geminigirl (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
geminigirl) wrote2008-04-15 12:50 am
geminigirl) wrote2008-04-15 12:50 am
Not Time Yet, Maybe Time Tomorrow
Or something Zathrus like, like that
No, not yet. I have one more week and then it's Cervidil and Pitocin...I'll have hit 42 weeks, and I can respect that my care providers are just not comfortable past that point-for most people these days, 42 weeks is pretty generous. I'm trying to remain positive that something will happen-we thought it might be yesterday, but not yet. I seriously dread the feelings of failure that I'll have if I end up with a chemical induction and I seriously dread the c-section issue, the risk of which increases significantly with induction.
We're doing the things we're supposed to-sex, evening primrose oil, nipple stimulation, walking, etc. We're also now doing daily visits with the reflexologist, acupuncturist and chiropractor. No castor oil yet, but there is a herbalist who works with the acupuncturist, and he may have some ideas. My goal now is Thursday when the OB I like is back on call.
There are contractions, and sometimes consistent ones for an hour or two, and they've changed in feeling and intensity and where they come from but they don't stick around.
It'll happen eventually. No one is pregnant forever. But I'm getting to "concerned" now.
No, not yet. I have one more week and then it's Cervidil and Pitocin...I'll have hit 42 weeks, and I can respect that my care providers are just not comfortable past that point-for most people these days, 42 weeks is pretty generous. I'm trying to remain positive that something will happen-we thought it might be yesterday, but not yet. I seriously dread the feelings of failure that I'll have if I end up with a chemical induction and I seriously dread the c-section issue, the risk of which increases significantly with induction.
We're doing the things we're supposed to-sex, evening primrose oil, nipple stimulation, walking, etc. We're also now doing daily visits with the reflexologist, acupuncturist and chiropractor. No castor oil yet, but there is a herbalist who works with the acupuncturist, and he may have some ideas. My goal now is Thursday when the OB I like is back on call.
There are contractions, and sometimes consistent ones for an hour or two, and they've changed in feeling and intensity and where they come from but they don't stick around.
It'll happen eventually. No one is pregnant forever. But I'm getting to "concerned" now.
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My suggestion would be to try to do something you really enjoy every day. Soon enough, you'll be too busy! :-)
Oh, and to try to bear in mind that raising a child will last for at least the next 18 years, while labor and delivery will last for a day or two. Of course we all want our birth experiences to be good ones, just as we want our weddings to be lovely, but the experience of being a parent, just like the experience of being married, are by far the more enduring and significant in the long run.
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Clearly your care is being managed in a lowest-intervention way so far, and you're getting good advice.
Evan and I are also living proof that you can have an otherwise normal vaginal delivery with a Pitocin augmentation/induction. I think it's harder, yeah, but it's not impossible. Remember too, the Pitocin can be dialed down for a short while, or even discontinued if your body has taken over the contractions. I had to have mine turned down when the contractions got too strong. I didn't get to get off it completely, but I have no doubt that that bit of a break seriously helped me through without stronger pain meds. And there are some pain control options that aren't epidurals. I had a shot of Nubain, and I'm pretty sure I could have had additional ones had I wanted them earlier. The only thing I would say is to avoid anything that makes you lay down during transition if you can, because you'll be more comfortable if you can move.
You can do it. :) Managing your feelings and expectations now is a good thing since it's actually pretty
impossiblehard to be rational about these things when you're in the hospital.Oh, the castor oil... I recently had a doula tell me that her recommendation regarding that was to fry an egg in it and eat the egg, that that would give the woman the benefits without the intestinal upset. I have no idea if it's true or not, but mebbe ask or try it before you do it straight?
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Other thoughts
Here are some recommendations from a MW over at gentlebirth.org:
Here's my recipe for prodromal labor:
1) Eat a banana and drink a glass of milk (for the tryptophan -- a turkey sandwich would work, too)
2) Take a warm bath
3) A glass of wine or beer (I indicate the size of the glass, specify a small amount only)
4) If alcohol is contraindicated by religious beliefs or substance abuse history, I recommend substitution of Sleepytime or other chamomile-based tea for the wine.
I explain the rationale for all of these, the tryptophan, the relaxation, the uterine relaxation. I suggest strongly that this will help her sleep (placebo effect). I stress the importance of doing these steps in exactly this order. Works well for me.
(http://www.gentlebirth.org/archives/prodromal.html)
I was in prodromal land for a week and boy was it frustrating! Be sure to take care of yourself and get lots of rest to prepare for the marathon ahead. :)
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One thing that helped me was reminding myself that prelabor does accomplish some of the work of labor - just slowly and incrementally. Every milimeter of dilation and percentage of effacement that happens now is dilation and effacement that doesn't have to happen during labor proper. I was 3.5cm by the time real labor started, and then I went from there to 10 in five hours. So I guess yay for prelabor, in that regard.
I have one more week and then it's Cervidil and Pitocin
I doubt you'll go for another week if your symptoms are like this, but if you do, remember that Cervedil and Pitocin aren't necessarily a package deal. (For example, I had Cervedil and then chose to let my midwife rupture my membranes when the Cervedil contractions trailed away 12 hours later - no Pitocin was ever needed.) Cervedil and Pitocin have hugely different protocols that come with them - with Cervedil you usually don't have to have an IV, stay in bed, have continual monitoring, have intensely painful contractions which might require an epidural, etc. So even if you do wind up having to do something to help labor along (and I doubt that you'll make it all the way to 42 weeks), it may not need to be the full-scale event.
(Just something to consider. For example, if your OB requires Pit at 42 weeks, you could suggest trying Cervedil at 41w6d, and giving it 24 hours to work.)
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