An Update

As we have recently been inundated with phone calls, texts, and emails asking about Baby, and we had an appointment with our doctor this morning, I've decided it's time for an update.

First of all, everyone always asks me how I'm feeling. Well, I'm two days overdue, we're having a week-long heatwave, and Baby is as big and active as ever. I think that should be all the info you need to deduce how I'm feeling.

Second, everyone wants to know when Baby is coming. Well, so do we! Our ideal day of last Thursday came and went without incident. My due date of Monday came and went without incident. My sister-in-law's predicted day of yesterday came and went without incident. So, what exactly is going on? Well, here's what we learned at the doctor today. When the doctor checked me two weeks ago, I was dilated to 1.5 cm and 50% effaced. In addition, the baby is sitting very low. At that time, the doctor said this was a great place to be in for 38 weeks. Well, two weeks later, it appears nothing has changed. I'm not sure if it's still a great place to be in for 40 weeks. The doctor didn't say, but I'm thinking that since I'd rather the baby had come by now, it's not. Essentially, as pretty much everyone knows, labor can start at any time. So, although nothing's changed in two weeks, I could theoretically go into labor today and have the baby tonight or tomorrow. Or Baby could just continue happily lazing away the days in my belly with her foot in my ribs as she has been. And, that's about all we know about when baby is coming. She's got her own agenda and seems to have no regard for what would work best for us. Surprise, surprise.

Now, on to what we discussed with the doctor. Induction. The doctor said we should come up with a contingency plan in case Baby is too comfortable in my belly. She said they usually start thinking about induction when you're at least a week overdue - this coming Monday in our case. But, if I wanted to wait a little more to see if Baby will come on her own, we can go up to two weeks over. I told her that I would rather not follow my sisters' leads of going two weeks over and having 9 or 10 lb babies, so the sooner the better. She said she could try to get me into a 9pm spot on Monday night or the next available time was 7:30 am Wednesday morning. She told me she preferred the Monday spot for selfish reasons - she's on duty Tuesday morning, so she would probably be able to deliver the baby. That sounded good to me, so she got me the Monday evening spot. Great! If Baby doesn't come before then, we'll get things going Monday for sure.

So, what if Baby decides it's time to make her appearance and things start moving along before then? Well, now comes the tricky part. There is a one-day nurses' strike happening tomorrow at Kaiser. Which means that, although there will be nurses working, they will be short-staffed. Should I go into labor tonight, they may have to send me to a different hospital so they don't get overloaded. While we thought tonight might be a good night because, once again, my doctor is on duty, it's not so ideal if they have to send me to a different hospital. Now what? I would prefer not to have to be induced, but Monday evening is sounding like an ideal time. So, maybe Baby will finally listen to us and get things going on her own on Monday night. Or maybe Baby will do her own thing and come when she wants. Your guess is as good as mine. In the meantime, since the weather is less than comfortable and I'm feeling very ginormous, I think it's time for a swim!