Induction today?

I had a non-stress test this morning as scheduled at the hospital. Got there at 8:30 am. Bob went to work and I was there by myself. The NST was normal with good fetal activity. It seemed like all was well and they rescheduled me to come back on Thursday, but then they did the AFI and found the amniotic fluid level to be 4.6, which is too low. They recommend an induction today. They are concerned that the placenta isn't functioning. They wanted to admit me right away, but I negotiated to be able to come home and get my bag and get my husband and doula and go back to the hospital later. So I'm home now.

The plan as the midwife described it to me is that they will first do a Stress Test, or an OCT (Oxytocin Challenge Test) to see how the placenta handles the contractions. They can tell by how the baby's heart rate responds during the uterine contractions. They will give me an IV with low dose of Pitocin to cause the contractions. If that goes well then they will start the induction by first giving me a prostaglandin to ripen the cervix (probably Cervidil), and then waiting a few hours or so for that to take effect, and then eventually starting a Pitocin drip to induce contractions. If the OCT is bad and the baby goes into distress with contractions, then they will want to do a C-section. If the test is borderline then they might choose to induce with Pitocin right away instead of starting with the Prostaglandin.

The midwife (Sue M., who is one of my favorites in the group because I am familiar with her and she is nice and clearly explains things) checked my cervix and said it is 1.5 cm dilated, 3/4 cm long, moderate consistency, -2 station, and anterior position (that means the cervix is anterior, not the baby). Sue said my cervix is "not bad", and that it is probable that induction will go smoothly.

Bob just got home from work. I called him from the hospital to let him know what we are planning. We are getting ready for the hospital now, and I am making a few calls. I'm considering trying a homeopathy remedy to assist with the induction. We plan to head over to the hospital for the OCT about 2 pm. Our friend Christina will go with us, and our doula Britt will meet us there. Thank you for your positive thoughts, prayers, and love vibes.
xoxo

ps. I took a cab home from the hospital, and when I got into the cab there was a red rose sticking out of the back of the driver's seat. It was a pleasant and unusual welcoming into the cab. After I told the driver that I was being induced today, he gave the rose to me. I put it in a vase when I got home. It's pretty. Here's a picture:

Burger

Here's a picture of me and JJ Schultz at Burger Joint on Valencia Street. I ate a hamburger today. I think it was the first time since highschool. I got the idea in my head that I wanted to try eating a burger, and so Bob and I went to the mission and invited JJ to eat beef with us. I surprised myself by enjoying my meal and eating the whole thing! We had a nice, relaxing time at Burger Joint. Afterwards, Bob and I went to Herbivore and I had a vegan strawberry shake and some steak fries. (We didn't get the fries at Burger Joint because they are fried in peanut oil, and Bob is allergic to peanuts.) It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. On the way home we stopped by Rainbow Grocery store and stocked up on some food and drink items to have ready for when we are new parents.

Tonight I tried the breast pump again and it had no effect that I could notice. Now is the time that we wait. We saw this stencil on the sidewalk today in the mission.

Mellow Saturday

Here's a picture taken from UCSF. Bob and I went on a brief walk in our neighborhood and in Golden Gate Park today. We had lunch at Cafe Gratitude. We tried using the breast pump today, but I didn't feel any contractions. I used the breast pump as the midwife directed: 15 minutes on, 15 minutes off, repeat for 2 hours. Nothing happened in terms of any sign of labor. But it has been a pretty nice, lazy day.

No news Friday

We are hanging in there. No signs of labor yet. Baby is low in the pelvis. Walking happens only slowly today. Bathroom breaks are many. I had an acupressure treatment and I walked the steps. I did 5 loads of laundry and am feeling prepared for labor to start soon. I've been considering trying nipple stimulation with a breast pump to see if it will help labor to start, but so far I haven't felt inspired enough to do it. Though I did clean all the parts of my new Medela pump so it is ready if I decide to try it. I didn't sleep very well last night, and I'm hoping to sleep longer tonight. Sometimes I feel extrememly excited about the baby's expected arrival. I'm working on staying calm and relaxed because that is a better way to be in labor, and labor is more likely to start if I am calm. Thanks for checking in!

Swings

I got some advice today from our post-partum doula and childbirth education class teacher. She suggested I try swinging on a swing to bring on labor. So I went to the playground in Golden Gate Park this afternoon and was swinging for 30 minutes. It was fun. I saw a lot of little kids. And at one point, another pregnant woman joined in on the swing next to me. She was 7 months pregnant so she wasn't swinging for the same reason I was.

