SeeTheHudsons.com : Updates and Notables

Well, Wednesday was the due date. I had an appointment that morning where they did a sono and a non-stress test (hook the monitors up and see if everything is okay for 20 minutes).

By sono, she's currently 9 pounds 4 oz. I have plenty of amnionic fluid, in fact, at one point, they thought too much. So, even at 9#4oz, she's still floating and not engaged. My cervix is tight and not effaced.

I've had in my birth plan since 20 weeks or so that I want to go as natural as possible. I'm wasn't against an epidural necessarily, but I wanted to see if I could go without one if possible.

So... at this point, she's getting so big - even though today is just my due date. They're asking me to think about induction, but don't seem concerned yet (but I'm thinking they're just honoring my birth plan wishes to a certain extent). They're having me come back for another non-stress test on Monday.

I'm worried that if I let her go that I'm going to need an c-section. I'm also worried that if I induce that I'm going to need all the medical interventions (the stuff to ripen my cervix, the pitocin, and epidural because the contractions will be so strong, breaking my waters, and then if all that doesn't do anything, or because she's so big, I'll end up with a c-section anyway). So, I'm really torn and don't know what to do.

I mean, if I just let her go, who knows when she may actually engage and cause my cervix to do anything... and by the time she does, she may be too big to deliver vaginally anyway. Yet, I'm really scared of inducing.

I wrote an e-mail to Trupin asking question. Tiffany (the nurse practitioner) wrote back that she would prefer to talk to me in person. I could make an appointment for today or just keep my Monday appointment. I decided to keep my Monday appointment.

I've been getting a lot of great advice from the three places I posted and asked questions. The three are the PPBB, a "natural parenting" board and the pregnant-atkids yahoo group.

One thing that got me to thinking was that one of the major complications of going forward with a vaginal delivery of a "big" baby is stuck shoulders - or shoulder dystocia. Anyway, I started reading a website about it and it confirmed what the midwife online told me about sonos being inaccurate after 4000 grams (or 8# 13oz). So... being the dork that I am, I did some calculations. At 37 weeks, the sono said 7# 2 oz - so that should be relatively accurate since it's under 4000 grams. The shoulder dystocia website said that a good estimate of fetal growth is to add 30 grams per day. So, if I do that, at 40 weeks, I get 8# 8oz rather than the 9-4. By next Wednesday, she'd be at 9-0 and by Xmas day, 9-7. That at least makes me feel better.

However, the one scary thing is that being obese, overdue, and having a large baby (over 4000 grams) are key risks for shoulder dystocia. The others is a long second stage of labor (which I won't know until I get there) and gestational diabetes (which I don't have). Anyway, then the site lists recommendations based on risk factors. A C-section is recommended for non-diabetic mothers with babes whose EFW is over 4500 grams (which equals 158.8 ounces, or 9 pounds and almost 15 ounces). Heather's not there yet, but if you do the 30 grams per day based on the 9-4, then she'll be there on the 21st. That's not even two weeks past due, and supposedly, my OB will let me go two weeks over if I want.

Then, if I want to get really freaky with the numbers... Going from 7-2 to 9-4 (assuming that's accurate, which is probably isn't) in three weeks means that Heather actually was gaining 45.9 grams per day on average during those three weeks. So, if I assume that same growth rate, then she'll be over 4500 grams not in 10 days, but in only slightly over 6 days. So, that's by next Wednesday! A C-section, recommended by next Wed. We're not talking just recommending induction, we're talking that some doctors would recommend a C-section at just one week past due date.

But.... I'm not really freaking as much as it sounds like I am. It's just interesting to look at the numbers. It will be interesting to see what my OB has to say on Monday.

In the meantime, I feel great - better than I have been lately. Heather's moving a lot. But, I don't feel any changes down below either. A lot of what people recommend doesn't do anything to bring on labor unless your cervix is ripening. So, I'm looking at things that cause the cervix to ripen (like sex, evening primrose oil, etc.). This is going to help either way, because inducing without a ripe cervix doesn't get you very far.

I need to remember and feel blessed that I'm able to grow such a happy baby in there that she just doesn't want to come out.

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Still here... Nothing going on. Tomorrow is the due date and I have an appointment at 9AM for an ultrasound.

