One day later

All of that excitement was from yesterday.  When we got in and the baby was in the right position they decided to induce labor while the timing was good.  So they induced for a few hours and it looked like we were going to have the baby.  That was what I was blogging about.

After a few hours the midwife checked to see how Gina had come along and couldn’t feel the head.  They got the ultrasound and, sure enough, the baby was breach.  The midwife called in the doctor to look into turning the baby back so that it would be head down.  The doctor advocated a C-section.  The midwife began advocating a C-section as well.  The nurse wasn’t allowed to advocate anything.

Gina asked me what I thought.  I told her I wasn’t a midwife or a doctor.  She still wanted to know.  I told her that I thought she wasn’t ripe yet and that she needed time.  I think that for a bunch of reasons.  First, I know that the recorded due date isn’t the actual due date the sonographer from back in the day predicted, but was a bit earlier.  Second, Timmy and Elsie were 8 pound babies.  This one they think is pretty small right now.  Third, Gina isn’t acting like she is too close to spontaneous labor though it’s getting closer.  I guess the rest is just gut and having faith in Gina’s body to know what it is doing and when and in God for the rest.

Anyway, after people finally left Gina had a good cry.  She doesn’t want another C-section.  And we believe that if she has one this time then she’ll have one with any other child.  The nurse took pains to explain that she couldn’t make any recommendations but that the choice was ours.  If we wanted to leave the hospital we could and we would be welcomed back in later.

And Gina gradually made the decision to come home.  We signed the papers explaining that we were leaving against recommendations and why and came back home about 1:30 last night.  Today she is getting a bit of rest, walking around, and keeping things moving here with the kids.  She seems in great health and there is nothing close to labor going on.

It’s funny.  The plan had been to try an inversion and it ended up seeming like there was going to be a sudden C-section.  Last night everything seemed so urgent.  Today it is clear that Gina isn’t in labor.  We’ve been following the baby.  She seems head down.  But she’s been moving around a fair amount over the past few days so it’s hard to say.

Gina was pretty clear that what she was doing was the right thing to do.  I think she’s right.  Still, we would like your prayers.

Food channel

Gina just found Elton Brown.  Now it’s a party.

Gina’s doing well.

We’re here at Presbyterian Hospital. It turns out that they have free wireless so I figured I may as well keep interested parties updated real time. Maybe there will even be pictures!

We came in to have the baby turned to be head down. Last time I checked the head was on one side and the tail on the other. But today when they checked Gina at about 3:30 the baby had turned to be head down. Hurray! Yesterday Gina was at a 2-3. Now they have started her on pit.

The I.V. thing was actually a shame: on Monday when we were here the I.V. wasn’t good at all. It hurt going in, it hurt staying in, and left a bruise behind. The nurse tried to avoid it when poking the plastic tube into Gina’s arm today but ended up hitting a vein wall. A second nurse came and tried on a different spot. I could tell Gina was in pain as the frustrated nurse tried to ram the plastic through. It didn’t work. The third nurse came in and put the thing in over the bruised spot. This one took and is good. I guess it will be in for quite a bit so it’s nice to have one that’s okay.

That’s the status. Gina’s healthy and cheerful and she gets to drink for the first time since 8:00 this morning. She’s contracting but smiling.