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| (9 months) |
Today is my due date but I read somewhere that only
about 5% of women actually give birth on their due date. So to help pass the
time, while I have it, here is my update. I left off with my baby being in a
breech position. I tried some “home remedies” like inversions, swimming,
handstands, etc. I have heard acupuncture can help flip a breech baby but for
the cost I decided I would wait and if she didn’t flip on her own, I would have
an external cephalic version.
Time passed by and
she didn’t flip. At 37 weeks I went in for my ECV appointment. The first thing
the nurses did was put two monitors on my belly, one to monitor the baby’s
heart rate and another to monitor contractions. They also checked my heart
rate. The monitors had to be on my for at least 15 minutes so they could see
that the baby was doing fine. The nurse asked me if I had any contractions and
I told her no, just little Braxton Hick’s here and there. Then she told me I
was currently contracting. Weird! I didn’t feel anything but there it was on
the monitor. She told me this was (most likely) due to the fact that I hadn’t
been allowed to eat or drink since midnight and being dehydrated can cause
contractions. Guess it goes to show just how important staying hydrated during
pregnancy is!
The nurse then put
a needle thing in my arm in case I would need an IV in the event of an
emergency c-section. The first try didn’t work so the nurse called in an
anesthesiologist and she got the IV in no problem. My arm was sore and bruised
for over a week from the first attempt. It still slightly hurts to the touch!
Then I got a shot of tocolytic (I think) that helps relax smooth
muscles, i.e. the uterus. My “contractions” stopped. The Doctor did an
ultrasound to confirm the baby was still breech and that I had plenty of
amniotic fluid. Everything looked great on the monitors and the Doctor, with
the help of a midwife, was ready to start the procedure.
He
told me to try to relax my stomach area as much as possible. So I closed my
eyes, focused on my breathing and relaxed. Levi stayed at the bottom of the bed
to rub my feet. Every two minutes the nurse would check the baby’s heart rate
to make sure it didn’t drop. It never did. To start the Doctor picked up on the
baby’s feet and moved her out of my pelvis. The midwife then held the baby in
place. He then slowly began to turn the baby. I could feel his muscles tensed
but it was not painful for me. Levi told me the Doctor was working hard but he
wasn’t pushing hard on me. He just had to be very steady while moving the baby.
I guess he closed his eyes too to get a better feel. He stopped two or three
times for the heart rate monitoring and then he did an ultrasound and said it
worked.
That
was awesome. The whole “flipping” procedure took about 5 minutes. This Doctor
was highly recommended and I can see why. We called him the “baby whisperer.”
He was very skilled at his work and made sure the baby’s health was the number
one priority. He told me beforehand that he wasn’t there to “win.” If the baby
didn’t want to move one way he would try another and if she still didn’t want
to move then that would be it. It was very reassuring. He and the nurses all
complimented me on how relaxed I looked and stayed. The procedure was a bit
uncomfortable but nothing unbearable, so I am going to say that all of my races
over the years have helped teach me how to be relaxed in uncomfortable
situations. Let’s hope labor can be that way too!
I
received a shot of Rhogam since my blood is RH negative as a precaution in case
any of my blood and the baby’s mixed. You don’t want your body to create
antibodies against a different type of blood, for instance if our baby’s blood
is RH positive then my body would create antibodies against this and conceiving
in the future would be difficult.
I was
then placed on the monitors for an hour. I ordered in some food and watched TV
to pass the time. The baby’s heart rate was steady the whole time and never
dropped. She did great. When it was time to go I definitely noticed a change
when I stood up. There was a lot more pressure in my pelvis from her head! The
nurse gave me this girdle looking thing to wear 24/7 to supposedly help the
baby stay in her new position. I did a great job of wearing it for 3-4 days
then I caved. It was itchy, hot, and uncomfortable. I asked my midwife and they
said I didn’t need to wear it anymore. It was more important to wear the first
couple of days. Whew!
The
whole procedure was pretty neat. It is amazing to me that the Doctor was able
to move a baby from the outside! She is still cooperating in her head down
position as well but who knows when she will decide to make her grand entrance
into this world!
