Taking Matters into my Doctor's Hands

I am officially past my due date.  Yes, I am aware I am the same person that just wanted to make it to at least 28 weeks, then 32, and finally 37.  But now I am the person who spent what seems like forever waiting for the magical day, June 19th to arrive.  It is a strange feeling when your due date comes and goes and you realize it not only wasn't magical, it was pretty much meaningless.

I have to say I am not miserable.  Most people say the last month is awful.  I definitely am sleeping worse and feel huge but I am certainly doing just fine.  I am feeling external pressures though.  First, my parents.  Without my consent they bought tickets to come up to Chicago for June 18th.  I feel guilty that they are stuck up here for another couple weeks.  I do have to say they have been great about it.  Normally when they are here, I see them almost all waking hours and spend my life in the car shuttling them back and forth from activities.  Since they got here, I have seen them for about 4 hours a day.  They have taken more cabs than normal, and are great about saying go home to rest, we will be fine on our own.

The second external force is my husband.  In my 39th week, a switch flipped and all of a sudden he got really nudgy about getting the baby out.  He wants the baby here and yesterday.  He wants me to spend my days running the stairs in our house and keeps trying to make me take even more walks in the oppressive heat.  I am choosing to find it endearing.

And then there are the family members that put in requests.  My mother-in-law was pushing for a specific day because she was scheduled to work with someone she hated on that day and wanted out of work.  My sister-in-law was going out of town and told me I had to wait.  My sister said she didn't want it to happen this past weekend because she wanted to be able to get some quality sleep on her days off.

Tomorrow I will be 2 days late.  I am scheduled to be induced June 28 (a week from tomorrow).  I am considering asking the doctor to sweep my membranes.

I hadn't heard prior to pregnancy.  Essentially when you are close to your due date, the doctor, during an internal exam, sweeps her fingers across you cervix and detaches your membrane that supports the water bag from the uterine wall.  From what I have read, 50% of people will go into labor within 48 hours. 

The procedure is quick, typically under a minute, but reports range from uncomfortable to very painful.  Susposedly, it works much better if you are already dilated.  As of last Tuesday, I was dilated to 2 cms.  Some people are not impacted.  Some lose their mucus plug or have their bloody show (two things I have not experienced), which are signs that labor should happen soon. Many have cramps and contractions, although they don't always lead to labor.

I asked one of the doctor's in the practice two weeks ago if their group did it.  She joked she does it as long as she isn't on call- meaning she doesn't want to be at the hospital that night delivering you.  I think this bodes well for me, because the doctor I am seeing tomorrow is the one scheduled to induce me next week.

I do have apprehension about this.  My plan after the doctor is to meet my parents for lunch.  I fear having bad contractions or worse, my water breaking in public shortly thereafter.  My mom did say, if I am feeling anything, we will all cab back to my place, they will pick up lunch, and stay with me until my husband can get home.  I also am concerned that it will make me very crampy and have bad contractions that don't lead to labor.

Speaking of water breaking, I found out in the last 2 weeks my amniotic fluid level is high.  Normal at this point is 12-14.  Mine has been ranging from 21-25.  So I pretty much have twice as much fluid as a normal person.  I anticipate my water breaking will bring on quite the flood.  I am cool with that, I just don't want my mattress to be ruined if it happens at night.  I love my mattress.  I attribute being so comfortable in pregnancy in part to my amazing mattress.  I am taking proper precautions to ensure the safety of  said  mattress.  At first I was sleeping on a towel, starting about 39.5 weeks.  Then I asked the doctor for those puppy pad looking sheets they sometimes use at the ob/gyn's during procedures.  They gave me a bag full.  I decided it wouldn't be enough.  So now, under my sheet, I have a waterproof crib liner and a towel.  I am not messing around, I love my mattress.  Greg suggested I just sleep in the bath tub.  I think he was kidding.

I will keep you posted as to if I end up getting my membranes swept tomorrow, what it feels like, and if it works.