Friday, August 27, 2010

..and the date has been set...

The verdict is in. I will be having a c-section. I guess this makes me sort of grateful that I was too lazy to come up with a definitive birth plan, and spend hours practicing my hypno-birthing breathing methods. Even before I got pregnant, I never even considered that I would end up with a c-section. I've been healthy, kept a low blood pressure (eliminating the idea of pre-ecclampsia which could result in a c-section), no placenta previa.. everything has been normal. Like I said before, at almost every appointment I would ask, "are you SURE I'm measuring normal" and was always told I was spot on! When we found out I am actually carrying George of the Jungle and the topic of c-section came up, I started to research it and find out more about recovery etc.. There are so many different opinions concerning a c-section vs. vaginal birth and I started to worry if I was just being selfish? Although I am not totally granola, I was hoping to try to do a natural vaginal birth. My reasons being, I was made to do this, I'll give it my best shot. I also have nothing against getting an epidural, if it came down to that, but I really wanted to try to do it natural. After talking with Jordan about everything, we decided that if the doctors think a c-section is what is best for the baby and myself, that is what we'll do. But, we'll consider all of our options. As the week has progressed I've been able to relax and be comfortable with whatever happens.

This morning, Jordan and I had an appointment with one of my doctors to discuss our next step. Basically, to c-section or not. My doctor basically said, "look, you have a BIG baby. If you want to labor naturally, we will do everything we can to make you comfortable and get this baby out. That said, you could labor for hours and ultimately need a c-section. If you want my professional opinion, I would say the safest thing for you and your baby is to schedule a c-section". He also went on to say that if this were my 2nd, 3rd, or 4th baby things would be different, but with this being my first, it could get pretty rough trying to get him out vaginally. I told him that I am confident that they will make the best decision, but do feel a little selfish getting a scheduled c-section. He made me feel a lot better by saying, "First of all, you're having a baby. So, you're not being selfish. Second, we would never put you in a situation that would be harmful. It's our job to keep yours and the babys best interest in mind". So, a c-section has been booked for this Tuesday, August 31st. I wont know what time until Monday afternoon, but I feel really good about the plan. If Axel decides to come before Tuesday, we'll still have a c-section. I am just grateful to have good doctors available to help me make the best choice for this baby. Being a first time mom, I can do plenty of research, but I don't know anything first hand. The thought of a baby this big is sort of mind boggling, but I am so anxious to meet him, and hold him, dress him, cuddle him, watch him play with his daddy, and mother him. Unless something happens in the meantime, I'll be back next week with pictures of our Axel!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Axel Update!

I think I start almost every post off by saying something to the effect of, "It's taken me forever to sit down and write". Yet, again.. this is the case. I can't even remember where I left off last time, but summer details aside, I have some news on our not-so-little baby Axel.

This past Tuesday I had my 38 week appointment with Dr. Evans. The morning of the appointment I was complaining to my mom, "I'm gonna sit in the waiting room for an hour and they probably wont even check me and I'll just go home for another week". Yes I know, poor poor pitiful me. Needless to say, I was wrong. I arrived at my appointment and was very promptly seen by the doctor. He DID check me and I am now dilated to a 3, 75% effaced, but baby is still sitting high at a station -3. The doctor decided it would be wise to do a biophysical profile. Basically this is just an ultrasound done to measure different parts of the baby, amniotic fluid levels, blood flow, etc.. Axel got an 8/8 (which is great), however after months and months of asking "are you SURE he's not measuring large?", my suspicions (and my mothers, and my mother-in-law, my aunt..) were confirmed. At my 38 week appointment, my baby is measuring at 41.5 weeks!! That's 3 WEEKS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE! On top of that, his estimated weight was 9.4lbs, which I was told isn't 100% accurate, and could be off by about 13oz, which they also think would be 13oz higher rather than lower. So I am most likely carrying a 9-10lb baby!

I scheduled another appointment for the following Monday (Aug. 30th), left the clinic, and called/text all my closest friends/family to share the BIG news (pun intended). Around 5pm that night I received a call from Dr. Evans. I guess he was looking over papers from the day and noticed the size results on the baby. He said that if I haven't had the baby by my Monday appointment, they would like to induce me because of the size, HOWEVER.. considering the size, and the fact that Axel is still sitting so high, he is worried that my pelvis is just too small for Axel to fit through, and that a c-section is likely. SOOOOO.... basically unless Axel decides to come sooner, if he's not here by Monday morning he'll definitely be here by Monday night or Tuesday. To be honest, it was really hard for me to wrap my head around the thought of a c-section at first. Throughout this pregnancy I've planned on having a vaginal delivery, watching my son come into the world, holding him immediately, and being mobile shortly after delivery. The thought of being cut open, stuck behind a curtain, and having to wait to be stitched up before I can even hold my baby, then having a 6 week recovery, sounds awful. After having a few days to think about everything, I am now thinking I might be more comfortable with a c-section. Especially if I may be pushing for hours only to have an inevitable c-section ANYWAYS. So, I'm just trying to figure it all out right now and relax and just let whatever is best for baby and mommy happen! Either way, it's nice knowing that there is an end in sight and that soon, I will be meeting my perfect baby boy!