Labor Update

I had another doctor's appointment yesterday, nothing really new came from it so this update really isn't one.

The doctor did not check my progress, they don't want to check too often since I can get an infection from that, but I was curious where I was at so it was disappointing.

I had last been at 2cm and 70% effaced.  That was the Tuesday before, so a long week in between to have some changes.

I have been having a lot of Braxton hicks contractions, I have had some days in particular where she is sitting just right to really not be very comfortable to carry, today she is feeling okay though.

Basically all looks good and we are just waiting for something to happen.  My next appointment is Tuesday.

My mom and aunt are coming into town on Thursday and at least my mom will be here until it happens and beyond.  My aunt will head back home and come later with my grandma, but maybe she will get lucky and be here when things start to happen too, who knows.

I just keep being told by the doctor that things go faster with number two, don't wait to come in, bring Conrad if I have to.  That rarely are outside means needed to assist with the labor, meaning the vacuum or forceps.  I think she thinks I could really go quick.  With Conrad I first woke up with any labor paid at 3am, was at the hospital at 8am and dilated to 6, by the time I got the epidural and settled I was an 8 and they kept saying he will be here by noon.  His head was right there ready to go, but he just sort of paused and wasn't making it through that next push out.  Noon became 6pm and we finally used the vacuum to help get his shoulders past that pelvis bone, he was just a little askew in there and happy to just be chilling, not in a hurry.

So if not for that I think he would have been a pretty quick labor and out by noon, and if that is an indication, I believe she could come quick.  Whatever I just want her to be healthy, which I am more worried about this time than I was last.  The CPC is still in the back of mind even if it shouldn't really be and I am sort of sure it will not be anything, what if it is?

Did I write about the CPC?  I think I didn't want to since it was a little worrisome to me, but I will now.
CPC stands for Choroid Plexus Cyst.  At 20 weeks when we had our full ultrasound and they measure everything and take pictures and make sure everything looks right they found a cyst in our babies brain.  Apparently these are very common they happen because as the baby grows a tiny air bubble forms in the cerebrospinal fluid.  They generally just absorb and disappear and have no meaning, our doctor even said her daughter had one but is completely healthy and smart and fine. But...
Some people think a CPC is a sign of Trisomy 18. Trisomy 18 is when babies are born with an extra copy of the chromosome 18.  When this happens it almost always leads to the baby being stillborn or born with major mental retardation and not living long.  In about a third of the CPC case the baby was this Trisomy 18.  There was no other testing we could do or could have done between then and now about this since even if they looked and the cyst was now gone, which would be normal and common, it being gone does not mean the Trisomy thing is then confirmed to not be present.

Because Kris and I had the optional sequential testing for some of these types of issues at 12 weeks our doctor was able to look at those results of our Trisomy 18 testing and found that our results from that showed the chances of this were 1 in 10,000.  Our doctor basically said all looks very good for us, that it was very likely to be nothing and not to be of concern.  She even basically said she would not have even told us except that if we ever did find out there had been a cyst present or if there was a problem we would ask why she had not told us, and of course practice is to inform people, her point is she is so not worried she almost wouldn't even have told us.

So as much as I should not be worried, we have not other reasons to think there is a problem, and it is totally likely it will be and is nothing it is just in the back of my mind that what if this does not go right or this baby is not well, can we handle it, what will we do?

Okay so moving on,

This weekend is the golf show in Portland, Kris wasn't sure if he should go just in case something starts happening for me.  I am sending him on Saturday but do have some fear what if things start happening.  I basically told him if I feel anything I think could be something I will be calling him and he will need to come back immediately.  Now I am worried that in my head any little contraction or twinge will set me off and I will be calling him back for nothing.  Yet if I don't listen to my body and say it is nothing I could be delivering at home by myself all of a sudden.  Lets just hope I feel nothing and it is all quiet until he returns.

For some reason I want this little one to have a March birthday not a February birthday, in my mind it just sounds better or something, but when I said this yesterday to my doctor she seemed to sort of say that is still a few days off, and scooted around it a bit making me think she thinks it will be happening sooner than that.