7.02.2015

Lucy's birth story {the day before}




I brought the crew and my grandma to my scheduled 38 week ultrasound. My belly was measuring small similar to my previous pregnancies. The ultrasound showed a perfect head  with ventricles, 4 chambered heart and normal amniotic fluid level. Yet the tech measured baby’s weight as 5 lbs 15 oz – same as 2 weeks ago.

I did not believe it.  Since they use biparietal diameter (head size), abdominal measurement and femur length to “estimate” weight, it’s hard during 3rd trimester ultrasounds to determine accurate weight. Lucy’s head is already engaged. The tech had to push on my pubic symphysis to look at head size.  

Ob said she will not let me go past 39 weeks with above measurements, though fluid is normal.  She was not worried about the weight because of what I wrote above. US at 38 weeks can be tricky and may be off as much as ½ a lb. If baby really has intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), she said that fluid also tend to measure low (which I did not have).

She wanted me to schedule an induction on Wed July 1st. I told her I cannot do natural birth with an induction… I said, give me 6 days to this on my own.  She then proceeded to perform my  first cervical check.  (I sent the children out at this point). I was only 2 cm.  I have gone 5-7 days after a cervical check showing 2 cm, before going into spontaneous labor. This time around, OB asked if she could “strip the membranes.” What? I am a doctor myself, but I think this is one of those topics I shoved out of my mind to make room for peds neurology topics.  “strip my membranes.”   It was uncomfortable but bearable.

She had me schedule a f/u appt on Monday (4 days later) instead of what I already scheduled at 39 weeks +1. She said that night would be a good night to deliver because she was on-call. I was not a believer. But I did have a mental check that I better have a spontaneous onset of labor before Wednesday because I do not want an induction… not yet at least. Come Monday though and if I still haven’t delivered, I would choose baby’s welfare before my fear of induction.

After OB appt, my grandma and I took the children to Chick-Fil-A. It was a “normal day.” Again, I still was not a believer that I will have the baby soon.

My OB also asked me do fetal kick counts. Honestly, this was something I did not consistently do this 4th pregnancy. Call it busyness of having 3 older children. I felt the baby move but I did not sit and count them out.. That afternoon after ChickFilA, Lucy only kicked 5-6x/hour x 2 hours. I was about to call when at the top of the 3rd hour, she moved 9-10x! ok, she’s fine… so I did not call.

I have also felt that the Braxton hicks were definitely different after the OB visit/”stripping of the membranes.” Instead of the tightening ball of pain all over the belly when I over-exert or just stand for a long time, I started having cramps from the bottom of my belly and sometimes radiating up. Again, I told myself, I could be in pre-labor for hours or DAYS so I did not keep my hopes up.

My mom took the older kids as per usual Thursday night arrangement. Derrick and I went to get Thai food (kinda like what we did before Daniel’s labor started). I ordered panang curry (again the same thing I ordered before Daniel’s birth). We headed to Costco and bought more cherries! Yumm…. I was slower than a tortoise at Costco leaning at the cart and stopping every few seconds, really. Derrick asked if I was doing ok several times. I felt fine. I felt the contractions but I was just a little tired.

We went to Asia Mart across the street from CostCo and bought veggies not usually sold in the regular grocery stores (taro root, bokchoy) and then I saw the fresh shrimp! Yumm… I had a menu planned out for the week!


Here's part ii….

(and apologies that this is going to be a novella of sorts)

Linking up with camppatton. She has over 300 entries there. Read to your heart's desire. 


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1 comment:

  1. Exciting! Congratulations! She is soo so cute. I'm looking forward to the rest of the story.

    ReplyDelete

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