Yesterday was my due date and would have been my 40 week bumpdate! I started writing this yesterday but life got in the way so I’m posting it today instead!
Several months ago, when I thought about writing this post, I envisioned it being short and sweet. I expected to go into labor a couple of days after my due date (or a few days before!) and that one night I would wake up to contractions and head to the hospital a couple of hours later. Of course when you expect things to happen certain ways they, of course, never do! So this is how it all went down…
August 9th- I was 36 weeks along and this would have been my 36 week update picture! In the middle of July we had gone in for an ultra sound because I was measuring small. The doctor said no big deal, he is just slender but come back in a couple of weeks to follow up. So, on the 9th we went back for that follow up appointment. Going in I was excited that I would have another ultra sound and get to see him again.
The technician did all the measurements and then went to get the doctor to see the results- no big deal I thought, they did that at every other ultrasound I had gone to and thought nothing of it. The doctor came in and measured everything again and then again. And then started listening to the heartbeat and the umbilical cord (I didn’t even know you could listen to the umbilical cord before this!) hmmmmm he said, why don’t you clean up and meet me in my office to talk. Not the words you want to hear!
He explained to us that the baby was still measuring too small, and in fact had barely gained any weight since the last ultra sound. He was in the 3rd percentile for weight for the amount of weeks I was. He told us that since I was 36 weeks he would probably recommend me to be induced, but first I had to take a non-stress test while he talked to my doctor.
The non stress test went fine and the doctor came back in. He told us that he had spoken to my obstetrician and they recommended me to get scheduled to be induced into labor. Immediately I thought of all the things we still needed to do- put the car seat in, pack our hospital bags etc! But in my mind I thought he would say to come back next week and we would have the weekend to do those things, so I was still pretty calm.
Then he said “so go home and come back at 4:00pm to get started”
Needless to say- we were both freaking out! As we drove home Andrew went into planning mode, stopping to get cash (why? not sure why we needed cash) while I called my mom, stopping to fill up the car with gas and calling his parents and our friends to ask them to walk our dog that weekend. Meanwhile, I was in shock, which spilled over into a good cry at the gas station. I couldn’t believe that the picture and thoughts I had in my mind for so many months were turning out so differently than I had expected! I had said all along that I didn’t have a “plan” for labor and delivery- but THIS definitely wasn’t part of my “non-plan!” I was a whirlwind of emotions and the whole day (and days to come) was quickly becoming surreal.
…Part 2 on Monday!
