1cm!

THANK GOD, we have progress! It's not much but enough to make me really happy. At today's appointment (which is our last one before having the baby!) we started out with the usual listening of the heartbeat. Dr. Grant has never had an easy time finding it because our kiddo likes to play hide and seek with her. Today was the worst though– she'd find it, then he'd give a little kick and move away. She chased him around for a few minutes and would get snippets of the heartbeat but he wouldn't stay still for her. She laughed at one point saying he was "sassing" her by kicking in one spot and then moving. Not my child! :) Anyway, his heartbeat started out normal then a few minutes later was going really fast, which she said was great because it meant he was doing just fine and being extremely active. We then moved onto another lovely cervical exam, which started out by her saying she didn't think he had dropped much more. But she stopped herself and said, "Wait, I can feel his head and– oh, oh! I think you've dilated a little bit! You're at 1 cm." John and I gave each other a high five and I felt so relieved. Dr. Grant then told us most first time moms deliver between 40.5 and 41.5 weeks, so this is great progress. And even if he doesn't show up this week and we still have to go in to be induced, at least we won't be starting from zero. My cervix is still pretty thick and long but you never know what can happen this week. So the plan is to go into L&D next Monday at 5pm and have a drug called cervidil inserted which will ripen the cervix. The next morning they'll start the pitocin, and we'll just go from there. Sometimes, cervidil can kick start contractions if the body is ready so we may get lucky and not even need anymore drugs. Or, pitocin can get my body going and they can turn it down if my body takes over. OR, I'll be on the drugs the entire time if things don't progress. We'll just take it however it comes and hope for the best!

In the meantime we are continuing with our natural inducers/aides of raspberry leaf tea, evening primrose oil capsules, "intercourse" as everyone around the doctor's office oh-so-officially call it, walking, bouncing on the birthing ball, and today's latest purchase, blue & black cohosh.


My friend Meghan took it and had her baby a day later, so we're giving it a shot! It tastes nasty but maybe we'll get lucky and I'll only have to take it a few times :)