Insomnia, Heartburn, Waiting, Induction
As I am nearing the end of this pregnancy, things have taken a bit of an unexpected turn. On Wednesday night, my midwife and her student came by to do a home visit and talk to us about our birth plan. We want to have a water birth, and Damien wants to catch the baby. I'm stoked for this. However, I talked pretty frankly about my repressed fear of labour, which I imagine is left over from my last birthing experience, wherein everything went tits up and I ended up delivering Josh on my back in a hospital, sucking up Pitocin.
I started to sweat pretty badly while we were having our "managing labour" conversation, and then when the student took my blood pressure, she looked up and said, "Hmmm.... I'm getting a pretty high number". So, my midwife took some time to talk with me about other things, including the visit we were having from my friend Alisa's baby girl Tessa, and then she took my blood pressure again. It was still high. I made plans to come back into the clinic the next day for another check.
The next day, still high. She told me to reduce my workload and rest. This has been really hard for me, especially given how many things are up in the air right now at work. But I figured I could continue working, at least part time, if I did it from home and then I wouldn't have the added stress of letting everyone down by leaving so many things undone.
Friday night and Saturday night were quiet. My friend Kate, who is now almost a week overdue in her own pregnancy, started showing signs of labour, so I stayed home and made food for them and checked in on her over the afternoon and evening. Her contractions slowed down and then stopped, so I came home and watched TV - which I never do. I was supposed to go to a party on Saturday night, but I cancelled that too and laid around on the couch while Damien went out for dinner and drinks with a few of his friends. It was a lovely, quiet, unexpected evening.
I went back into the clinic today for another blood pressure check. Still high! So my midwife did a non-stress test on the baby, which came out with good results, and I'm going tomorrow for a biophysical profile ultrasound. At least Kate can come with me, as she needs one too.
I was so full of energy after my appointment this afternoon that I came home and ran up and down the stairs, trying to bring on labour. I am desperate to avoid another induction. The birth pool is set up in our living room. The box of supplies for a home birth is sitting in the dining room, waiting. I stared at these things and willed my uterus to contract and the baby to move down. Of course, babies have a mind of their own and this one will probably do the same shitty thing that Josh did and leave me hanging. Of course, the difference is, I can't stay pregnant with this high blood pressure, so the situation may be decided for me.
I woke up at 3 a.m. and I haven't been able to return to sleep. This is happening a lot lately. Sometimes it's heartburn that wakes me up; sometimes it's Josh coughing; sometimes it's nothing at all. But tonight, all I'm thinking is: C'mon baby. C'mon baby. C'mon baby!
I started to sweat pretty badly while we were having our "managing labour" conversation, and then when the student took my blood pressure, she looked up and said, "Hmmm.... I'm getting a pretty high number". So, my midwife took some time to talk with me about other things, including the visit we were having from my friend Alisa's baby girl Tessa, and then she took my blood pressure again. It was still high. I made plans to come back into the clinic the next day for another check.
The next day, still high. She told me to reduce my workload and rest. This has been really hard for me, especially given how many things are up in the air right now at work. But I figured I could continue working, at least part time, if I did it from home and then I wouldn't have the added stress of letting everyone down by leaving so many things undone.
Friday night and Saturday night were quiet. My friend Kate, who is now almost a week overdue in her own pregnancy, started showing signs of labour, so I stayed home and made food for them and checked in on her over the afternoon and evening. Her contractions slowed down and then stopped, so I came home and watched TV - which I never do. I was supposed to go to a party on Saturday night, but I cancelled that too and laid around on the couch while Damien went out for dinner and drinks with a few of his friends. It was a lovely, quiet, unexpected evening.
I went back into the clinic today for another blood pressure check. Still high! So my midwife did a non-stress test on the baby, which came out with good results, and I'm going tomorrow for a biophysical profile ultrasound. At least Kate can come with me, as she needs one too.
I was so full of energy after my appointment this afternoon that I came home and ran up and down the stairs, trying to bring on labour. I am desperate to avoid another induction. The birth pool is set up in our living room. The box of supplies for a home birth is sitting in the dining room, waiting. I stared at these things and willed my uterus to contract and the baby to move down. Of course, babies have a mind of their own and this one will probably do the same shitty thing that Josh did and leave me hanging. Of course, the difference is, I can't stay pregnant with this high blood pressure, so the situation may be decided for me.
I woke up at 3 a.m. and I haven't been able to return to sleep. This is happening a lot lately. Sometimes it's heartburn that wakes me up; sometimes it's Josh coughing; sometimes it's nothing at all. But tonight, all I'm thinking is: C'mon baby. C'mon baby. C'mon baby!