It looks like at this point, I will be having my VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean)! Baby A, Maverick, is head down and most likely will stay that way now. When he flipped head down, he must have crowded his brother because now Tucker is transverse (sideways). The doctor was not at all worried about that. If after delivering Maverick, Tucker is still breech, we have a few options. He will try to turn the baby externally first, and if that doesn't work, he will do a breech extraction (with a strongly recommended epidural... oh, darn). He does not foresee any problems with a vaginal delivery as of right now. He will continue to watch the size of the babies to make sure one isn't much bigger than the other, but that hasn't been an issue thus far. They measured 3 pounds, 5 ounces, and 3 pounds, 6 ounces this week.
He calmly discussed a few of the things that could go wrong, just so I am aware of what could happen. Not once did he try and talk me out of a vaginal delivery, so I'm very happy about that. He did say there is a 15% chance that one baby will be born and they could need to do a C-section for the second. That would be my worst nightmare... I'm going to ignore that possibility. I will have my doula there making sure we have exhausted all options before I have to have a c-section.
I asked him lots of questions about delivery, many of which weren't answered the way I had hoped. After taking my child birth class, I was hoping that I would be able to use a lot of the pain management options they suggested. Unfortunately, with the added risks that come with a VBAC, I won't be able to move around during labor as freely as I wanted. I will be hooked up with 3 monitors (one for contractions and one for each baby) as well as an IV. The nice thing is that I don't need to go to the hospital until contractions are 5 minutes apart. That gives me time to labor at home in the shower or bath tub, on the yoga ball, etc. I'll just have to be cautious since the hospital is about 50 minutes away!
He briefly mentioned induction around 38 weeks, by breaking my water. I've learned a lot from the VBAC community. So many of them are crazy DOCTORS ARE EVIL people, but they have some good points about what is medically necessary and what isn't. I could be wrong, but in my head, if they break my water too early there's got to be a bigger chance that I'll have a repeat c-section. Once water is broken, there are only so many hours before the baby needs to be out. What if my body isn't ready? What if I have the typical "failure to progress"? I guess I don't see the rush. I understand that twins are pretty full term at 38, but will it really hurt to wait until my body decides to start labor?
I'm pretty obsessed with reading birth stories, twins and singletons alike. It seems to me the ones where labor starts naturally tend to be faster and require less intervention. Those who are induced seem to have long labor and more interventions. There are only so many beds in a hospital, and if you have crazy preggo ladies lined up waiting to have their babies, they might try to hurry the process for those sitting pretty at 4 cm.
I'm hoping he gives me a say in the matter. Who knows though, I might be begging him to induce me at 38 weeks. I will have made it through almost all of July by that time and I know I will be huge and probably pretty miserable. But the doctor and I agreed the best case scenario would be for me to go into labor on my own.
I guess I need to relax a little! And trust God. My goal is to have healthy babies. I can't focus on what could go wrong.
So, I have around 7 or 8 weeks left, and I am going to try to enjoy my sleep and being pregnant. I will try to enjoy the time I have with my son, the last few weeks of him being an only child. I'll do my absolute best to not hate every day I still have to be at work. I will definitely enjoy the "go sit and put your feet up!" that I get from family and friends. I will enjoy the last weeks of having two sets of feet poking me to say, "Hi Mommy!".
I can't help but be excited and anxious though. I have a business card in my purse with numbers to call when I'm in labor... I have the diaper bag ready to go... I have two car seats ready to be put in my van...and I have two little boys inside of me that I am dying to meet!
And no matter what it takes to meet them, I am ready!
This Week's Stats:
How far along? 31 Weeks, 2 days.
How big are the twins? over 3 pounds each, and about 18 inches long! Picture a pineapple or coconut!
Total weight gain/loss? About 35 pounds... Hopefully breastfeeding two babies will get that gone quickly!
Maternity clothes? Of course, or anything I can find that will fit this big belly!
Sleep? Getting difficult. Sometimes I wake up and can't go back to sleep for an hour or two. I get a lot of leg cramps or restless legs. Heartburn is gone thanks to the prilosec!
Best moment this week? Hearing that Maverick is head down!
Symptoms? Exhaustion. Leg cramps. Swollen hands and feet. Some back pain. Typical 3rd trimester stuff. It's nothing I can't handle!
Food cravings? Not much... I hardly finish meals, for the first time in my life. Guess my stomach is just too crowded.
Food aversions? Nothing really.
Labor signs? I've had a Braxton Hicks contraction a few times. Some pelvic pain, not enough to ever worry about.
Belly button in or out?Neither. It's neutral.
What I miss? Diet Pepsi. Being able to bend over.
What I'm looking forward to? Calling Jer and saying "IT'S TIME!"
Bump? See below...
No comments:
Post a Comment