Check-Up
Today at 40 weeks and 6 days I went back for another non stress test and to see the midwife. Charlie did well on the non stress test showing no decelerations and a reactive heartbeat.
I saw my favorite midwife, Anjli, today. I went in with a lot of anxiety and she has a way of making it seem better. My two big concerns were the placenta "giving out" and how that actually works and Charlie's size and what that might mean for delivery. As for the placenta, it doesn't just stop one day. It's a more gradual process, which is how they can monitor every few days and have me monitoring his movements at home and determine if he is doing well. I guess the placenta starts to calcify over time and gradually stops providing nourishment to the baby. If the baby is not getting enough nourishment, vital function for heart and brain are prioritized making things like fluid output from the kidneys slow down. That's why the fluid level is also monitored to ensure that it isn't dropping.
I have been concerned that it was hard to deliver Sarah Graves because her shoulders were large and that is why they had to pull to help her out. Anjli said that actually the problem was not her size, but the decelerations in her heart rate making them anxious to get her out quickly rather than take time for me to push. She feels confident Charlie isn't too big for me to deliver and thinks that sometimes bigger babies are easier because they don't have room to get their arms stuck by their face, etc. I told you she has a way of making it seem better.
Although I never ask to be examined because I usually think it won't tell us anything, today I decided to be examined. My cervix is soft and starting to efface or thin, but it isn't open. Think of a round piece of dough that you gradually smoosh the center of it so that it gets flatter and then begin to open the whole to make a doughnut. I was considering different options for what to do since we are at 41 weeks and knowing if my body has started to get ready for labor was helpful in making a choice. Induction from stripping membranes or going to the hospital for pitocin didn't seem like a good idea since I haven't started to open at all. However, starting to efface can be a good thing making it easy to dilate very quickly once labor starts.
Given this information, I have decided to try a homeopathic medication, actually two of them, to possibly help start labor. We should know within a couple of days if that will work.
I saw my favorite midwife, Anjli, today. I went in with a lot of anxiety and she has a way of making it seem better. My two big concerns were the placenta "giving out" and how that actually works and Charlie's size and what that might mean for delivery. As for the placenta, it doesn't just stop one day. It's a more gradual process, which is how they can monitor every few days and have me monitoring his movements at home and determine if he is doing well. I guess the placenta starts to calcify over time and gradually stops providing nourishment to the baby. If the baby is not getting enough nourishment, vital function for heart and brain are prioritized making things like fluid output from the kidneys slow down. That's why the fluid level is also monitored to ensure that it isn't dropping.
I have been concerned that it was hard to deliver Sarah Graves because her shoulders were large and that is why they had to pull to help her out. Anjli said that actually the problem was not her size, but the decelerations in her heart rate making them anxious to get her out quickly rather than take time for me to push. She feels confident Charlie isn't too big for me to deliver and thinks that sometimes bigger babies are easier because they don't have room to get their arms stuck by their face, etc. I told you she has a way of making it seem better.
Although I never ask to be examined because I usually think it won't tell us anything, today I decided to be examined. My cervix is soft and starting to efface or thin, but it isn't open. Think of a round piece of dough that you gradually smoosh the center of it so that it gets flatter and then begin to open the whole to make a doughnut. I was considering different options for what to do since we are at 41 weeks and knowing if my body has started to get ready for labor was helpful in making a choice. Induction from stripping membranes or going to the hospital for pitocin didn't seem like a good idea since I haven't started to open at all. However, starting to efface can be a good thing making it easy to dilate very quickly once labor starts.
Given this information, I have decided to try a homeopathic medication, actually two of them, to possibly help start labor. We should know within a couple of days if that will work.
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