The VBAC Blog

We had another sonogram at our weekly check-up today. As we arrived, all the nurses asked, “Did he turn?”

“No,” said I, shoulders slumped. “He’s still in the exact same position.”

I patted the lump just under my right rib and added, “His head is still right here. I’ve tried everything, from the ironing board to the elephant walk. Nothing works.”

They took my blood pressure, which was a bit elevated for me (140/79). I gained 8 lbs. over the weekend in water but lost it yesterday. That was disturbing and I’m sure glad it’s gone. You can see a photo of my grotesquely swollen legs HERE. They then took me to the big room to wait for the doc. He breezed in and said, “So, your baby is crooked, eh?”

Ha ha.

He wasted no time in gooping up my humongous belly and putting the monitor down low. He then said, “I have good news. That a head.”

Sure enough, Mason’s head is all the way down there, though still floating a bit (he’s not engaged). The head I’d patted only moments before was his little butt.

I was absolutely shocked. I haven’t felt him turn at all! I now truly have no faith in my ability to feel where this baby is, or even how he’s moving, whatsoever. But, thank heaven he turned!!

If I had to guess when he turned, I’d have to say it was Sunday night. I was up late in the RV on our land and trying the flashlight trick (put a flashlight down low and the baby may want to follow it). It didn’t work that way. But, just for fun, I put the flashlight about mid-way up my belly, near the baby’s head. He instantly got very active. I moved the light up and down, from him to my lower belly, thinking maybe he’d follow it. I even got on my hands and knees so he’s have more room to move. He did move, a whole lot, but I never felt him turn all the way around. I thought he was just excited and bouncing. You’d think I’d notice if an 8-lb kid did a 180 in my belly, right? Nope. I didn’t. Anyway, it was fun playing with him that way, but I didn’t think it did any good. Oh, I also put some popsicle packages on my skin, near his head, hoping the cold would make him want to take a dive.

I’d been experiencing severe pelvic pain when he was breech. Before I knew he was breech, I thought it was because he had a big head. The pelvic pain would come and go, so maybe he was flip-flopping over several weeks. It was gone on Monday…but I didn’t think it meant anything. Also, on Monday, my hemorrhoids returned. Hmmm… And, the pinching pain between my ribs and uterus returned Monday night. So, I would guess (not that I know anything at all after all the mistaken assumptions I’ve made!), that when my pelvis hurts, the baby is breech. When I have hemorrhoids and pain under my ribs, he’s not breech. Hopefully, he’ll keep his noggin’ down and I won’t have to ponder and worry about every ache and pain for the duration!

Anyway, back to the doc visit. The doc sat down and read the report from last week’s sonogram, which was performed at the hospital. The bad news is my amniotic fluid is measuring 30 cm. That’s bad. Apparently very bad. Or, it could mean nothing at all. Isn’t that nice for easing my fears during these last two weeks of pregnancy?

The condition is called Polyhydramnios. Basically, I could go into labor early (I’m already 37 weeks so that’s not a concern) or my water could rupture prematurely and, if that happens, there will be so much that the cord could prolapse (fall into the birth canal before the head and cut off his oxygen supply) or the placenta could separate. Oh, and I could bleed heavily after the birth because the uterus is so distended right now (honestly, when I show my bare belly, it does look a bit deformed).

The cause could be a fetal abnormality (we’ve done all the blood tests and had a 12-week sonogram and a 90-minute sonogram at 20 weeks and nothing showed up at all), or I could be diabetic (remember my blood sugar levels were elevated a few weeks ago?), or the cause may never be known. I read on one website that 65% of cases have no known cause. I’m going to keep that number in my head to keep from worrying. (Yeah, right…)

Richard and I discussed it and, because of the risks, we’ll feel more comfortable laboring in the hospital. And, that’s fine. I just don’t want to have another c-section! Oh yeah, this condition might require a c-section if something bad happens very quickly.

But, the doc said today I can still VBAC. And, since there’s so much fluid, Mason may be flipping and flopping back and forth until I go into labor so I’ll have to have another sonogram when I go into labor to see if he’s head-down.

