Again, I apologize for the delay, but it's been for a very good reason!
Because Dr. Hamilton wanted to watch my fluid levels, and because I was so far along, I had weekly appts for fluid checks, non-stress tests, and cervical checks. At my 38 week check, Dr. Hamilton told me that I was 1 cm. dilated and was 40% effaced. Yay for progress! My fluid levels went up, which I was happy about because I was actively trying to stay better hydrated. Evie was still head down in her scan, and her NST looked great.
My 39 week appt was supposed to be on Thursday, Sept 22nd, but I started to feel unwell on Wednesday. I was working my last day prior to maternity leave when I started to get a headache, pressure in my neck, and sudden nausea. Because I have easy access to blood pressure machines in the clinic, I had my coworker take my pressure. It was approximately 125/84, which is NOT my normal. When I'm not pregnant, my pressure is typically about 100/60. When pregnant, I run closer to 110/70. I waited all day for a call back and never got one, so I just made sure to watch my pressure and relax as much as possible. The next morning (my first at home on maternity leave), I got a call from Dr. Hamilton's MA, Monica, asking me to come in ASAP for another lab, fluid check, NST, and cervical check. Everything seemed fine, but when Dr. H checked my progress, I was still a tight 1 cm. and 50% effaced.
When I heard these numbers, I had a heart-to-heart with Dr. H about how realistic my VBAC chances were at that point, and she told me that she'd be surprised if I dilated enough to allow for it on the 28th. I had a complete emotional breakdown then. Despite wanting the VBAC, I'd felt the same way, and I was having intense anxiety about something going wrong with Evie while we waited for the 28th. After my discussion, we decided to bump my c-section up to Friday, Sept 23rd at noon. Wow! We were right around the corner from having a baby.
