Here She Comes

I’ve been dealing with a bit of disappointment recently with regard to the impending birth of my daughter.  As you may already know, I’ve had both gestational diabetes (GD) and high blood pressure this entire pregnancy and have been managing both to the best of my ability.

Maternal Fetal Medicine (MFM) has been monitoring my GD and my regular OB has been keeping an eye on my blood pressure.  They’ve been working pretty well together.  I see my OB every week  and MFM about once a month, though I turn in my blood glucose readings every week.

Last Monday I had what was to be my last appointment with MFM.  They did a detailed ultrasound and biophysical profile (BPP) to check her growth and everything looked great.  As we were wrapping up the doctor asked when my induction date was and I told him we didn’t have one.  He seemed surprised because he could have sworn we had talked about it at our last visit.  We had not.

Gestational-Diabetes (Photo credit: Adams999)

My GD has been very much under control, so I was feeling pretty good about myself.  He told me that yes, this was true, but in cases of older mothers with high blood pressure, he recommends induction between 38-39 weeks.

I was floored, because this was the first I was hearing about it.  I was expecting to go into labor in the middle of the night sometime in the next few weeks and go to the hospital and have a standard delivery just like most other moms.  In fact, I was counting on it.

I cried all the way home and then for most of the night.  I wanted the authentic labor experience, and I didn’t want to force my daughter out of me earlier than she was ready

The next day I had an appointment with my regular OB and she told me that she agreed with the MFM doctor’s recommendation and wanted to schedule an induction.  I had already prepared myself for this after talking with my husband and my father, but it still made me cry.

I know that the most important thing is to get her out safely.  A week and some days early is really not going to make that much difference in the grand scheme.

We scheduled the induction, and I’ve had a few days to think about it.  Here is what I’m feeling now:

Disappointment – I’d still like to go into labor on my own, when my daughter is ready.  I’d pictured waking my husband up in the middle of the night to tell him “it’s time” and watching him panic a teensy bit.

Relief – I’m a planner, so letting baby girl decide her debut was hard for me.  Having an end date is a relief.  I know when this will be over and the fun part (parenting) begins.

Excitement – This is really happening.  She’s coming!  No more empty bassinet, no more strict diabetic diet, no more aching hips.  I will get to kiss those tiny little toes and see who this little person is who has been hitching a ride inside me for the last 9 months.

I’m not publicizing the induction date for my own personal reasons.  I’ll be around with the birth story as soon as I can.