36 Weeks and Counting

It was exactly at this point in my first pregnancy that doodle was born. Miss C? Well, seems that she is going to do things her way. I saw Dr. F yesterday and while the appointment was pretty uneventful, we did make some decisions.

I am now measuring 40 weeks. I am huge....I am pretty sure that I am bigger today than on the day I delivered doodle. He was a big baby. We know that I have alot of amniotic fluid and so my measurement could be accounting for that too and does not necessarily mean that she is gigantic. At least a mama can hope for that :)

I will have a C-section from here on out. While given the choice previously, Dr. F now deems it necessary because of her size (how I am measuring). I quote, "I have no idea how big this baby is going to be and from this point forward I do not feel comfortable with a regular delivery." We want the doctor to feel comfortable. So, a C-section it will be. Unless she comes on her own before, we will meet our baby girl on Tuesday, October 27th. That happens to be my Grandma Doris' birthday :)

Before it was a probable scenario but now we know for sure. That helps. I am beginning to get my head around the idea. MSW and I sat at the kitchen table last night discussing it all. I came to the conclusion of why I am so hesitant about having a c-section. During labor and delivery, there is alot on the mom. Mom has to remain calm, mom has to push, everyone is reliant upon mom's work, etc... With a c-section the rules are different. It is all up to the doctors. I will be completely useless- well in a sense, you know what I mean. For someone who spends most of her life in the driver's seat, letting go of that is a hard thing to do. I can rationalize the ridiculousness of that but I think deep down that is my hang up. Besides the whole part about it being a surgery and all....
I had hoped to experience a "normal" birth and I guess that is just not in my cards and I will trade that any day for a healthy baby.

So the countdown is on. I am really ok with it not happening before the 27th. Sure, I am 100% anxious to meet her but I see the advantages to her holding off until the 27th. I have found myself explaining this several times over. Here's why:

1. I would much rather walk into a c-section that is scheduled vs. one that is in the middle of the night, etc... It could happen when my dr. in not on call and I get some other dr. or worse yet an intern- did you see Grey's last week- OMG- still having nightmares about how that C-section went!

2. I am a carrier of Strep B, which means that if my water breaks, I have to start an antibiotic IV within an hour. If it happens when I am at home and MSW is at work I do not have time for him to come get me per Dr.'s orders. I will have to drive myself to the hospital. I have done this run twice- once with major contractions during pre-term labor w/doodle and then again when doodle's water broke. I cannot imagine driving myself under either circumstance.

3. I truly believe that everyday she gets in the womb is beneficial. I will not even go into my worries about her being born at a time that there is so much illness around. My antibodies are building her immune system each and every day. I've been exposed to seasonal flu, swine flu, stomach bugs, etc...so far (Knock on very hard wood) I have not gotten sick. I pray with each exposure my body is allowing hers to build strong immunities.

4. I am almost in the clear of not having to go back to work until the Spring. Won't bore you with the HR details but I have to be on payroll until the week of finals to receive my pay all the way through when I am out. Sick leave counts as being on the payroll and I can use 8 weeks of it with a c-section. I am almost to the 8 weeks out point. Not the most important reason but one less thing to worry about having to go back after just 8 weeks.