More Baby Stuff: Update on my Pregnancy:

Today I am 38 weeks and 2 days, and I had an exam scheduled with my dr. to see if it would be at all possible to induce before he takes off on his Alaskan ice fishing vacation on the 4th. By this point, I was really hoping to have already had to go in for labor anyhow, but things have been holding out in the "pretty damn miserable" stage for days now. I have been having some pretty intense contractions/braxton hicks for the last couple of days, so I was really hoping to hear some good news about the exam.

Once he started the exam, I could tell from the look on his face that whatever the news was, it wasn't going to be anything like the "Hey! You're 4 cm dialated and ready to go!!" news I had dreamed about. On top of which, it was kind of painful as I've been pretty swollen in the girly parts region. He finishes the exam, sighs, and then says, "You have a few wierd things going on, so I'm going to let you get dressed first, and then we'll talk." Gee... that sounds promising!

Apparently, aside from my cervix being no where near ready for labor (very high and barely 1 cm dialated), he could not feel any part of the baby whatsoever. She was not head down, or anywhere near the cervix area, and he couldn't determine her position. The ultrasound they did at 32 weeks had shown she was breech and that the placenta was low lying, though there was no previa. His concern was that the placenta may have moved lower, though he couldn't feel that either, and that the baby was still either breech, or transverse (the position she was in for all the other ultrasounds up until the 32 weeks one). At this point he pretty much told me that my chances of delivering vaginally were basically nill, but he was sending me over for another ultrasound just to be sure.

The ultrasound tech couldn't even find the placenta. She had to call in the doctor and have him show her. The baby is a wierd position. Her head is way up, almost in my rib cage on the right side. Her feet are up and even with her head on the left side, with her butt pointing straight down in the middle. So she's in this little "U" shape. The placenta isn't lower than her or blocking the cervix, it's far over the left exactly even with the baby.

I was then sent back to Dr. B's office where he presented me with 3 equally craptacular options.

Option 1: I could wait in hopes that she would decide to turn at the last minute, before labor, though hopefully not until after he returned from his trip in two weeks. The risks here would be that she would not turn and I could go into labor with a doctor who had no previous knowledge of the earlier complications we've had with this pregnancy. Also, if she didn't turn, I'd end up having to have a c-section in the end.

Option 2: We could try an external version to try and turn her. However, if he turned her, we would then need to induce labor rather than waiting for natural labor because waiting could mean she would simply re-posistion herself in the original or an even worse posistion for delivery. Of course, she could also turn durning the labor. On top of which, the condition my cervix is currently in, inducing labor would be nearly impossible and could cause even more complications and would probably end in a c-section.

Option 3: I could just go ahead an opt for the c-section. Of course, the risks here are all of the normal risks associated with c-sections.

I knew there was no way I was waiting. I would drive myself crazy with worry and in the end could end up waiting around stressing for nothing and have to have a c-section anyway. I was not interested in the version at all. From what I hear they are pretty painful and honestly, I felt like it would be a complete waste of time considering he would then have to induce and we had already determined that induction would be unlikely. So I opted to just go ahead and do the c-section. I honestly feel like this was going to be the end result no matter what I chose, so I figured we might as well go ahead and get it over with so I could stop stressing about it all. So my c-section is scheduled for 7:30 am tomorrow.

At least she is full term and not having to be taken early. Part of me is really relieved that it's almost all over and that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The other part of me is really stressed and worried. I've never had any kind of surgery before, so I'm naturally nervous. I know doctors do these sorts of things every day, but I don't.

So, anyway, wish me luck!! Tomorrow I go to have a baby!!