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Maryland Babies
This needs to be over.
I'm not new to The Bump, but I've never really posted. Lately though, I feel as if the end of this pregnancy can't come soon enough and there's no one I can really talk to that has proven to even understand where I'm coming from. So in an effort to keep myself sane, here goes nothing.
Up until the last trimester, this has been a relatively easy pregnancy. I got pregnant in March, and because I'm a teacher, I spent the Summer months relaxing at home. When I went back to work in September, things just went down hill. I was roughly 24 weeks and I felt like I couldn't really keep up with the demands of my job. Due to high student enrollment, I lost my classroom, so I would have to float all over school pretty much all day long. Being on my feet constantly and having to deal with all the crappy student behaviors really took a toll on me and my energy levels. To top that off, there was no administrative support--so issues never really resolved themselves, but instead they bubbled up.
At around 17 weeks, my doctor decided that it was necessary for me to get ultrasounds done at the hospital, something which further complicated my job because I would have to request to leave early for these ultrasounds. Normally, most women wouldn't have to have many over the course of their pregnancy... but because they couldn't get proper images of baby's heart and he was breech, I wound up going for an ultrasound almost every 2-3 weeks from week 17 until the heart images revealed all was well on week 32. This really complicated things at work, to the point where I was told my job was in danger--which is, of course, exactly what you want to hear when you have the responsibility of another mouth to feed.
And then the health things started piling up... Around week 33 I started getting excessively swollen, dizzy and lightheaded at work. I started cramping a lot with severe vaginal pain and then came the headaches. All of these left me practically pushing myself to do my job and counting the minutes until I could go home and put my feet up. Never mind the fact that I felt useless in the classroom and fearful that my condition could become a liability since I work with really volatile kids.
After trying different medications and having none work, and being tested for pre-eclampsia and having that come back negative twice...my doctor pulled me out of work at week 37...which was very much looked down upon by my employer, since it had always been in my plans to work until the very end.
I thought that once I went home things would start looking up health wise... and they did for about a week. But lately everything seems to be doing down hill again.
My headaches and vaginal pain are back with a vengeance. The only that works for me is Fioracet and I have to take two of them several times a day to make it through the day. In addition, the swelling never went down, but has rather gotten worse--to the point where I have pins and needles all over my legs from time to time. My blood pressure has also shot up. My energy levels are on the ground and I'm just in pain everywhere. On most days, I can't keep anything down, which coupled with the diarrhea I've had for the last two weeks has left me dehydrated. And to add insult to injury... I fell while walking last week and did a full split. Which just added on to my vaginal discomfort. So, I was put on yet another medication for that.
I can't really walk too long without being in excruciating pain. And I can't sleept laying down because of it either...so I sleep--or at least I try to sleep--sitting up. I've been doing that for a week... a week during which both hubby and I have been getting very little sleep because I'm in so much pain that I can barely get out of bed by myself.
So as I approach my due date (12/18) the only thought in my head is that this has to end. I love my baby, but its been too long. I'm too tired and completely petrified that I won't be able to muster up the necessary energy for the natural, pain-med free delivery that hubby and I wanted. I'm 2-3 cm dialated and have lost my mucous plug, but I have no contractions whatsoever. I feel them come and go, but they're not painful, just uncomfortable. Doctor says that if there is no baby, she will induce at 41 weeks...but I really think I can't wait any longer. I'm tired of being in pain, I'm tired of being on medication for everything, I'm just altogether tired of being pregnant and considering that LO might definitely be an only child. I feel depressed and completely isolated since hubby and I are pretty much alone in Baltimore. We moved here a year ago and our families are really far away.
Ugh, words of wisdom anyone?
This discussion has been closed.
Re: This needs to be over.
Have you discussed elective induction with your care provider. It sounds like your body isn't tolerating pregnancy very well. A lot of doctor's will hesitate to do an elective induction prior to week 39, but if you DD is 12/18 then you made it to 39 weeks + 2 days.
Call your doctor!
Hugs
Edited: Sorry, apparently I missed the part where you already discussed induction at 41 weeks. My assumption is that your provider is worried about a failed induction attempt if you try sooner. Induction also may not be the best option if you hope for an unmedicated birth.
However, it does sound from how your describing it as if giving birth is reallly the only thing that is going to help with your issues, so I would call and talk to your doctor about an earlier induction date. All they can say is no, right?
Or, if you feel up to it, you could try marital relations to get things moving... orgasam and nipple stimulation can kick start labor.
As for not sleeping, you may want to consider renting an adjustable hospital bed, even if it is only for a couple weeks it may give you some pain relief and let you sleep.
BFP#1: 01/10, M/C 6w
BFP#2: 06/10, M/C 5w
BFP#3: 09/10, DS born June 1, 2011
BFP#4: 07/12, M/C 5w3d
BFP#5: 12/12, EDD 08/18/13
My Blog: Decorate This
You are almost there! If you have lost your mucous plug & are contracting then you are really close to going on your own. I think there are too many risks associated with pitocin induction (it has the same rate of uterine rupture in 1st time moms as VBAC and most doctors won't VBAC, so I don't know why they are all so flippin' eager to hook a woman up to pit!) Once you start with the pit, it starts the cascade of interventions.
