Pregnancy Update/Rant : )

Monday I went to the OB for my 38 week check. He did an ultrasound and said the baby was measuring about 7lbs 6oz and I wasn’t dilated at all. So that means that by the time she is born, if the measurements are accurate and she comes on time, she could easily be 1-2 lbs heavier!! While these measurements are just estimates, I tend to believe them because Zach was 8lbs, and subsequent babies are often larger than the first. It scared me a little! On the bright side, the heavier the baby is, the more weight I lose at the time of birth, right?!

Another thing the doctor said was that she has a lot of hair that he can see on the ultrasound. This is crazy to me, because Corey, Zach, and I, as well as all of my siblings and most of his, were mostly bald at birth. I imagine she’ll have dark hair, since I haven’t ever seen or heard of blonde babies being born with lots of hair. I could be totally wrong here, but has anyone else seen a blonde newborn with lots of hair? It seems that she’s got some of her daddy’s hirsute genes! I really expected Zach to have dark hair and eyes, and was sincerely surprised to see my fair, recessive genes win out. So the chances of this one also having my coloring are very slim. (Though I wouldn’t complain a bit if she looked just like Zach!)

On a completely different note, I’m going to discuss some childbirth options we are considering. I realize this is almost as taboo as discussing religion or politics, but I don’t intend to offend anyone. I am a huge proponent of natural childbirth. My feeling is that natural, unmedicated, non-surgical childbirth is the way God intended it, and our ancestors have been doing it fine for thousands of years. It is really something I want to do. To me, it is like a marathon. It takes strength, focus, stamina, and great determination to have a completely natural birth experience when modern medicine has added so many options to speed it up, numb the sensations, and so forth. Some people are interested in running marathons, and others are completely not. I do not have aspirations of ever running a marathon. I really got all the running I wanted in junior high track, thanks! But I really DO want a natural birthing experience. I want my body to go into labor naturally when the baby is ready. I want to use the breathing and relaxation techniques I have learned and practiced to deliver the baby without the aid of medications or anesthetics. I know many women do not feel this way, and that is fine. This is my marathon.

I was extremely disappointed not to have had a more natural experience delivering Zach. Labor started 3 days after his due date. After nearly 12 hours of 5 minute apart contractions, I demanded an epidural, then was bedridden and pumped so full of pitocin and IV fluids that I swelled up like the Pillsbury doughboy! I didn’t feel much, and finally delivered him 24 hours after labor began. It wasn’t a horrible experience, but I certainly wouldn’t call it enjoyable or anything like I had hoped it would be either. I was so swollen and exhausted when he came that I really couldn’t enjoy the moment much. And the next day was even difficult to enjoy as I was numb on one side for another 8 hours or so and sick of being poked, prodded, and having my rest interrupted by the hospital staff.

So here’s my dilemma: Beginning on the baby’s due date, Corey has a test every day for the next 8 days. The best-case scenario for his success at school would be for me to not give birth until after these tests are complete so he has time and energy to study. When she comes, he will just want to snuggle and hold her and help me, as he did when Zach was born. Not to mention, we will both likely be completely exhausted and up all hours those first days and weeks after her birth as she adjusts to life outside the womb. So, once she comes, we can pretty much kiss his scholastics bye-bye for a little while, most likely. I am not sure how understanding his professors will be. If they allow him to take the exams later, it will likely be only a few days later and will require them rewriting the exams for him. I don’t know that a few days will make any difference in his ability to sleep, focus, study, and succeed. It’s not that I doubt his abilities at all—he has done amazingly well in his scholastics thus far. I just think it’s nearly impossible to expect much from anyone with a newborn for a little while. I should add that Corey’s sweet mother will be here to help out four days after the due date, which will obviously be a huge help. My sister is also flying standby when she gets the news, but sometimes it takes days to get a flight out if there’s no prior notice. So we may be on our own for a few days if we don’t make plans otherwise.

On the other hand, he doesn’t have any exams the week before her due date. While I have no control over whether or not she comes very late—I expect she may come a few days after her due date like Zach did, which is right in the middle of the school-stress time—I CAN control whether we want to have her a few days early. That would allow him to have the week before the exams to study like crazy, then I could be induced the Friday before his big exam week (about 4 days before the due date), he could have the weekend to enjoy the baby, help out, and rest, and also we could ensure that my sister would be here to help.

I am SO hesitant to do this, as it will likely remove the possibility of having a natural birth. Most of the medications and methods used to initiate labor cause more intense than normal contractions, making an epidural more necessary. Also, if the inductions methods do not work within a specific timeframe, and the body is not progressing as needed, a C-section becomes eminent. I have heard of it going both ways with people I know. It is rare that people are able to refrain from medications after elective induction. So that’s my conundrum. Do I give up on my marathon hopes and even increase the risk of a surgical birth to facilitate Corey’s school schedule? Or do I risk his standing in school for a natural birth? I should add that one reason this is such a stress for me is that we have some friends that went through the same thing last year—having a baby in the middle of this same intense trimester that coincides with National Boards—and the husband ended up having to drop out of school!!! I don’t really think that is likely with Corey, but it is a slight possibility, and after all the effort and huge financial undertaking we’ve put into chiropractic school, I don’t really want to risk it.

So, if anyone actually got through this long, boring post and has some expert (or non-expert) advice on the subject, feel free to send it my way. Until then, we will see if I am progressing toward labor at all next Monday. If not, induction may be a little too risky. If so, maybe we’ll choose the least-invasive method(s) of induction—which is_______??? Again, advice mothers!! In the meantime, some prayers that she’ll come right at the perfect time—whatever that is—would be sincerely appreciated!