False Alarm.
Well, I'm back home and still pregnant. We got to the hospital with our suitcase and my Boppy pillow in hand, but the doctor who scheduled this appointment--the Chief--was not there. Instead, we met with a different doctor. He checked my BP, did an ultrasound and was gearing up to just send us home when Michael explained the situation. Well, this doctor didn't think there was any medical reason to induce at this point. (For what it's worth, he had not done any labwork despite the fact that there has been increasing amounts of protein in my urine this week and my bloodwork, last taken a week ago, showed decreasing platelets. Both are signs of preeclempsia.) He called the Chief and they spoke for a long time while we were out of the room. In the end, he said that the Chief was never definite about inducing today, and that it isn't medically necessary. He did say that they could induce by request, but he went on and on about why he thought this was a bad idea. We requested that somebody do my labwork, and decided to talk about induction together and get back to him.
The thing is, I am in general opposed to things like early C-sections and inductions planned around the mother's schedule. I was OK with being induced for medical reasons, but to have to ask for a "medically unnecessary" induction made me really uncomfortable. At the same time, we knew from Terry (Michael's mom) that, were I back home, I would for sure have been induced by now. The baby is 37 1/2 weeks along, and my BP got extremely high before they doubled the dose of my medication. Even more worrisome is the fact that, when I'm not sleeping in the hospital, I am really not being monitored closely. I had my BP and urine checked a few times this week, but no bloodwork at all--and that's what tracks the state of the liver and kidneys. (In the hospital they did daily bloodwork and twice daily urine analysis.) All that to say, I didn't really like my options. (And, of course, it was just emotionally exhausting to spend the week gearing up for labor--and for this baby--and to have the plans changed like that.)
Anyway, we prayed about it together and talked and talked, but I could not even decide how to go about deciding! Finally, Michael suggested that we sit outside for awhile and get some fresh air and talk about it there. Once outside, another doctor (whom I know from my stay in the hospital, and whom I really like) came by to say hello. Before I knew what I was doing, I blurted out our story to her. She said very simply "I see no reason at all not to induce." Michael asked her to explain and she said that, if she were in my situation, she would induce. The baby is far enough along that there is virtually no risk to him, and the risks of preeclempsia are real and can develop very quickly. So, to her, it was a no-brainer. Then she added, "I thought the Chief said you were supposed to be induced today!"
That conversation felt so clearly like answered prayer, we just went back in and requested an induction. They won't do requested inductions right away, so we are scheduled for 8AM Sunday morning in labor & delivery.
At least the hospital bag is packed!
No comments:
Post a Comment