So I had a 37 week ultrasound on Monday to check our little guy out and make sure he is not getting too big or anything. It is hilarious to me how different this pregnancy has been in nearly every way. I have gained more weight at 37 weeks then I did in the whole pregnancy with Alianna, the aches and pains that were completely absent with Alianna are ever present, I have HARD contractions from 32 weeks this time where I never had anything but mild Braxton Hicks with Alianna, and now I learned I am dilated to a 1 and 50% effaced at 37 weeks. With Alianna, it literally took 30 hours to get to that point. My doctor probably thought ArJay and I were crazy because she said that and we were like "geez do we need to go check into the hospital now?" Apparently, this is not that big a deal, it is just "getting things going".
Remember when Alianna was 6lb15oz when she was born and little Kendall is already approx 6lb14oz and we still have 3 weeks left! Yikes! When she told me that my eyes bugged out a bit, then she casually mentioned that they gain about a half a pound a week. My frantic brain did the calculations and realized that, baring that ultrasound being off, we are looking at about an 8 and a half pound boy come term. My sweet doc must have seen the look of terror on my face because she said we can have an elective induction after 39 weeks. That is the week of ArJay's birthday and I saw the look of glee in his face. Now, you'd think I'd jump on that bandwagon fast like, but after being induced with Alianna and doing 49 HOURS of labor, I'm not so excited about the whole induction thing.
BUT, it would be really nice to be able to schedule since I frequently have nightmares about going into labor while ArJay is at work and 2 hours away. Plus my last doctor got me thinking my birth canal can't really birth big babies and I might have to c section if he gets too big( but this doctor doesn't seems too concerned about that). Plus, I am already dilated and i was not at ALL last time which is what made it take so long. SO maybe it would go fast?
But what if it doesn't and I am there for 2 days again? Or what if the ultrasound is off and he ends up being tiny(won' t I feel dumb!)?
Just thought I'd share my crazy pregnancy ramblings that my poor husband has had to listen to for days. If anyone has an answer, feel free to share!
Daryn and I were talking about you guys the other day. He mentioned that he'd bummed we have Scouts on Wednesdays and Thrusdays because those are the nights we'd be able to get together as families for games (or just the guys). I pointed out you were having a baby soon, so it might not be the best timing anyway!
ReplyDeleteMy mom (a doula) says that ultrasounds can actually be up to 2 lbs off, so he might be smaller than they think. I'm personally not one for pretty much any medical intervention, so that pretty much tells you my thoughts. Also, I read an article recently that talks about the dangers of early induction, but that's for anything *before* the 39th week, and you're talking about that 39th week, so that's not as helpful. As for the issue of birthing big babies... Ali was smaller than average. From what I remember 7 1/2 lbs is about average, so 8 1/2 lbs isn't that bad! :) I know women who have birthed 11-13 lbs babies naturally - obviously every woman is different, but the power of positive thinking can go a LONG way. I say, trust your baby and your body to make the right decision. And, there's tons of natural ways to try to get labor going - some of them are even fun! ;)
But, I can also understand your concern about going into labor when Arjay isn't home! Daryn had to be in Flagstaff the summer I was due with Bekah, so I moved back to Phoenix and stayed with my parents, exactly because of that fear. Fortunately for us, Daryn was home for the weekend when I went into labor. :)
Which definitely leads to: You just have to pray about it and figure out whats right for you!
Good luck with the decision. Not an easy one, but you'll figure out what's best for your family.
You'll do fine whatever happens. Just, don't expect the second to be the exact same as the first.
ReplyDeleteYou need to post some pictures!