This morning I cleaned the kitchen and swept and mopped the kitchen floor on my hands and knees. I've heard that cleaning like that can help prepare the body for labor. I put some cards and sonogram photos in a scrapbook that I've started for the baby. My list of things-to-do before the birth is getting very short. I'm almost ready.

Tonight I pressed on a sequence of acupressure points for an hour and a half. Then I watched a new episode of "Grey's Anatomy". Although my guess for the birthday was incorrect (it was today), being able to watch one of my favorite shows tonight was my consolation prize.

I've been singing a song to the baby that I wrote the other day. The lyrics are: "Juni, Juni, come out to play. Juni, Juni, how 'bout today!?"

Here's hoping that labor will start tomorrow or Saturday. We'll see...

This bun is still baking

I listened to a PregTASTIC podcast today and they talked about their favorite slogans for maternity t-shirts. "This bun is still baking" was one of the slogans mentioned. It is true that our bun is still baking.

Today was a good day. Early in the morning I went on a 20 minute walk, including the climb of 225 steps that are in our neighborhood. Then I had an acupressure treatment from Susie. Then I took a nap, which was nice. My doula suggested that I rest every afternoon so that I will be prepared and always well rested no matter what time of day I go into labor. Good idea!

My wedding ring finally got tight enough today that I took it off. My fingers are more swollen than ever, though the midwife thought they look fine and isn't worried about me. I just don't want the ring to be uncomfortable and incase I swell any more before I give birth I decided to take off the ring while I still could. I had an appointment with the midwife late this afternoon. It was actually a great appointment! It was very reassuring. I gained 3 pounds since last week, and my belly is 1 cm larger. So the baby is growing! The midwife explained that they OFFER to induce women after 41 weeks, but don't strongly suggest it until after 42 weeks. And they don't induce any woman before 41 weeks unless there's a medical reason. With a little help from my friends, I'm finally realizing that the medical professionals don't really WANT to induce me, they just want to make sure the baby is okay.

After the midwife appointment I went on a 30 minute walk. Then Bob and I had dinner at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, Cafe Gratitude. I am so happy to have an appetite again and to feel more space in my stomach for eating regular sized meals instead of mini-meals. On the walk home from the restaurant, we ran into a couple who was in our childbirth education class. They had their newborn baby girl with them, and she looked so sweet! It was great to see them and hear about their experience.

Thanks very much for all the comments and emails! All the support has been super comforting.
love,
jen

4.22.08

Happy Anniversary to my brother Jason and his wife Lee Ann!

So far no signs of labor. Today I went to a prenatal yoga class, and there were 2 other women there who were past their due dates. We did a lot of squats to encourage the baby down.

My appetite is good and I continue to be able to eat comfortably. How nice! It no longer feels like the baby's bottom is squishing my stomach.

I had another check-up for the baby at the hospital today. They kept me on the fetal heart monitors for a long time--maybe an hour. The nurse explained to me that they monitored me longer today because they noticed "variable decelerations". That means that when the baby moved, the heart rate would go up and then drop down below baseline, and then return to baseline. They think that happens because the umbilical cord is being compressed temporarily when the baby moves. It could be squeezed by the baby's body, or it could be wrapped around the baby. The heart rate returned to baseline in less than 15 seconds and so it isn't harmful to the baby, and they aren't worried about me at this point. I asked if today was the first time this happened and the nurse told me that it has happened every time I've been in. (I'm wondering why she chose to tell me about it today, and/or why it wasn't mentioned to me earlier. Probably it wasn't mentioned because it is not something to be worried about.) My friend MPX went with me today, and she thought the nurse's message was that everything is okay and I don't need to be induced. However, because the nurse used the word "induce" several times while talking to me, it is hard for me to feel like they think everything is okay. It is confusing. I was frustrated tonight. The next time I have to go in for the monitoring is next Monday, so if something was wrong they wouldn't let me go that long. And I have an appointment to see the midwife tomorrow afternoon for a check-up. Hopefully it will be uneventful. The nurse encouraged me to go on long walks to bring on labor. I told her about the acupressure I've been doing, and she encouraged that, too. She also mentioned trying nipple stimulation (but to stop if it started strong contractions) and keeping the pelvis tilted back to allow the baby more room to move down. She said squats are good.

So I walked home from the hospital (an hour walk) and I also stopped by the gym and walked for 30 minutes there, and did the elliptical machine for 5 minutes. When I got home I was upset and feeling a lot of fear in response to the hospital visit. Bob soothed me and told me to call my doula which I did. She reminded me that as far as we know at this point, everything is perfect. They haven't found anything wrong, they have just been monitoring me closely to make sure nothing is wrong and they've found that I am fine. My ideal birth is still the most likely possibility.