Night Time is the Right Time.... for Pre-Labor!

Key take-aways:

• Alice’s contractions occur every 2-3 minutes & without discomfort.
• Doctor check prior to the balloon insertion showed more dilation than expected. Alice is progressing very well on her own.
• Alice may not need Pitocin as she continues into labor.
• No one asks me how my abdominal nor pelvic area is feeling.
• Dr. Michael Q. England’s non-medically binding forecast is now predicting a later morning delivery [7 am - 11 am PDT].
• Unofficial nurse count across all hospital shifts: 23
• Unofficial nurse count whose names start with J: 4

The view from our room. Note: Enrique Inglesias was playing in the background when I shot this.

There’s been an encouraging change of direction since our last post. The doctors checked Alice and it appears she is further along than they were estimating. This information immediately deflated the balloon option and now we’re moving out of Phase 2b, potentially skipping Phase 3 (Pitocin) and heading soon into Phase 4 (labor!). The doctors are surprised and encouraged that she is progressing as she is without the drug. The trade-off is this development may extend our projections for when our little girl will show up. The less chemical & mechanical intervention we have in this process the happier the three of us are.

• Phase 1: Check in & set up – DONE
• Phase 2a: Drug #1 Misoprostol - DONE
• Phase 2b: A Foley Balloon is inserted to hasten dilation – CANCELLED
• Phase 3: Drug #2 Pitocin – SKIPPED?
• Phase 4: Labor! - ON DECK
• Phase 5: Delivery
• Phase 6: Back slaps, cheers & a Youtube crash course of basic parenting skills (link)