So...Here's the scoop:
I am still very pregnant. My due date is not until this Wednesday, January 28th.
I went to the doctor's office on Friday, the 23rd. They told me I was dilated to a 5/6 & that I should go to the hospital to be monitored. The nurse commented that I must be one of those lucky girls because I didn't look like I was in labor. (How true! The whole not being in labor part) Anyways, I left work early, called Clark to meet me at the house and we proceeded to head to the hospital (Riverside). They checked me in, hooked me up to measure my contractions and the baby's heartbeat and "checked me". They looked at me and said, "Um, you're maybe a 4 (as in 4cm dilated)". They let me walk around the hospital for an hour & then checked me again to see if I made any progress: still a 4!!! We got sent home along with a packet of information about how to recognize true labor.
I am still working and waiting for baby to come. Clark will update the blog on his laptop if we happen to end up back in the hospital. For now, though, nothing new.
Sorry we can't return phone calls. We are very busy, so keep checking the blog. Love you all!
6 comments:
Happy Due date EVE! I'm sorry that you had a false alarm! Can't wait to meet your little guy!
good luck! It'll happend before you know it!
Still no?!
Love the belly video! Let me know when my great-nephew arrives. Man, that makes me sound soooo old!!! Hope you have a quick delivery. XO J, T, A and M
Don't know why I hit anonymous, it's me Tracy if you couldn't figure that out.
Stripping the Membranes
by Cynthia Flynn, CNM, Ph.D.
Q. What does "stripping of the membranes" mean? How is it done and how is it different than breaking my water?
A. As you probably know, the bag of waters is inside the uterus, and the bag is composed of membranes. The membranes tend to cling to the wall of the uterus until after the baby is born and the placenta is expelled. As the cervix begins to soften and open (dilate) at the end of pregnancy, the part of the membranes that was over the cervical opening can be felt through the opening when a vaginal exam is done. "Stripping the membranes" is done by inserting a finger between the membranes and the wall of the uterus to loosen the membranes from the wall. Sometimes, this stimulation of the uterine wall can help to start labor. Sometimes, the loosening of the membranes allows more water to collect in front of the baby which puts more pressure on the cervix and perhaps labor is stimulated that way. The procedure can be a little uncomfortable for some women. If the woman is truly near delivery, she often gets a contraction as a result of the procedure.
Usually the practitioner tries not to break the bag of waters when the membranes are loosened. Breaking the bag of waters commits the woman to delivery, perhaps before the baby is ready to come. Although stripping membranes is not considered a form of induction, the hope is that it is a form of stimulation of labor. Done too early, it has no effect, but if the body is nearly ready anyway, it can give a little jump-start to the labor process
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