Emmery is Here- Part 2

Since I was a high-risk pregnancy, I had weekly appointments since week 28. Mikey came to every single one, so he became close with Dr. McGrath. He even talked him into setting an induction date for March 17th, St. Patty’s Day. Dr. McGrath said that he did not want me to go past 39 weeks because of the GD. He had been monitoring her size throughout the pregnancy, and she always measured perfect, not too big, not too small. Since my due date was the 21st, we figured the 17th would be great timing.

So the plan was, if I made it (ie. didn’t go into labor) to the 17th, he would induce me that day. But of course, things didn’t go according to plan, as they rarely do…

Starting at week 36, the doctor checked to see if I was making any progress towards labor. I had to at least be making some sort of progress in order to induce. I had been having Braxton Hicks contractions, but that was about it. Each week he checked, there was no progess, meaning I was not dilating. So at my 39 week appointment on March 16th, I was so nervous because I really wanted to be induced the next day. He checked me and said not only was I not dilated, but the baby had moved a bit and was now laying diagonally. My blood pressure had crept up too. So Dr. McGrath thought the best option was to do a C-section the next day! I completely understood why, but I was still heartbroken. I was actually looking forward to labor and delivery. I wanted to experience the excitement (and maybe a little pain) of the contractions and the difficult but gratifying work of delivering my baby. So coping with the realization that things were not going to happen the way I envisioned them was tough. I cried right there in his office. Mikey felt horrible, he knew how much it meant to me and he also knew there was nothing he could do to help. I called my parents to tell them the news. So they drove down from Atlanta that night so they could be there for the “birth.”

The doctor wanted me to go over to the hospital to do some bloodwork, and do one last non-stress test, just to make sure I didn’t have pre-eclampsia. All was fine at the hospital, and we scheduled surgery for the next day at noon. Once we left the hospital I was feeling a little better. I knew that this was the best thing for the baby and for me, and that was reassuring. After all, really the only thing that mattered was having a healthy baby girl in the end.