39 Week Checkup: Loooking gooood. . .

BP: 130/74 Fundal Height: 40 cm
Weight: +2 lbs
Cervix: 50% effaced, 1 cm dilated, -2 station

Oh Internet, I can hardly contain my excitement! While the above stats may look like a bunch of numbers to the average eye, they are happy numbers that bring some really great news.

Let’s start with the cervix, shall we? Hmmm, there's an ice breaker. . .Anyhoo. So my cervix is soft and thin, which is what you want at 39 weeks. I’m 1 cm dilated, and -2 station, which means that Keiki has started to move down into the pelvis. The baby starts at -3, and all the way out of the birth canal is a positive 3. This explains the fact that while my abdominal pain has passed, I’m feeling lots of pressure and discomfort in my pelvis. That said, it's a good pain, a pain that feels right. Even without jumping jacks, Keiki is moving along. Dr. B said she could feel Keiki’s head. Isn’t that wild?!

For the first time, Dr. B has been excited about VBAC. For the most part, she’s been pretty conservative and open about that from our first conversation about VBAC, when she said her success rate was 85%, mainly due to the fact that she is conservative about all the stars aligning. We talked about potential interventions, such as stripping membranes (to move along the dilation process), breaking my water, maybe a little pitocin, and while I’m not so keen on interventions (the pineapple that I just ate doesn’t really count), the discussion itself made me feel like Dr. B was giving her seal of approval. It was felt hard-won, and that felt wonderful. I didn't want a doctor who pushed her own agenda or completely cave to my agenda, whatever that may be. I hope that every pregnant woman can have such a great advocate.

Today’s physical exam, along with last week’s ultrasound has given us some really great news. And by great news, I don’t need to schedule a C-Section anymore. The plan has always been that if I get to my due date, we’ll schedule a C-Section, but that is no longer a necessity. Oh sure, lots of things can happen in the next week or two that may shift the tide, but right now, we are looking good for VBAC. And after a nice walk through Target, I’m cramping away and it hurts so good. Go, Keiki go!

After I had Jacob, I just immediately assumed that I needed to have a C-Section, done deal, that’s all she wrote. And then I started learning about VBAC, and opening up to that choice, as well as all the emotional work required to keep my options open. Despite all the good news above, I may end up with a C-Section after all. While I can’t say how I’ll handle that, what I know right now is that I’ve done everything I can to make the best choice for me and my family, and I am so grateful for that. I know that if I had stuck rigidly (barring medical necessity) to one camp or the other, I would have regrets and what ifs. My feeling is that the best birth is one that you feel good about and feels good to you, regardless of how the kid comes out. I don’t know that I would always have defined it as such or even thought about it at all, but I'm sure glad that I have. Go, Keiki go!