Saturday, March 22, 2008

Roller Coaster

03-22-08: I just realized I only post about once a month...so here's the post for March (ok, so I started it in March). I have hopes of posting more often, but just don't get to it.

This week has been a bit of a roller coaster...mostly in regards to pregnancy and the baby. It started last week when the doctor told me my pelvic bone was very small and I had little chance of delivering Adon naturally. She was also concerned about his growth, because I was only measuring at 35 weeks (about 5 pounds), but was 38 weeks. I learned that my mom's pelvic bone was similar to mine and that she delivered all 4 of us naturally with a little help with some forceps to pull us out. She laid hands on me and prayed that God would stretch my bones so that I could deliver Adon.

A couple of days last week, I felt lots of pressure in my lower abdomen. It wasn't painful, but it felt like it did when Adon first started to drop. However, it was a much stronger pressure than when he dropped. It felt like Someone was gently pulling my bones apart. I called Mom and asked if it was possible for my bones to stretch and she reminded me that God can do anything and that she'd been praying they would.

At Monday's appointment, my blood pressure was about 20 points higher than normal because of the anxiety caused by the previous week's appointment. The doctor told me I was now only measuring at 34 weeks, though I was 39 weeks. We had an ultrasound which showed our handsome young man who weighed...not 5 pounds like the doctor thought, but an amazing 7 lbs, 15 oz!!! A huge sigh of relief that Adon was perfectly fine and continues to be held in the Creator's hands as he is knit together in my womb. The doctor, after the exam, said that my bones HAD stretched and were fine to deliver a big boy. :o) She had no more concerns about the size of my pelvic bone. However, I haven't dilated or effaced anymore than I had about 2-3 weeks earlier. Still only 1 cm and 50% effaced, I was somewhat discouraged that my body wasn't progressing anymore toward labor. The doctor did a "natural induction"...don't ask...to help progress things along. She said that usually means delivery within 3 days. Our hopes were up that we'd be meeting our son before long!

Tuesday morning at work, I felt something that felt like contractions. I started noting the time and they were about 20 minutes apart. They stayed this way for several hours, but during the afternoon, they were getting closer. I told J that I thought that today might be the day. After work, I dropped my car off at my friend Hannah's house so she could come to the hospital and help coach me through the contractions. We went to the bakery and had Dad fix my "last meal" before the baby was born. J and I later watched a movie and had Little Caesar's pizza (which I hadn't had in ages because of the heartburn it caused) as we continued to time the contractions. They were now only 3-5 minutes apart, but weren't any stronger than when they had started that morning. Never having been in labor before, both of us thought it was time to head to the hospital that they would increase in intensity before long. The picture here was taken before we left for the hospital. We arrived at the hospital and filled out the paperwork (even though we had pre-registered) and were taken to a triage room to be examined. After 5 million questions and the exam, the nurse sent us home. She said the contractions weren't the fake Braxton-Hicks contractions, but just early labor. It could be another week before labor kicked into full swing. It was so disappointing going home without a baby.

Needless to say, I didn't go back to work. I just didn't want to face the questions and unnecessary comments. It was nice to be at home to rest and enjoy J's company. However, it was hard to wait...everyday wondering if Adon would come that day and everyday answering more questions if I was still pregnant or had the baby come yet? I finally quit answering my phone. I was just so tired of everyone asking, and I really wanted Adon to come.

It felt like forever before Friday (Good Friday) and our next appointment arrived. The ultrasound technician measured the amniotic fluid to make sure Adon was still alright. According the the doctor, Adon was fine, but my cervix was still really far back and I wasn't any more dilated or effaced than I was on Monday. She seemed very concerned with the position of my cervix but didn't say why. She also said that we needed to schedule the induction, because the hospital requires 10 days advance notice for inductions. J and I hesitantly agreed, not because that's what we wanted or thought was best, but because we trusted that the Lord would direct the doctor to do what was best for Adon. We scheduled it for one week past my official due date...March 31st.

However, we were still hopeful that he'd come before he had to be induced. We especially hoped for his birthday to fall on Easter.