The Before

As I predicted in my previous post, our sweet baby was quite content to stay where he was.  My due date came and went as well as six more days.  I went in for my doctor's appointment a little earlier than planned on my due date, Friday, the 10th.  That morning I woke up to some contractions.  They weren't painful, but they were somewhat consistent.  This was strange for me considering I have never really had contractions before actually being induced, so I was a bit on edge.  And Dan was scheduled to work in Jackson that day, so I was nervous as to whether or not he should go.  It would take an hour and a half one way to get to the place he was working and with my faster labors, we just weren't sure.  So, I called the doctor and asked if I could come in earlier.   Dan and I headed in to the doctor while my mother-in-law stayed with the kids.  (She came down the night before to stay with us for a few days until my mom could come on Sunday.)  

At the appointment, Dr. Morgan checked me and said I was about 2cm and maybe 50% effaced.  He gave the go ahead for Dan to head to Jackson.  He told me that I had a minimum of 24 hours before I had a baby.  Dan was a bit disappointed.  He was hoping Dr. Morgan would just send us over to the hospital and have a baby.  I wasn't sure what I wanted.  Of course I was anxious to see our baby, but I also remember labor and I just wasn't really looking forward to that. :)  Instead of inducing us, we scheduled another doctor's appointment for Tuesday, the 14th.  I was quite doubtful that we would make it that far and a bit surprised that they would have me wait that long, but I still felt really good, so I went along with it.  

The days went by and I was able to get a lot of projects checked off my list.  I finished the quilt top I had been working on, made some cute little neckties for the baby, and I made several hair bows and headbands for a friend's baby girl.  I was busy crafting and loving it!  I love a good project/craft.  :)   And it made the time go by a lot faster.  

On Sunday I had a few comments from people about being surprised that I was still pregnant.  I wasn't as surprised as everyone else obviously since I am used to going late.  That evening my Mom and and mother-in-law switched places.  The girls were thrilled to have more company!  We went to the park several times, had picnic lunches, got snow cones, worked on building our new swing set and played.  We always have fun when Grandma is around!

Monday night my dad and sister, Sarah, came.  Sarah accepted a teaching position at an elementary school in Idaho Falls (which is about an hour and 45 minutes away from here) and she needed to check out her classroom, meet the principal in person and find a place to live.  

Tuesday did in fact come and I was able to go to my doctor's appointment in the morning.  I went by myself.  I did make some progress.  I was at 3cm, but still no signs of labor.  Dr. Morgan and I discussed what route I wanted to take.  I was very torn.  I was still feeling great, so I wasn't bothered by being pregnant and I was still determined to have a natural, drug free delivery, so I wanted baby to come on his own.  Yet, there were people here basically waiting for his arrival.  My parents were here and the days that my mom could stay were numbered.  And I did want her help after delivery.  Those first few days can be a bit challenging as your body is recovering, your emotions are all over the place, and you are lacking in the sleep department.  Not to mention, Dan was driving me crazy with his anxious anticipation of the baby's arrival.  He just.wanted.the.baby.HERE!  In his defense, he had some projects that he was trying to plan and get done around the house and he was having a hard time scheduling things for work since he works in several different locations. Not knowing when the baby would come wasn't helping.  He didn't want to be too far away and it seemed that a lot of work was showing up in other towns.

With that all being said, Dr. Morgan and I discussed what needed to be done.  I asked how long they actually would let me go before they had to induce me.  And he said they recommend inducing at 41 weeks.  That was just in a few days, so I knew we had to make a decision.  Dr.  Morgan said I could basically choose any day I wanted (Wed, Thurs, or Fri).  I told him I needed to discuss it with Dan and I would get back to him.  Before I left, he had me do a stress test on the baby to make sure all was well.  Everything looked fine.

It took awhile for Dan and I to decide what day to be induced.  (We had differing opinions.)  It's so easy to say to do on the earliest possible day when you are not the one going through the pain.  ;)  We had planned on pouring a sidewalk in front of our house.  (There was just a warped wooden sidewalk of sorts that led to our front porch.)  My dad brought a small cement mixer and his cement tools to help us with the project, so we were trying to coordinate with his schedule as well, knowing that he needed to go to Idaho Falls with Sarah on Thursday and then to Utah on Friday or Saturday to get some heating supplies for the houses he is building this summer.  I was convinced that Wednesday was the best day for Dan to get the sidewalk done with my Dad and then Thursday we could go have a baby.  With some convincing, Dan finally came around and agreed to that plan.  So, I called Dr. Morgan and let him know we would like to be induced on Thursday.

Wednesday Dan and my Dad worked hard on framing the sidewalk and getting it all prepped so the cement could be poured.  I wasn't feeling to well that morning.  I was having contractions off and on and I just felt a bit off.  The weather was cloudy and a bit rainy that morning.  (Which a lady at the doctor's office told me will put women into labor.  I don't know if that is true, but both that day and the previous Friday when I had contractions, the weather was cloudy and rainy.)  We decided to go to the Red Baron for lunch and then finish up some work on the sidewalk after.  When we got home, the sun came out so we spent some time outside, overseeing the men's work.  And as the day wore on, I felt fine again.  Strange.  This little guy just didn't want to come on his own.  We were going to make it 'til Thursday after all.