6397 Shirt dress | sold out (secondhand 6397 at the Real Real)
Birkenstock Arizona sandals | I purchased these secondhand via slowre
Oh look, it’s a mid-week update! Haha..it’s been a while, hasn’t it?
So, at my appointment on Monday, my doctor did a membrane sweep while he was checking my cervix to try and move things along a bit faster; he does NOT want me to go past 40 weeks (I’ll be 39 weeks on Friday). It was uncomfortable, but hasn’t “done” anything yet, and it may not induce me into going into labor. Baby is moving around a lot inside, but so far doesn’t seem inclined to want to come out.
We’re going back on Monday for another appointment and will discuss induction more seriously then. We already have an induction appointment scheduled for next week, because it’s easier to cancel than to try and schedule one only a few days in advance – my due date is next Friday. I’m eating dates, drinking raspberry leaf tea and doing all the things that are supposed to naturally induce labor, but he doesn’t feel like he’s going anywhere. He’s been head-down for a while, my cervix is 2 cm dilated and 3/4 softened, so my body is getting ready.
Of course I’m antsy. I understand my doctor’s desire to get him out and try to avoid the risks of delivering a bigger baby, etc., etc., but so far, this has been a fairly risk-free pregnancy, and I have no symptoms of anything abnormal, so why induce?
I think what it is, is that I’m “afraid” of the epidural, and from what I’ve read, using pitocin to induce labor can make the pain more unbearable, and makes it more likely that I’ll eventually want an epidural. I’ve read enough and know enough about them to be more scared of GETTING the epidural than I am of the pain of labor (which of course I haven’t experienced either though). I have always been pain-medication averse, even after jaw surgery I only took one or two doses of tylenol with codeine, but getting an epidural sounds like a horrible experience. And even then for a lot of women the effect “wears” off.
All of this may fly out the window as soon as I start feeling those labor pains though, so I’m not ruling anything out. I am open to whatever I need to do to deliver a healthy baby in a relatively comfortable way. Whatever that is. But if on Monday things are changing favorably I’m not inclined to keep an appointment to induce before my due date. The week after, yes, but not next week necessarily. But I am getting more and more uncomfortable, and SO HOT, so I may change my mind on that too. We’ll see!!
Honestly I am just trying hard to stay in the moment lately, and mostly succeeding. I’ve been taking naps lately, which is absolutely unheard of for me, because I allow myself to just sit or lay down quietly when I’m exhausted. I stay out of my head by doing crossword puzzles, playing candy crush on my phone, or watching mindless TV.
New arrivals on slowre today, including some dresses I bought recently and should have returned promptly because I didn’t love either one of them. And as of now, I am planning on taking August “off” from adding new items to slowre, but may trickle in a few now and then, so if you’re on the newsletter list you’ll still be updated. I won’t close the shop completely to new orders, but may not be able to ship things out as quickly as I do now, and will still take consignment requests for fall/winter items, to get ready for a re-launch in September. So, when you’re going through your fall/winter wardrobes, I’d love it if you’d consider slowre for your consignment needs, I appreciate the support 🙂
Phew, that’s quite an update for a Wednesday!! Hope you’re having a great week!!
I was induced in June at 38 weeks because of bp concerns and “advanced maternal age.” I had planned to attempt an unmedicated delivery, but was open to pain management because, let’s be honest, I had no idea what labor would be like! I ended up getting the epidural and do not regret that decision! With it, I was able to relax, which helped my cervix dilate, and I was able to nap, which helped me get the rest I needed for pushing. I was also terrified by the process of getting an epidural but, in that moment, it was the last thing on my mind!! So, my suggestion is to be in the moment and let circumstance guide you. Best of luck!!
thank you so much for your input!! i know how much things can change quickly, so yes, i really am open to pain relief if i feel overwhelmed and like i really need it. i don’t want to feel overwhelmed or like i “can’t do it” or whatever. or maybe i don’t know what i want LOL. we’ll see what happens when it happens it guess…
congratulations on your new arrival!!
Good luck! I had an epidural with my first and didn’t have time with my second. The first was a better experience…I loved the epidural! Lol. Honestly, I went into things planning to do it all unmedicated…you just never know! 😉 For what it’s worth, I have many friends and family members who have had babies, and no one has ever had a bad experience. The ones who didn’t get one, wish they had! You’ll figure it all out once your little one is on his way. The last days are the hardest in terms of just wanting to get that baby out!
i was induced at 40 weeks and it was horrific. it made me labor WAY too fast and i dilated from 3 to 10 cm in less than 30 minutes. needless to say, the pain was excruciating! by the time i wanted meds it was too late. i also had a 4th degree tear because of the trauma. i would highly recommend not inducing if you dont have to. letting your body labor naturally will allow your own hormones to regulate pain and it will be much better for both you and baby. that said, if you need to be induced you need to be induced – i had low amniotic fluid and baby’s health was more important than anything so i am glad i made the choice i did. good luck!
I love that dress — last time you posted it got me going down a 6397 wormhole. I’m surprised I’ve resisted the temptation of awesomely-patterned shirtdresses this long. ..
