When I started to go to my OB at 32 weeks, we discussed the idea of me being induced early, around 37 or 38 weeks because I was pretty much destined to have another big baby (Kyler was 11lbs 1oz) and because of the hemorrhaging I experience with my first birth. We didn't want my body to go through that again.
As I got closer, around 36 weeks, I decided I wanted to give the little guy a chance to come on his own as I think that's the healthiest for both of us if it's possible. So I wanted to wait to induce until 38 weeks. My doctor agreed.
We got to 38 weeks, I had my appointment and my doctor did a stretch & sweep but didn't mention inducing me and I didn't ask. In hindsight, I should have, but I really did want to go into labour naturally and figured 39 weeks was ok. At 39 weeks, after another stretch & sweep, he still didn't mention it, but I stopped him and asked, getting concerned now. He said they couldn't do it yet because I wasn't eligible - I was healthy, the baby was healthy and he thought this baby wasn't as big anyway, maybe 8lbs or so, which seems like nothing after an 11lb baby. So I trusted him and waited to go to term.
At 40 weeks, I was more than done with the pregnancy. I had finished work early because I had planned on being induced early and now I was just sitting around, feeling huge and worried that there would be big baby complications. My doctor informed me that we wouldn't be inducing until at least 41 weeks. I was annoyed to say the least, but I couldn't force him to do it so I went home to wait, feeling stressed.
Another issue with this is that AJ was starting a new job with a start date of a week after my due date that sent him out of town for a full week. This should have been fine and given us a couple weeks together after I was induced early, but as the days went by, it was looking more and more like he'd be leaving for a week only a couple days after our baby's birth and that stressed me out more than anything.
I went to the hospital every couple days for a Nonstress Test and a stretch & sweep and that baby just wasn't moving. Finally, 5 days after my due date, I had another appointment with my doctor at the hospital and told him we needed to pick an induction date and I wasn't leaving without one.
At this point, we had bumped AJ's start date to the next Thursday, giving us a week together at best. My doctor offered the following Wednesday as the date. Not only was that 1 day before AJ HAD to go to his new job, it was at 42 weeks in my pregnancy and this was no longer a small baby, I was sure. I was told later that the look I gave him at that news was probably nearly enough to kill him. But he left my little cubicle and what was I supposed to do? I was already trying all the old wives' tales to induce and nothing was working. I was pretty distraught.
About a minute later, as we were getting ready to go, he came back. He told us that it was a slow morning in the hospital's delivery centre and would I like to be induced now? Um...yes, yes I would.
So suddenly, I was admitted and gowned and given a delivery room and we had a lot of calls to make. We got Kai a place to stay and my mom to come and help with delivery. After such a long wait, it was all moving fast.
I was admitted around 10, had my water broken at noon, walked around for a couple hours and was given an IV of labour-inducing drugs around 3. That got things moving pretty quickly. At 4, the pain was still manageable, but my nurse suggested I request the epidural now if I wanted to ensure I got it and by the time it came, I was definitely needing it.
They measured me around 3cm at 6pm and the next time they measured, about an hour later, I was at 10cm and he was on his way.
Dallas Jarett Martin was born on May 28 at 8:45pm after about 5 hours of labour and 30 minutes of pushing (compared to 22 hours of labour and 3 hours of pushing with Kyler). He was 11lbs. 5oz. - probably big enough to have induced early, huh doc? But he was here and none of that mattered anymore. I had no complications and neither did Dallas and that's all I wanted.
We had some family visitors that night and Kyler stayed up late to meet him which was a pretty amazing moment. I spent 2 days in the hospital and felt so much more comfortable overall, physically and emotionally after having been through this once before. AJ got to spend a whole week with us before leaving for work and I survived being on my own with 2 kids.
Since everyone asks, I can't say for sure if we're done having kids (never say never, right?), but I'd say we're 90% sure we're happy with two. AJ got his two boys, I got a sibling for Kai, they're happy and healthy, they don't outnumber us, and I wouldn't mind never being pregnant again.
And anyway, doesn't this look like a pretty perfect family?
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