Waiting for baby: 1/1/13 Update
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RuthieAnn Blumenstein
Jan 1, 2013, 1:14:08 PM1/1/13
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Hello dear friends and family,
First off, Happy New Year from the Brooklyn Blumensteins!! We hope this next year will be a wonderful one for you and your families.
Here's out update on Baby Abigail: she ain't here yet!
I had been laboring for roughly 48 hours starting at 4am on Saturday night. JB, our doula and I went in and out of the Brooklyn Birthing Center hoping for progression but the check on NYEve disappointed me. All that work! yet I was only 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced (I was 0% and about 1/2cm the day before.) Because I had been up for so long, our midwife was concerned and gave me a sleep aid + some pain relief. It knocked me out, and though I felt strong contractions even in my dreams, I was able to sleep and they slowly subsided to hourly/half-hourly by NYEve day.
BUT there is now an interesting twist in our story: the midwives are reevaluating/changing our estimated due date. Turns out the OB (who I was seeing before we switched to the natural approach at BCC) was verbally (but not officially) changing my EDD -- from December 26 then to 25, then 19 and even 12!-- in my chart...but because the very first blood test/sonogram is still considered the most accurate in determining gestational age (as babies grow at different rates in utero), the midwives are considering that Abigail may only be 40+6weeks old (not 41+6)...giving me another week! (41+6 is the last day the BBC will help naturally deliver babies. Babes in their 42 week are induced at the hospital.)
We are still waiting for the consulting doctor to agree but it seems that's where they're heading.
Also, they are asking us (as we are overdue regardless of any previous EDDs) to continue having non-stress tests and biophysical profile tests (at Maimonedes Medical Center) 3x/week starting Wednesday. We've had 3 already so we know what to expect, but the pressure from the medical staff to induce labor (with pitocin or cytotec) is strong -- [If you're interested in looking them up, these are drugs that rapidly progress the body/cervix into labor, usually causing much pain on the woman quicker than she is physically prepared for, very often leading to her needing strong pain management: an epidural. Pain aside, here are also many risks on mother and baby to consider, particularly with cytotec.] Going into the hospital is (very) time consuming, mentally stressful but mostly annoying. But checking her fluid level is, of course, important so we do cooperate.
Thats our update! We thought she was due on the 19th but it may have been a week after! (Making January 9th her official Eviction Date) Regardless, we are just so grateful for the possibility of waiting another week for Abigail Joy to take her time and not be forced out. That has been really important to us. :) We want to be as safe as possible, respecting our care-givers' advice while still respecting the natural flow God has planned for Abby, as He does for all of our lives. We deeply believe "God's got this" better than we, or any caregiver could plan. We're trusting He has made my body perfectly to do this when the time is right.
I am still contracting, though not in early labor anymore...oh, every half hour? We're doing what we can to help Abby.
If you would like to pray with us please pray that her head engage ("in station") in my pelvis already! The problem we think we're having is that her head isn't low enough to put adequate pressure on the cervix while I'm contracting, resulting in only slight dilation. Her head pushing against cervix during contractions would lead to the progress we need for her to descend. And of course please pray for the safe delivery of this little girl (or maybe quite big girl, as she is measuring between 7.9 and 8.3lbs) whom we love so much.
First off, Happy New Year from the Brooklyn Blumensteins!! We hope this next year will be a wonderful one for you and your families.
Here's out update on Baby Abigail: she ain't here yet!
I had been laboring for roughly 48 hours starting at 4am on Saturday night. JB, our doula and I went in and out of the Brooklyn Birthing Center hoping for progression but the check on NYEve disappointed me. All that work! yet I was only 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced (I was 0% and about 1/2cm the day before.) Because I had been up for so long, our midwife was concerned and gave me a sleep aid + some pain relief. It knocked me out, and though I felt strong contractions even in my dreams, I was able to sleep and they slowly subsided to hourly/half-hourly by NYEve day.
BUT there is now an interesting twist in our story: the midwives are reevaluating/changing our estimated due date. Turns out the OB (who I was seeing before we switched to the natural approach at BCC) was verbally (but not officially) changing my EDD -- from December 26 then to 25, then 19 and even 12!-- in my chart...but because the very first blood test/sonogram is still considered the most accurate in determining gestational age (as babies grow at different rates in utero), the midwives are considering that Abigail may only be 40+6weeks old (not 41+6)...giving me another week! (41+6 is the last day the BBC will help naturally deliver babies. Babes in their 42 week are induced at the hospital.)
We are still waiting for the consulting doctor to agree but it seems that's where they're heading.
Also, they are asking us (as we are overdue regardless of any previous EDDs) to continue having non-stress tests and biophysical profile tests (at Maimonedes Medical Center) 3x/week starting Wednesday. We've had 3 already so we know what to expect, but the pressure from the medical staff to induce labor (with pitocin or cytotec) is strong -- [If you're interested in looking them up, these are drugs that rapidly progress the body/cervix into labor, usually causing much pain on the woman quicker than she is physically prepared for, very often leading to her needing strong pain management: an epidural. Pain aside, here are also many risks on mother and baby to consider, particularly with cytotec.] Going into the hospital is (very) time consuming, mentally stressful but mostly annoying. But checking her fluid level is, of course, important so we do cooperate.
Thats our update! We thought she was due on the 19th but it may have been a week after! (Making January 9th her official Eviction Date) Regardless, we are just so grateful for the possibility of waiting another week for Abigail Joy to take her time and not be forced out. That has been really important to us. :) We want to be as safe as possible, respecting our care-givers' advice while still respecting the natural flow God has planned for Abby, as He does for all of our lives. We deeply believe "God's got this" better than we, or any caregiver could plan. We're trusting He has made my body perfectly to do this when the time is right.
I am still contracting, though not in early labor anymore...oh, every half hour? We're doing what we can to help Abby.
If you would like to pray with us please pray that her head engage ("in station") in my pelvis already! The problem we think we're having is that her head isn't low enough to put adequate pressure on the cervix while I'm contracting, resulting in only slight dilation. Her head pushing against cervix during contractions would lead to the progress we need for her to descend. And of course please pray for the safe delivery of this little girl (or maybe quite big girl, as she is measuring between 7.9 and 8.3lbs) whom we love so much.
Thank you for being patient and caring for us. We look forward to updating you with awesome news soon -- albeit a little later than we originally thought! Hey, that's life!!
Love to you and yours this new year!
Rested and in good spirits,
*RuthieAnn, Jonathan/Harvey, and baby Abigail Joy
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