The only thing we can do/did do is schedule the induction for Tuesday, August 4th at 8am. Of course it would be great if my body decided to work before then, but if not we have to call at 6am and make sure they aren’t too busy before heading up. They will most likely start with cervidil to soften the cervix and hopefully help it dilate. If that doesn’t get things started they will then give pitocin a try.

There are a few tricky things associated with labor induction in my case. 1) Induction isn’t guaranteed, and we were warned that it could take a few days before Luke arrives. Of course one dose of the cervidil could cause things to happen, but it may take more than that. Induction isn’t the end all be all, and we may end up with a c-section at the end of the process. 2) Induction is apparently incredibly painful as the amount of prostaglandins and pitocin used stimulates really strong contractions. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem, but since I am unable to have an epidural and really the only pain management option I have is a morphine injection during stage 1……it is guaranteed to be very very painful. I’m about 95% certain I can do this without pain meds, but knowing that it is going to be extra painful is a bit heavy.

Mentally, I think that I am doing much better knowing that the end is near. We have an almost set in stone date and time for things to get going and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Did I want to be induced? No. Do I care at this point? No. I am so ready to meet my stubborn little boy, and so ready to be pain free. Knowing the date he will be here is such a relief. Just 5 sleeps (or less if he comes on his own) and he will be here!

Physically, 5 more days seems like forever in the grander scheme of things. I am already exhausted, large, and in a lot of pain. I don’t know how I am going to get through the next few days. I’ll probably be spending a lot of time in the shower and trying to get some sleep. At this point that’s about all I can do.