I am pretty pain med averse myself, but I got epidurals with both my girls, and they were both good experiences. My original plan with baby #1 was to see how long I could go pain-med free, but because my water broke with her and my body would not dilate for ANYTHING, I had to have the pitocin. Which I would describe as…aggressive. It’s a weird kind of sensation. Not like stubbing your pinky toe on the bed frame pain (which is THE WORST), but more like your body is ramped up and charging forward without you. That being said, I don’t think it was a bad experience. It just was what it was. I’m glad I had the epidural more for the 3rd degree tear that happened (felt the tear, but not the pain) than for the labor pains.
And really, giving birth is not what is putting me having another kid…it’s postpartum recovery! That’s when I really stayed off the meds, was at home and not surrounded by staff, and had to learn how to take care of a tiny screaming human AND heal. Those first few weeks are TOUGH. But you bond with your husband and baby and family in new and wonderful ways.
There are so many things we can do to prepare, and they can all just go out the window. Trust your doctor. Trust your nurses. Trust yourself. What will happen, will happen. Here in DFW we have some of the finest medical staff around. It’s scary because you just don’t know until it begins, but everything will turn out alright. 🙂
Grechen, you know yourself and your body really well at this point. I gave birth to my son at 37, and he was 12 days “early,” so I didn’t have to worry about being induced. Labor can be a wild ride and mine was very fast, plus my water broke first thing, which is always more painful. I have a needle phobia and didn’t want an epidural for that reason, but when I went to the hospital after 8.5 hours of intense labor, I was ready for a rest. However, I didn’t get it–I was almost 10 cm dilated and he was born about 35 minutes after I got to L&D. I was fine. He was fine. My good friend who had a baby 2 weeks later and was induced and had an epi and then a section was fine anmd so was her baby. The only thing I regret is that I let the nurses scare me into pushing really hard and he was delivered a little faster than he needed to be, but that was fine too. You’ll be fine!
I was SO on the same page as you with regard to pain meds and the fear of an epidural. Good Lord! You want to put a large needle WHERE?
I went through the attempted stripping of the membranes, etc. but it didn’t do anything for me, either. In the end, my babies liked to be nice and “done” before arriving and all 3 were 2 weeks overdue. It was the hardest 14 days I’ve ever had to wait! I was fortunate that induction for me meant breaking my water, and labor started within 2 hours each time. I was able to cope with the pain level through breathing and Lamaze techniques, but I truly believe that women should stay open to what works for them. We’re all unique, and labor can bring on the unexpected. I just wish we treated it more like the natural process it is instead of making it into a medically managed event in this country!
Best wishes and lots of love to you and your family for a safe delivery!
So Excited for you!! Soon you will be able to join the ranks of women who sit around the campfire and discuss their birthing stories!!
You know who you are!! Just trust your gut feelings on this. Youve never been through it, just allow yourself the experience and YOU decide what you want to do. Stop reading! Hopefully your Doc is someone you can really talk to. Have the strategy talk with HIM/HER not some internet advice person.
You will do fine. Can’t wait to see him!!
This!
I know everyone is different, but I got an epidural with my induction even though I didn’t plan on it, because I couldn’t take the pain (having endured a lifetime of debilitating menstrual cramps, I was just done. The contractions feel exactly like that, only with the pitocin they came directly on top of each other and there were no moments of relaxation, which happens with regular cramps or with natural labor. Anyway, so I got the epidural, and it was a GREAT experience (for me, personally). The pain of having it placed was negligible compared the to pain I was already in, I don’t even remember it. I will admit that holding up my completely numb, paralyzed legs while I pushed wass…weird, but not necessarily bad, if you know what I mean. I’m not sure the intention was to completely numb me, but that’s what happened. I do still have slight numbness at the epidural site sometimes. I was definitely glad I had it though, since I could not have lasted seven hours on pitocin. Whatever happens, you will do great, you are so strong from all your Pure Bar and exercising!
Grechen, you’re going to do great! Birth is such a transforming experience, and you’ll know what to do in the moment. If you decide to get an epidural, I promise that it won’t be a big deal at all. It can bring rest and comfort for you and your support team. And if you don’t need one, that’s awesome, too. I’m so excited for you and you’ll get to meet your baby soon! Like my labor nurse told me right before my youngest son was born, “This time next year, they’ll be cake!”
Spicy food helped me go into labor!
I was induced with my #3 after having natural, med free labors for first two kids. I ended up getting the epidural with #3, and it make me relax and dilate super fast. I did not find inducement more painful than the other two — it just lasted longer. In the end, the goal is a happy & healthy kid and mom, so don’t beat yourself up about whatever happens on the way to that result. The whole birth/baby/mom thing can get super idealized and over-judgmental, when we all just need to support each other even if we make different choices.
A comment that has nothing to do with birthing (from a person who was born very late, and was my mom’s 33rd birthday “present”….) That dress, with the op-art print, looks fantastic on you! I remember many blog posts ago when you mentioned an interest in venturing into more prints and colorful styles.
Fashion question (or perhaps should look at the archives)….have you tried the Zuri dresses?
Hope everything goes well with the final days of the pregnancy and best wishes in your new life and adventures as a mom, hope it is a fantastic one!