Doctor Update

It's been a stressful week in this household.  Monday I had another doctor's appointment.  I knew baby was still breech (disappointing), so that really didn't come as a surprise.  What did come as a surprise, however, was how far I had progressed.  Let me preface this next paragraph by saying that if you don't want numbers and technical terms, please skip ahead.

At my visit last week, Hans and I learned that I was about 0.5 cm dilated and about 30% effaced.  A healthy amount, but nothing concerning.  By Monday (so six days later) I was 3 cm dilated (and I'm not sure how far effaced I was).  That's a lot of progress this early on and in such a short amount of time!

So, I was immediately admitted to Labor & Delivery for monitoring.  They wanted to make sure I wasn't starting regular contractions.  I told them I hadn't really felt anything, but it was completely possible that what I had thought was gas was actually something more serious.  So, I was on monitors for 2 hours, and everything turned out fine, but I was put on modified bed rest as a precautionary measure.  We also scheduled a follow-up appointment for this morning.

Of course, this meant I immediately went home and cleaned the rec room and nursery.  Yay for being ready for baby!  I think a part of me really went into panic mode. That was some fast progress that I hadn't even felt.  What would happen if I suddenly went into labor?  My hospital bag wasn't even packed!  What if she didn't turn before I went into labor?  This was serious!  I called the chiropractor and the acupuncturist right away, and I even decided to book the prenatal massage that Hans had given me as a Mother's Day gift (amazing, by the way).  Let me also add that me being stressed and not allowed to do any strenuous exercise is NOT a good thing.  By last night I was so worked up about the appointment this morning that I ended up crying myself to sleep. 

So, the results?  Still no flipped baby.  :(  Other than that, though, things look great.  I'm holding steady at 3 cm, although I'm now 60-70% effaced.  My panic of going into labor at any moment has subsided, and I've been given clearance to swim!  It's no run, but at least I can work out some of my anxiety.  I was told to continue chiropractic care and acupuncture as it will at least help to keep me relaxed and loose.  Oh, and we've scheduled a version.  A version is where the doctor will attempt to manually turn the baby.  If she doesn't turn on her own, then we're going to try to flip her on June 6th.  Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but at least there's a plan.

Really, I'm starting to learn that some things are out of my hands.  I've done absolutely everything right, from eating to exercise to hydration to medical care.  I just have a very stubborn child (Oh goody!) who happens to be comfortable where she is.  Of course, this doesn't mean I'm giving up.  As I stated before, I'm still seeing the chiropractor and the acupuncturist.  I'm also still doing inversions, and I'm trying one thing I hadn't before: sound therapy.

I have a theory that she just likes hearing my voice, and she's positioning herself as close to my voice as possible.  So, I've grabbed some of my old Chamber Choir CDs, and I'm holding speakers up to my abdomen, where I'd like her head to be.  Then, I'm making a point to stay perfectly quiet.  I figure these CDs are lovely, and they have both my and Hans' voices on them.  She obviously likes the music, because she's been moving a lot since I started playing them.  Hopefully it's enough to get her to turn!

Wish me luck!