A couple weeks ago, I was watching for all the signs... any little thing had me thinking that something was happening or that it was getting closer. Now, I'm not even really paying attention. I feel a lot better as I'm not holding on to as much fluid and the weight gain has sort of stopped. Maybe I'm just used to where I'm at, but I actually think I'm feeling better and less uncomfortable. I don't know... sometimes I feel like I could go another month like this now. Where a week or two ago, I felt like I just had to go or I was going to go nuts, now I feel like, "eh, whatever...".

Everyone else is getting more and more excited though. And that's kind of tough. Oh, and John's put on another 7-8 pounds. That boy needs to quit eating so much bad stuff! I'm going to come home from the hospital weighing less than he does. Prior to getting pregnant, he was a good 20 pounds less than me. Oh well, I can't control his eating!

The only other thing that has changed is my sleeping patterns in the last couple days. For the past couple weeks, I was always up at 1:30, 3:40 and 5:30 (going to bed between 10 and 11 and up at 6:30-7). The past couple days, I've been up only twice - 2:40 and 5:00. Of course, that may be because I'm doing better on the edema too.

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No exciting news at my 39 week appointment last Thursday. Nothing's moving or changing. My next appointment is on my due date, December 11. She wants to see me in the morning and have another sono to check Heather's growth. Since she specified the morning, I'm thinking that if she decides that Heather is a giganto baby, that she's going to recommend that I go to the hospital and be induced. If you recall, three weeks ago, she was already measuring by sono at 7# 2oz. So... Who knows how big she is now.

Not too sure about being induced... There's a higher chance of needing a C-section if you are induced and I'd rather not do that.

Today is Monday. Yesterday, I put the lights on the Christmas tree and started decorating it. I also got all the Xmas dishes washed and put away so that they are ready for Xmas. John got the lights finished up outside. The house looks really nice from the outside.

On Friday night, I bought a Britax Roundabout car seat. It's possible to sit in the front seats with it. With the infant seat from Chad, it just wouldn't fit and didn't feel safe to me (moved from side to side a lot). I think we ought to be able to use it in the Porsche though. I also finished up all my baby shopping Friday night. I think I have everything I need now. All that's left is to finish "decorating" Heather's room. I think I'll try to finish the tree and house decorating first though.

Still doesn't feel like there's any movement down below though. I really don't want to be induced, so I hope that she comes pretty soon.

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Just thought I would check in. I'm still pregnant. I don't remember the last time I wrote something, so I'll just start with Thanksgiving.

On the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, we went over to my in-law's house to see how we could help with Thanksgiving (TG). Charlotte (my MIL) has traditionally held TG at her house for the Hudson's. It's kind of a potluck, but she provides the big stuff (ham, turkey, dressing, a couple casseroles). Well, if you recall, my MIL isn't in the best of health. Last year, she didn't have TG, but she wanted to do it this year and we all said we would help. Well, you know what that means... that means that the DIL gets to pick up the slack. So, instead of just bringing the green bean casserole and cranberries, I also ended up with doing the TURKEY! Oh joy... It wasn't so bad, but it just made things a little more stressful. However, I do a great turkey, so I was very happy about getting to cook it as I prefer my turkey to hers.

So, Thanksgiving ended up going okay. We got there just in time with the bird... actually, I got there with the bird all ready to go before they had the ham ready to go there. Ha-ha!

GROSSNESS:

On Thanksgiving night, after a much deserved rest that afternoon, John and I went to the late show at the movies. Afterwards, when I went to the bathroom, I noticed that I had started losing my mucus plug. YEA!!! Also, I started having diarrhea (which can also be an early labor sign). YEA!!!

However, later in the night, I started vomiting along with the diarrhea. By morning, it was nearly dry heaves every hour or so and still a total liquid sort of diarrhea. So... I called my OB and she recommended going to the hospital and getting checked out and starting an IV to keep from getting dehydrated.

John was off selling the truck and trailer that morning (YEA!!!!), so when he got home from that, we went to the hospital at about 1PM on Friday. While waiting for him, I packed my hospital bag and got all the baby stuff together and ready to go just in case.

At the hosptial, they checked me in and started an IV. I was also running a temp, highest was 102. But Heather's heartrate... man, was it flying! Sometimes over 180 (she normally runs 140-150). I guess that when mom has a temp, the babe's heartrate goes up.

