Friday, May 17, 2013

The dreaded "I" word

Well, my appointment showed I had progressed to....

ZERO


And the little guy still hadn't budged down one tiny bit.

All that walking and the kid hadn't budged.

Even though I still have some time before I absolute HAVE to do it, it was time to start talking about the possibility of being induced.

Phil and I took a Bradley Method birth classes a few months ago.  For those of you not familiar with the Bradley Method (also called Husband coached childbirth) it basically teaches that you should avoid unnecessary medical inventions when it comes to giving birth.  As someone who is eager to avoid an epidural and/or c-section, this is right up my alley.

I'm not sure where my fear of the epidural and c-section come from.  Maybe it is because I feel like I've had enough stuff done to my body lately.  My last body scan had me laying on a curved board for over an hour, during which I lost the feeling in my arms and legs and it FREAKED me out.  I did not like the feeling one bit.  I felt a little trapped in my own body.  The idea of having that done with an epidural just doesn't sound appealing I guess.

I'm not saying I'm going to have a natural childbirth.  I have no idea what childbirth will feel like and whether or not I will be able to handle the pain well or have the energy to sustain a long labor.  But I wanted to make sure I had all the tools possible to give me a fighting chance.  And I reserve the right to change my mind at any point, without judgement.  :)

Anyway, "induction" is kind of a dirty word in the Bradley arena.  It's not as bad as episiotomy which is basically another word for "the devil" but it is spoken with a bit of distaste in the mouth.  I think everyone is aware that Pitocin can be a bit of a game changer.

So a small part of me cringes a little at the idea of being induced.  But since this child is currently planning on starting his first day of preschool in my womb, it is a reality.  And we kind of decided that if we set an induction date, then we probably wouldn't need it (Murphy's Law).

May 26th

I will be 41 weeks and 1 day.

I feel like that is long enough to be pregnant.  I will have given it the good college try when it comes to getting this baby out naturally.  My dues will have been paid.  If the other women in my Bradley class want to judge, too bad because they have ALL had their babies already (insert jealous screams and crying fits).

Now that we have a date set, I feel so much better.  While the thought of having to be pregnant another 9 days kind of makes me want to cry, it also gives me 9 days to get him out on my own.  And it gives me 9 more days to get mentally prepared for what an induction could entail.  Get into a zen-like place.

I'm off to meditate.

9 more days, TOPS.


PS - Any comments about how awful inductions are and should be avoided like the plague are NOT welcome.  Seriously... why would you think I would want to hear that at this point?

8 comments:

  1. 9 DAYS TOPS. It's probably best you stay close to Phil. I thought I could catch up on the breathing techniques but 9 days suddenly feels like tomorrow. I am so excited.

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  2. this post had me cracking up. not that you have to be induced or anything - but I SO KNOW how you feel!! Hahahaha!!! I can't wait. Literally can't wait.

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  3. I have been reading your blog for a bit and never commented but I had a baby 5 weeks ago and was induced so I thought I would let you know it really wasn't that bad. I was diagnosed with pre e at 35 weeks but it was pretty mild - as in it wasn't affecting my placenta and kidneys yet - so they were happy for me to continue with the pregnancy until I wasn't fine or needed to be induced. I got to 40+3 before my bp went ridiculously high and I was induced. They used a half dose of the gel and my contractions started 30 minutes later. I was checked 6 hours later and I was 1.5 cm and given the other half of gel. within 4 hours I was fully dilated. Baby hadn't descended enough so I was left for an hour before I began to push. I was given an episiotomy too and spent 20 minutes pushing. It was all pretty good and I had no complications. I did get a lot of stitches but my little boy was 10 lbs. the stitches healed perfectly, so well in fact that we were having sex within 3 weeks. That is way more than you need to know but I just want to show you how well I healed. Like you I didn't want to be induced and I begged and pleaded for no cutting but unfortunately it is what I needed in the end. There are loads of scary stories out there about these kind of things but not many good ones so I thought I would share mine. Whatever ends up happening I hope that your baby comes into this world in a safe and happy way. wishing you good luck but i'm sure you wont need it :-)

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  4. If you do have to have an induction, you should see if your doc will break your water towards the beginning. Mine broke mine before I even started Pitocin which is why I think they barely had to turn my pitocin up.

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  5. I'm right there with ya sister! Hang in there and say some prayers that these babies come on their own :)

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  6. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! Have you asked your doc about stripping your membranes before trying an induction? I told my midwife I didn't want to be induced until 42 weeks, but she mentioned that I may want to have her strip my membranes next week at 41.5 weeks because it can help kick start labor. Who knows if it'll work, but if you're worried about the pitocin thin it could be worth a try, right? Either way, just remember that you get to meet your little baby soon, and that's the most important thing! Things will be great, and you will have an amazing labor and delivery, no matter how it happens!!

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  7. I hope the baby comes without you having to be induced, but it sounds like you're relieved to have a date! So that's all good news. I can't tell any stories good or bad, since I've never been pregnant :)

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  8. A friend of mine was induced recently and gave birth in three hours drug free because she didn't feel the need (despite having had an epidural for her last child)...she just kept on walking to relieve the pressure.

    At the end of the day no two births are the same so no good listening to horror stories when yours is a different birth experience :) good luck :)

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