Boy oh boy, has this boy given us some worries over the months!! Gosh, I can’t wait to see what his teenage years will be like.

Hugs,
Ang

The good news is Mason is just fine – completely health in every way.

The bad news is a sonogram today showed he’s in the complete breech position.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote that his head was completely engaged and ready. However, we now know it was his butt that was completely engaged. He had me and two midwives completely fooled! No, he hasn’t turned. He’s been in this exact same position for weeks.

To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement. The midwife at the Ob/Gyn’s office examined me today and didn’t feel the head. She got quiet and I knew something was up. She sent us upstairs for a sonogram and the first thing the technician said when she put the sensor low on my belly was, “Oh, that’s a butt!”

I’ve been patting my middle-abdomen for weeks, thinking I was patting Mason’s butt. In reality, I’ve been patting his head. Those little fingers I felt tickling my uterus way down low were actually little toes. Those toes that have been jamming themselves between my skin and ribs are actually fingers. I feel so dumb!

Anyway, I’m going to try the exercises. We’ll see if they’re doing anything next week when we go back in. Manually turning the baby could be dangerous and could result in a ruptured uterus thanks to my previous c-section. So, if Mason doesn’t turn, all this will have been for naught. We’ll be having a c-section.

Hugs,
Ang

1. I haven’t seen my feet…or anything below my belly button in a long, long time.

2. After I eat a bite of pepperoni pizza, I get elephant ankles.

3. My fingernails are growing faster than my spring flowers.

4. About 6 inches of roots are showing in my hair (cause Clairol is a no-no when pregnant).

5. My skin is blotchy and I have to pee every half hour now.

6. I am very, very moody and everyone leaves me the heck alone. If they pass by, they walk softly, fake a smile, and then walk away very quickly.

7. I am down to 3 pairs of “fat pants” that fit. Most of my maternity clothes, and even Richard’s clothes, are too small for me now.

8. The kids no longer jump at the chance to see the baby moving in my tummy. They sigh and say, “Ah, come on, Mom. Didn’t we do this yesterday?”

9. There is a brand new cradle assembled in our bedroom…and the cat keeps crawling in there! Bad kitty!

10. There are two big boxes in our mudroom labeled “Baby Box” and “Birth Box.”

11. The house is clean and, so help me, it will REMAIN clean until the baby comes and THAT IS AN ORDER!!!

12. My stomach is so big people don’t even look at my face when they talk to me anymore.

13. People who ride in elevators with me have a very, VERY tense expression on their faces.

14. I took my friend to the emergency room the other day and, despite the fact that she was the one on the gurney, people were offering to help ME.

15. And, the biggest sign that I really am about to deliver is that I asked our family physician about sterilization yesterday!

Last week, our midwife gave us an article titled “When Baby Arrives Before the Midwife.” We were able to find most of the supplies we’d need at the local department store, in the pharmacy, but other items, like cord clamps and sterile scissors were a bit more difficult. I found a great place online to get everything else we needed (and more). See: http://www.birthwithlove.com

Here’s a great homebirth story I found today!
http://carriespregjournal.blogspot.com

As you may know from reading below, we fired our OB/Gyn after he said we could have a VBAC but then later conceded that “all the ducks had to line up” for that to happen. But, still, he said I could attempt a VBAC, but I knew it would be impossible after he told me the “ducks” that were involved. We found another doctor in nearby Ellsworth who does support VBACs and we see him now (along with our midwife).

This afternoon, I was surprised to receive a phone call from the local hospital here (the one that doesn’t allow VBACs – which is what caused so much trouble for us months ag0). The woman who called said she was calling from the anesthesia department to discuss my upcoming c-section! Can you believe that?! They knew I’d refused a c-section but they went ahead and scheduled me for one anyway!

I firmly told her that we had transferred to nearby Ellsworth because of the VBAC controversy. She asked, “So…you’re not coming here at all?!”

I said, “No, we’re not.” I then hung up.