Seriously Over Due

I apologize in advance for the random scatteredness of this post. My mind is scattered right now so it's a good reflection! ok, so where did we leave off? My days and weeks and insanely long pregnancy are all running together. Right now I'm 41 weeks and 4 days pregnant but hey it's almost midnight so lets be honest I'm gonna make it to 41 & 5, and can I honestly tell you I NEVER thought I'd be THIS pregnant?!? I hate to say it but I still feel ok physically but mentally/emotionally I'm sorta loosing it.

Thursday was my 41 week appointment and Jared came with me for moral support. I was still only 1cm dilated and my OB did another membrane sweep which incase you hadn't deduced did NOTHING! She offered to do a c-section the next day (they can't do a standard induction because I've had 2 previous c-sections) but Jared and I agreed before we ever went in that because there is already a mass which could potentially hinder her breathing we want to give her lungs as much time as possible to develop as possible. Since we weren't on board with a next day surgery they kept me for a Non Stress Test. It was pretty boring, and gave Jared and I a chance to breath and discuss more what we wanted to do with this labor/delivery.

 After everything was given the all clear, we discussed when this little one would need to join us. I trust my OB and love that she takes into account my research, knowledge of my own body, hopes for the birth, and explains things from all sides so that we can make an informed decision together. Like I said Jared and I agreed that we wanted to allow this little bit to stay in as long as possible to which we discussed the risks of going past 40 and 41 weeks gestation, and that she was still ok with me trying to VBAC if I went into labor naturally, but that we can't medically induce because I've had previous c-sections, and it's just not safe to force unnaturally strong contractions with synthetic drugs on a uterus that has been previously opened (twice). We compromised and agreed for an extra ultrasound to check on the baby one more time.

In the mean time the girls' and I have done lots of walking, parks, the neighborhood, malls. I've been drinking weird teas, eating absurd amounts of pineapple and dates (look it up) and just about every other old wives tale there is to try to induce labor (except drink castor oil-I'm a little nervous about that one) The girls have enjoyed all the outings, and we even threw in a drive in movie this weekend to ease the constant activity. There was a double feature of Zootopia and Kung-Fu Panda 3 and with too many snacks was still only $20 for the whole family! STEAL!

A few laps around the gardens at Opry 

my little family and at least a dozen pillows in the back of the van at the drive in

Well This morning was a follow up ultrasound to check on our little girl. We all went as a family, the girls thought it was pretty cool to see their little sister on the inside of me and it was a basic, short ultrasound so I knew they could handle it. The tech we had was not the best, she didn't check as much  of the fun little stuff and was less informative than the others we've had. The mass is still there, but fluid levels look good still and blood flow from the placenta through umbilical cord was healthy. She took a practice breath almost right away which is a good sign and her heart rate was good. So with my doctors blessing I was allowed to leave and stay pregnant till at most Friday.

I'm scheduled for a c-section friday morning if I don't go into labor before then. So my sweet little family spent the day (seriously 6+ hours) walking with me so that maybe this little lady would come out. We hit a few stores, walked laps around a mall and then decided to join costco so we could walk laps there. The girls were TROOPERS and it made it SOOO much easier that Jared was with us. I had a few hours of contractions but after sitting down for dinner and then taking a short bath they've tapered off and here we are.

Right now I'm trying to wrap my head around potentially having to have a c-section simply because my body won't go into labor for one reason or another. It's easier to swallow after trying to labor or because your not medically allowed to labor but being cleared to VBAC and trying to go into labor and not is tough!

Her diaper bag is packed, although we may not get to bring her home from the hospital right away if she needs emergent surgery (which we are prepared to hear) My hospital bag is packed except the last minute toiletries, Hospital snacks are in the van, Stupid high tech baby monitor arrived today, and we put all the final touches on the nursery this weekend.

We're ready in every way possible.