Big day tomorrow (possibly)
Alas, Marjorie refused to come on time and the doctors, being impatient sorts, think enough time has elapsed already. I would have liked a couple of more days to see if things proceeded naturally, but scheduling at the hospital prevented it.
The upshot is that I'm scheduled for an induction tomorrow at 5PM. They're starting off with Cervidil, an implant that encourages the cervix to soften and dilate. Otherwise, the baby has nowhere to go when contractions start. My doctor had thought I might be able to get by without it, but as I seem to be in the middle range with regard to cervical ripeness and since the Cervidil alone can sometimes start contractions, I wanted to try it first. If nothing happens during the evening, Thursday morning they'll start me on Pitocin, a synthetic form of oxytocin, the chemical that induces contractions. One of the reasons that I didn't want to go directly to the Pitocin is that I've read/heard that labor can be more painful. My doctor tried to downplay this concern. Lately I've been missing my regular OB, who is currently on vacation. But I have to make the best of what I've got. As a worse case scenario, the Pit won't take, they'll turn it off Thursday evening and try again on Friday. My mom has seen inductions that took up to three days. I'm really hoping it doesn't come to that, although I'd still find that preferable to a c-section.
Hopefully everything will go smoothly. No matter what, I'll have a baby before the weekend is through.
In other news, we've accepted an offer on our house. It's a big relief not having to worry about keeping the house in showable condition with a new baby. The buyer originally wanted to do an inspection no later than Friday, but we're trying to get it changed to Monday. I'm terrified something will derail the process and we'll be back to square one.
Anyone looking for baby updates over the next few days should check in on mmcirvin's journal. He'll be the first to post any news and photos.
The upshot is that I'm scheduled for an induction tomorrow at 5PM. They're starting off with Cervidil, an implant that encourages the cervix to soften and dilate. Otherwise, the baby has nowhere to go when contractions start. My doctor had thought I might be able to get by without it, but as I seem to be in the middle range with regard to cervical ripeness and since the Cervidil alone can sometimes start contractions, I wanted to try it first. If nothing happens during the evening, Thursday morning they'll start me on Pitocin, a synthetic form of oxytocin, the chemical that induces contractions. One of the reasons that I didn't want to go directly to the Pitocin is that I've read/heard that labor can be more painful. My doctor tried to downplay this concern. Lately I've been missing my regular OB, who is currently on vacation. But I have to make the best of what I've got. As a worse case scenario, the Pit won't take, they'll turn it off Thursday evening and try again on Friday. My mom has seen inductions that took up to three days. I'm really hoping it doesn't come to that, although I'd still find that preferable to a c-section.
Hopefully everything will go smoothly. No matter what, I'll have a baby before the weekend is through.
In other news, we've accepted an offer on our house. It's a big relief not having to worry about keeping the house in showable condition with a new baby. The buyer originally wanted to do an inspection no later than Friday, but we're trying to get it changed to Monday. I'm terrified something will derail the process and we'll be back to square one.
Anyone looking for baby updates over the next few days should check in on mmcirvin's journal. He'll be the first to post any news and photos.