By evening, I still had a fever and had vomited again even though they had given me a shot of something to keep me from doing that... so, they kept me overnight. Horrible. No sleep. Horrible. Not looking forward to going back.

So, I had my first overnight in a hospital and my first IV. At least I got that out of the way without being in labor. Oh, and no, I wasn't in any labor. Not even a blip of a contraction.

So... On Saturday morning, they let me out and I was feeling pretty much normal again except really gassy since I had an empty system. Went home and took a nap for a couple hours while John was running errands. Then, he wanted to know if I wanted to go tree shopping. Sure!

We took off to a tree farm not far from here to cut down our own tree. I always get a fraser fir. Well, this place only had a few and they were all really small. We need a nine foot tree. So, we decided to go to the farm where we go our tree last year - up north near where Mom and Dad used to live, about 150 miles away.

So, with only the clothes we had on, we drove up there, found the farm (which was then closed as it was after dark), got a hotel room and in the morning, went and got our tree (as well as one for my Mom who was still in AL at my cousin's wedding). We're dorks, aren't we. One day I'm in the hospital and the next we take off without a bathroom bag or change of clothes for a Xmas tree farm over 150 miles away. Shoot... one of the other pregnant girls here at work didn't even go to her family's Thanksgiving that's only 40 miles away and here I am driving 150 miles for a Xmas tree. So, that puts us home on Sunday with a tree - which we got up and in the stand with water that night.

On Monday, after work, I helped John hang the outdoor Xmas lights. Nearly everyone up and down the block did it over the weekend and here we are out there in the dark (and cold and wind) hanging ours after work. Granted, we had a whole day wasted at the hospital and almost a day driving to get our "perfect" tree... but still - out of a four day weekend, we still ended up so "busy" that we couldn't get our decorating done like normal people. You'd think that one of these days we might start acting like normal people, now that we're not racing. Maybe someday. But, all that business finally caught up with me...

My "system" still wasn't working quite right and by Tuesday morning, I felt unmanageably tired, bloated, and horrible. So, I ended up staying home from work yesterday and just took it easy. It's amazing how much of an effect a little rest can have. I lost four pounds of fluid yesterday just by resting. And now today, I feel like I did a week or more ago (read: much better and not so huge). All from a little rest.

But anyway, I did next to nothing yesterday. I got one string of lights on my tree and I dumped the dishwasher. Whoo-hoo! Lots, isn't it?

Today, I'm back at work and have my list of things to do when I get home. One of those things is to re-pack the hospital bag and make sure that it really has everything I need, and another is to install the car seat in the car. I'm also going to have SYCS for dinner. YUM!

OH! On Monday night, we're out there doing the lights... and it's cold and windy and all I can think about is going inside and having some leftover turkey and gravy. Mmmmm.... Turkey and gravy!

So, we get done and go in and I start getting out all the leftovers. I take out the turkey and put some on a plate. I take out the gravy bowl and take the lid off (it's corning ware with the plastic lid), and WHAT!?!?!? The bowl's empty... and clean! What the heck! Well... we decided that John's aunts who "cleaned up" Thanksgiving dinner must have DUMPED OUT the gravy and washed the bowl! WHAT IDIOTS!!!! I KNOW there was at least half of the gravy left. These Hudson's... I can't believe they're as fat as they are and they don't know that leftover turkey gravy is one of the best gifts from God. Silly, silly people! OH! It made me so upset! So, I had dry, warmed up turkey. Blech. (Okay, not blech, but not as yummy as it would have been with gravy.)

But anyway, I think my body is back in line today as I feel pretty good. One week to go until my due date.

I'm still bleeding a little bit here and there, so I'm pretty sure that my body is getting ready. It's so close now that any little thing that reminds me that I'm going to have this cute little baby in just a few days sends me over the edge and nearly bawling. I'm really anxious to have her and have her home.

But, even though I do have a few signs that things are moving and getting closer, I'm trying not to get my hopes up. John keeps reminding me that she still could be a couple weeks late. My OB says she'll let me go two weeks after if I want to go naturally. I don't know if I can be that patient (that would be Xmas day). Hopefully I won't have to worry about any decisions like that and she'll just come on her own in the next few days.

I suppose that's enough babbling about me for now.

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