Tuesday, February 23...The Wait

On Tuesday morning, Todd and I were up bright and early (actually, earlier than need be at 5am because his brother Dale starting calling with truck problems. Yeah, it's usually Dale having problems at 5am. I didn't sleep well anyhow...it was like Christmas Eve, except I knew Santa wasn't bringing the gifts....I'd have to deliver it!

My parents came over and we left before Adam woke up. Leaving him was hard, but I felt if I woke him up to say goodbye it would be harder for him. We went to the surgery center as instructed and was admitted. We waited in the delivery room for Dr. Coty. he did an ultrasound to see what was going on and SURPRISE Abigail had flipped back into place...her head was where it needed to be. No painful version and no c-section. It was weird...it wasn't what I expected, but the doctor wasn't particularly surprised. He said he had "a feeling". So...they used a medication meant to soften my cervix to start labor. Often, Dr. Coty had told me, second time moms induce fairly quickly and it all happens in one day. But...that wasn't meant to be.

Todd and I walked the halls...waiting for the medication to take effect. It was a medication that they give you a dose every three hours no more than four times. So at about 10:20am the WAIT began. Walking didn't help; when they checked me no progress. Another dose, another hour of baby monitoring and another couple of hours walking. And...Nothing but a few contractions here and there...but not the painful ones...


Dr. Coty said we'd try one more dose...if it didn't work...they'd give me a new medication that night that works overnight....The last dose did give me a few painful contractions and they got me into the tub. (The tub is amazing with making you feel better during contractions!) But they died out...and as the night shift came on, it was decided I'd be given the new medication. They offered me Ambien and morphine to help me sleep. I usually hate taking anything like that...medicines have such an effect on me...but I knew I needed sleep, recalling how hard labor was with Adam because I had been up for three days. I declined the morphine as I wasn't in real pain and took the Ambien. Todd laid down on the convenient maternity ward Flip-n-**** :) Day one was ending...it was hard to go to sleep having thought we'd have a baby...Dr. Coty said he'd be there all night in case I decided to go...but I didn't.

I was glad to have Todd there with me all day...he kept me from getting too disappointed, teased me when I needed to laugh and kept me reminded of what a wonderful thing was waiting at the end, even though I knew how hard it was for him to have to keep waiting, too.


PS I had been on a liquid diet since the night before and Dr. Coty said I could "eat"...the nurse told me the snacks she had on hand...and I scarfed down two single servings of Frosted flakes, vanilla pudding, & jello and then ate Todd's leftover chips. Todd thought it was pretty funny...he said it was the first time in a long time he saw me act like a starving pregnant woman!!