Waiting-Week 40

After months of anticipation, your due date rolls around, and... you're still pregnant. It's a frustrating, but common, situation in which to find yourself. You may not be as late as you think, especially if you're relying solely on a due date calculated from the day of your last period because sometimes women ovulate later than expected. Even with reliable dating, some women have prolonged pregnancies for no apparent reason.

You still have a couple of weeks before you'll be considered "post-term." But to be sure your baby is still thriving, your practitioner will schedule you for testing to keep an eye on her if your pregnancy continues.

Fetal heart rate monitoring (called a nonstress test or NST) will generally be done as well — by itself or as part of the BPP. Or, you may have what's known as a modified BPP, which consists of an NST and an ultrasound to assess the amount of amniotic fluid.

If the fetal testing isn't reassuring — the amniotic fluid level is too low, for example — you'll be induced. If there's a serious, urgent problem, you may have an immediate c-section.

Your practitioner will also check your cervix to see if it's "ripening." Its position, how soft it is, how effaced (thinned out) it is, and how dilated (open) it is can all affect when and how your labor is induced. If you don't go into labor on your own, you'll be induced, usually sometime between 41 and 42 weeks (babycenter.com).

40 weeks

I had my doctor's appointment today. Still nothing...No change at all. Today the exam was SO painful though. He tried getting me to dilate and that was not a fun task. Since then I have had really bad cramping (which I actually had to take some medicine for) and my ribs hurt. I think when he was pushing down on my stomach to get Jack to move down he might have bruised my rib cage. OUCH!

Please say a prayer that this fun little procedure will do the trick! If not...We went ahead and scheduled the induction for next Tuesday evening at 8p.m. That will put me 13 days overdue. As of now I have 7 days to try and coax Jack out naturally. The gloves are off now and I am going to try everything to get the boo-boo to make his big appearance.

I am really happy that my doctor was on my side with waiting until next week to try the induction. As you know, I've been really nervous about him pushing interventions on me and honoring my wish to go natural. I know a lot of people who would have chosen to have the induction scheduled for this week. But, the doctor has been doing a lot of monitoring with NST and feels Jack is still looking great in there. He believes that an induction this week probably wouldn't work anyway since I am not showing any progress in the labor department. The doctor said that it would be best to be induced by next Tuesday while Jack is still looking good in there. If we wait past then it will increase the risk on the baby (due to conditions becoming unfavorable internally) and could result in an emergency C-section (if he doesn't handle the stress well).

I am extremely nervous and disappointed about having to be induced. I just had the dream of going completely naturally and now I feel that my body is letting me down. I don't want to offend anyone that has been induced because I think it's important for everyone to do what their comfortable with and what is best for their baby. I am just EXTREMELY UNCOMFORTABLE with medical intervention. As mentioned, I've never taken medicine other that antibiotics or headache medicine. So, the thought of possibly having Cervidil, Pitocin, external monitoring, a catheter, an i.v. and an epidural is overwhelming. I use to have a little mantra in high school when I would get stressed before a swim meet (ha!) it went, "It is well. It is well. It is well with my soul." I think I'll focus on that message again :)

I keep reminding myself that I have 7 days for baby Jack to stop being a mama's boy and come on out to meet the rest of you guys! Plus, I want to be induced while he is still doing well so that he can remain healthy through labor and delivery. I am sure by the time Tuesday rolls around I will feel differently about induction and will be so eager to meet him I won't be able to wait another day! Until then, I just needed to work through some of my anxiety and get some of my concerns off my chest. Thank You for all the support and kind thoughts I've received from other mamas who have been through the same thing. It really helps to hear your induction stories and reassures me that all will be well.

Here is some information about induction for those who aren't familiar: 

Q1.

What does it mean to induce labor?

If your labor doesn't start on its own, your practitioner can use certain medications and techniques to help bring on or "induce" contractions. She'll do this when the risks of prolonging your pregnancy are higher than the risks of induction. Most practitioners will induce labor if you're still pregnant between one and two weeks after your due date. This is because the placenta may become less effective at delivering nutrients at around 42 weeks, and other serious complications become more likely as you pass your due date.

Q2.

How is labor induced?

There are a variety of methods, and the one your practitioner uses will depend on your individual situation — in part, on the condition of your cervix (whether it's ripe or not) and the urgency of the induction.

Typically, if you need to be induced but your cervix is not yet dilated or thinned out, you'll be admitted to the hospital and your caregiver will likely start off the induction by inserting medication that contains prostaglandins into your vagina. This medication helps to ripen the cervix and may also stimulate enough contractions to start your labor.

If the prostaglandins don't put you into labor, your caregiver will then administer a drug called Pitocin (also known as oxytocin). It's given through an IV and used to start labor or augment contractions you've been having on your own. (If your cervix is ripe to begin with, she'll start with the Pitocin straightaway.) (babycenter.com)

Keep our family in your thoughts and prayers over the next week!