Sorry that this blog hasn’t been about anything about pregnancy and childbirth for the past few weeks, but when you’re this far along, it’s kind of hard to focus on anything else.

For those of you who need a quick recap: My due date was on the 18th (sort of— I think it was on the 22nd, but eh… does it really matter?), so according to my doctor yesterday I hit two weeks overdue.

I don’t know if you guys know this, but doctors really don’t like it when you go “overdue”. They get really, really, really antsy.

When you combine that with the fact that you are adamantly trying for a VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) they get really twitchy.

I’ve been going in every two or three days for stress tests and biophysical profiles on the Squidgelet. The first few we passed with flying colors— the last two showed a lower amount of amniotic fluid.

Needless to say, when you are overdue, trying for a VBAC, and you have lowered amniotic fluid, the doctors get really, REALLY twitchy.

The first time the results came back, the nurses called my doctor and he showed up with a large crotchet hook to break my waters in order to give me a chance at normal laboring before another c-section.

Now, for the record, I’m not all that against c-sections in theory. If other women want them, then I’m totally happy for them. I’m just against c-sections for me. I think it has something to do with my Rheumatoid Arthritis… after years of living with a body that doesn’t do what it’s supposed to, I’d like my body to just behave for once and do something right. Besides, labor pains feel natural. C-section pains do not. There’s no real way for me to explain it better than that.

The other reason is that if I have to carry around gigantic, child-bearing hips like this my entire life, then I darn well better get the chance to use them. I mean, what’s the point, otherwise?

So anyways, when my doctor came in with the hook, I politely informed him that I wasn’t quite ready to throw in the towel quite yet and signed out AMA (Against Medical Advice). I didn’t do this lightly— I’d done a lot of research and didn’t feel like we’d hit that point yet.

It caused a minor stir in the labor/delivery ward of the hospital— apparently nobody ever signs out AMA.

A couple of days later I returned for another test. Once again, the fluid was low. Aside from that, however, the Squidgelet passed all his/her other tests with flying colors.

Once again, the nurses called my doctor.

Once again, I signed out AMA.

The nurses were not so pleased with me this time, and really read me the riot act. One of them even went so far as to say “You know, we have an autopsy report with your name filled out on it.” While I understood their concern, I wasn’t exactly thrilled with their bullying tactics.

After coming home and worrying, crying, and generally freaking out for a day or two, I finally made my peace with the idea that I’ll probably need another c-section. After all, I don’t have a lot of faith that breaking my waters when I’m not in labor will get the job done, especially when I can’t really receive any chemicals to help the induction along the way (higher risk of uterine rupture.)

I called up my doctor and scheduled an appointment to have my waters broken. It was hard, but I felt like it was probably the best decision for the Squidgelet.

I spent a wonderful day with the DragonMonkey, trying to prepare him for the fact that he is about to become a Big Brother.

I explained it in detail to him several times.

He watched me while I explained, nodded, and then interrupted me with “Choo-choo? Go slides?”

Yeah, I’m not really sure it sank in.

I packed all my things and thought REALLY hard about cleaning the house, which is pretty much the same thing, right?

I baked slightly burned cookies for the nurses to get on their good side.

I set my alarm to wake me up at 4:30 in the morning to give me time to shower before my 5:30 appointment at the hospital.

It’s now 2:15 in the morning and I haven’t been to sleep yet.

Why?

Because the contractions are about 45 seconds – 1 minute long and coming every 5 minutes or so.

God is good.