This may sound insane but is sex w/ your DH totally out of the question? Order carry-out, have a glass of wine and just try to relax and do the deed. Sex, walking and nipple stimulation are really the only "natural" methods of induction that work. Next step up is castor oil- it's a smooth muscle stimulant, but you will have major diarrhea which can be unpleasant. Ina May Gaskin's book says you should only resort to it if you can manage to get a good night's sleep the night before.
I had a pit induction w/ my DD @ 41wks + 4 days & resulting in sh!tshow of a vaginal delivery, vacuum assist & DD needed NICU team after birth. I went 4 days late w/ DS and managed to have a completely intervention free delivery and it was downright blissful compared to the L&D w/ DD.
If at all possible you need to really try to put all of the stress associated with your job aside. It's in the past and you don't want that negativity to have a direct impact on birthing your LO.
You've gotten a lot of wonderful advice already. The late days of your pregnancy sound so much like what I was going through at around that time and I really, really feel for you. If your blood pressure is borderline you might consider talking to your doctor again about inducing, especially if you're continuing to dilate. Otherwise, do everything you can to make yourself tolerably comfortable while you ride this out.
Like daisy said, try sex if you can handle it. Take warm baths. Have a glass of wine. And just try to ride this out without controlling what happens. There are legal protections as far as your job is concerned and you can worry about them later. Maybe you'll have a natural birth or maybe you'll be induced. Or maybe you'll decide to hell with this and get an epi - at the end of the day, who cares so long as in the end you and your baby are healthy? The end of pregnancy is pretty hellacious. But you are SO close, momma. Hugs and hang in there!!
lovelylittleworld
BFP#2 1/12/12 ~ Missed M/C 8w2d
I just wanted to say I had the opposite of Daisy's experience with an induction (just don't want you to get scared since it seems you're already going through enough right now). I was induced 1.5wks after my due date with DS. They hooked me up at 12pm & DS was born at exactly 10:25pm. The meds really helped me dilate, the only reason they didn't have me start pushing sooner (started around 8:30 or so) is because my stubborn lil guy never dropped! But, labor was pretty easy (I did go for the epi).
All I heard from people that had inductions was that I should try to avoid it, they're awful, they come with the worst pain/side effects, etc. etc. I just wanted you to hear that they're not always bad!
Hope you can make it to your DD or that your little one decides to come early!! GL with everything!
This exactly! I had severe swelling, blood pressure issues early (33 weeks) and I was lucky or not so lucky to develop pre-e. I would definitely talk to your doctor. Your almost there, hopefully LO will come soon.
Try not to worry too much about your job - it's just that... a job, and while it may be necessary to have... your health and your family come first! And I agree with RagDolls - you are protected by laws if there are issues.
As far as your pregnancy goes... I feel you... I had a relatively easy pregnancy until later in the third trimester... I was BEYOND swollen, couldn't walk, was so uncomfortable, couldn't sleep, couldn't really eat, etc. At week 35, they tested me for preclampsia and then started really watching my blood pressure. Finally, at 38 weeks, my doctor ordered me to stop working so I went on short term disability. The doctor chose to induce me at 39 weeks due to hypertension. I had a medicated L&D, so maybe it's not the same opportunity as you, but I would check with your doc again. Initially I had been told that 41 weeks was when I'd be introduced if LO hadn't come before... but my health issues changed that - same issue as yours.
Good Luck - you are almost there and holding your little one will make it all worth it... I promise!
Good luck! I had an early induction (36w2d) because of slow growth. They did two round of pitocin, which did NOTHING. They broke my water and DD was born 6 hours later. I had a pain-med free birth and was able to move around while I labored. I didn't have to have any further interventions (besides the water breaking).
Can you take something to sleep? (Normally, I would NOT recommend this to pregnant women). My Midwife suggested that I take some Benedryl the day before my induction. If your Dr. oks it, I would take it one or two nights to try and get some rest and then try some natural stimulation methods as pp have said.
I also cannot understand why your Dr. has not looked into inducing you yet, but I am sure he/she has reasons and it sounds like you heading towards the end!
Were you having trouble with your energy level before you were having trouble sleeping? If so it could be due to low iron levels and you might want to try taking an iron supplement. Whenever my iron levels drop I get really fatigued and will have issues with getting lightheaded and dizzy.
Talk to your OB to see if it is okay for you to drink Pedialyte, it will help with the dehydration by providing you with the fluids and electrolytes you are losing from the diarrhea. You want to avoid juice, soda, and Gatorade because the sugar content in those will make your diarrhea worse.
I taught till 38.5 weeks, so I can totally sympathize there. In the end, it's just a job, and you'll find priorities change once your baby is born!
As for getting things going, as awkward as it will be, have sex with your DH. Sperm will naturally help you dilate.
miscarriage on 11/26/09 at 5w6d