our little man

11.02.2006

39 week appointment

i went in this morning for my 39 week appointment with dr. bitler. same old routine - quick measure of the belly, listen to the heartbeat, and then she did a quick internal exam. no real change from last week - still 3 centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. i didn't really expect any difference... i don't think there will be any significant change until i actually go into labor and ben drops more. as she explained (and i had assumed), the extra fluid is giving a bit of a cushion and so his head isn't down as far as it could be - and without that extra pressure, the cervix isn't being pushed as much. from what i've read, its actually normal that after the first delivery, the baby doesn't actually drop and engage until labor is underway - it is first-time moms who often drop days or even weeks before delivery.

she didn't seem to have much to say about whether i would make it to my next appointment or not. it's just a wait-and-see kind of thing at this point. i could easily go into labor before then, but then again, i might not. she did mention that if i do make it to my next appointment (next thursday, at which point i'll be 2 days past my due date) they will go ahead and schedule an induction. they would wait up to a week if i wanted, but with the extra fluid and the size my uterus is measuring, they don't want to wait much past my due date. although i had hoped to avoid being induced again, it wouldn't be the end of the world. it would be nice to plan ahead. of course, at the same time i would like to have the experience of sitting home, timing contractions, and having the "it's time" moment. in the end, as long as ben gets here safe and sound, that is all that is important to me.

i had hoped to get through labor and delivery without an epidural this time. i think i could have done it last time if i hadn't been induced and had such intense contractions from the pitocin. however, if the doctor calls for an induction, then i'll just do my best to deal with the pain... and if i end up with an epidural again, then i guess that's just what happens. like i said, meeting my little man is going to overshadow anything else.

oh - and i also got my flu shot. it hadn't even occurred to me, but the doctor said that they do recommend them for all pregnant women and even though i'll only be pregnant for another week or so, the antibodies will still cross the placenta and give ben some added protection when he gets here. they did the shot right there in the exam room, so there was no waiting or anything which was nice.

posted at 7:16 PM by aimee // 0 comments