We Have a Winner!

After my 38-week check up yesterday I felt as if I was a kid again at the county fair who had just busted the two balloons with only three darts to win a less-than-satisfactory toy of my choice. You know the feeling, your adrenaline is pumping, your palms are sweaty and then the feeling of elation with the loud pop of that second balloon. It was that feeling of elation and joy I felt yesterday when the doctor told me that we could schedule an induction. We have a winner folks! The date of induction is next Wednesday, the 28th of September at 6:00 am. There’s nothing like the feeling of knowing that there’s an end in sight.

The times we live in these days are just filled with so many daily tasks. Some mandatory, like work, others not, like watching TV or playing sports. But most of the time our days are very tightly scheduled. For some, if it isn’t in your Outlook Calendar or Treo, it might not get done. With having a baby, there’s so much uncertainty as to when you will go into labor. I feel that having a scheduled induction will minimize the chaos. Now that I know when I will go into labor I can make all the necessary arrangements for the people involved. I feel that I have regained control of the situation. Although there is a chance that I could still go into labor before Wednesday…..and that would definitely put a kink in my plans!

Ok, so here’s the deal for next Wednesday:
I will be admitted at 6am for general lab work and to sign some papers. Then they will strap a fetal monitor around my belly to keep track of the baby’s heart rate. At some point after this I will be given a dose of Cytotec that will cause my cervix to dilate and hopefully lead to contractions. If the medicine is successful in making me dilate, then they will break my water. Up until this point, the induction process can be stopped. After the water is broken, then delivery is necessary within at least 24 hours or the risk of infection is too high. If labor doesn’t progress after the breaking of the water, then a cesarean section is the end result. Hopefully, I will continue to progress after the breaking of my water and then about 6 or 7cm I will have the epidural. Then baby Andrew should arrive shortly thereafter! All of this will occur in roughly 6 hours, which is the general time frame while using this drug (according to my mom).

So everyone keep your fingers crossed that the procedure will be successful and go as smoothly as possible!