... of a c-section?!

Hopefully not. Hopefully, the likelihood of needing a c-section was reduced significantly today due to a very unexpected, painful, and involved experience we had this morning.

If you read the update from last week you know that Selah was head down, starting to engage, I wasn't dilated at all, etc. Also, we thought it was going to be the last ultrasound we got of her before the delivery. This week, at the 37 week appointment, the doctor came in, felt my stomach, did a pelvic exam, confirmed I was no more dilated and asked the nurse to bring in the ultrasound machine. He said that he was afraid she had flipped into a breech position since last week. I had felt like she was a little high and in my ribs this morning, but had not given it much thought, because I thought she was head down to stay. Guess not. Ultrasound confirmed she was, in fact, head up.

*I am leaving out a lot of details here about the fact that this moment was almost two hours after my actual appointment time, Abram being fussy and strapped in his stroller, and Quinn not being there. Those may actually be the "funnier" things to write about, but they would also make this post much, much longer. So I'll just cut to the chase in this one.*

Suddenly, my doctor decided that he was going to do an External Cephalic Version. He didn't actually use that name right then (I knew a little about it and have found out more since), he just said he was going to try and flip her. And he put his hands on my stomach and started to push.

Now, I had an epidural when I gave birth to Abram and my contractions never got too incredibly painful. So this "procedure" was exponentially more painful than even the delivery of my first child. I guess they normally admit women to the hospital for an ECV and give them IV drugs to relax their uterus before attempting the turn. But my doctor didn't explain this to me until I was crying and lightheaded from the pain after he finished what ended up being a successful "version". He also said that that would have possibly cost a couple thousand dollars and he thought it would be quick and easy to do right then. Well, it was quick and easy for him. For me, it felt very long and pretty much the opposite of easy. There is a spot at the base of my stomach where he pushed with all of his over 6 foot frame that feels like it is permanently bruised. I think the people in the rooms next to me probably thought that I was delivering the baby for that minute. I was loud. I was crying. I was not expecting that much pain.

And guess how Abram responded? He giggled. Giggled! What?! I guess God knew that was better than him crying while I was in intense pain and crying myself and unable to get up and comfort him. Then it was over. My doctor kept apologizing and asked if we were still friends. He wanted to avoid a c-section as much as I did, and now she is (in his words) "locked and loaded". And I am very glad. But my, oh my, if that wasn't just about the most painful thing I've ever experienced in my life.

Here is what I have learned about ECVs since my successful one this morning:

• You have to be around 36-37 weeks pregnant. Check.
  

• It's best if it's not a first pregnancy (because the uterus is more loose). Check.
  

• There has to be a decent amount of amniotic fluid around the baby. Check.

  • I guess my fluid levels are at 24cm, which is in the 95th percentile for her gestational age. However, she is also little (still under 6 pounds, apparently) and with so much fluid, there is a possibility she could flip again. Please, if you pray. Pray against this for me...
    

• There is only a 58% success rate!

  • This would explain why, when they did an ultrasound after it was over to make sure she had flipped, my doctor said to his nurse "Who da man?!"
    

• They monitor the baby's heart rate and movement for 30 minutes after it's finished to make sure they aren't in distress.

  • This was very difficult with Abram in his stroller and me on the exam table with heart monitors on my belly. So the nurses played with him out in the hallway until Quinn rushed over from work when I called him. So blessed that he works for such understanding people and so close to the hospital/doctor's office.
    

• There are very slight risks of anything happening after a successful version, and the monitoring proved that she seemed to be ok!

The monitoring also confirmed that I was having a lot of braxton hicks contractions. They were a bit worried about that and told me to stay off my feet the rest of the day and drink a lot of water. So Quinn came home with Abram and I, fed Abram lunch and put him down for a nap. But since the Bug went down so late and was over tired, of course, he only slept for an hour and a half (should have been around 3). Quinn had gone back to work, hoping Abram would sleep longer and when he didn't, I called him and his boss let him take the rest of the day as a sick day. So he and Abram are playing in the sprinkler in the back yard right now and I am resting on the couch.

These were taken in order. Hopefully you are getting the "game" they were playing out there :)

The contractions are still coming, but much less frequent and not painful at all. Now we just wait and see what happens. Hopefully, she will continue to grow so that she won't be able to move as much and stay locked and loaded until it's time for her to come! And if she actually drops soon, that will help keep her head down. But since she hasn't engaged yet, she's still able to do gymnastics in there.

And a fun little benefit to all of the craziness today is that I got to see her again. Here are the pics:

Profile (Can you see it? Nose pointing up, dark eye socket?)

And my favorite: straight up the nose.

And, finally, a video where Quinn is trying to teach Abram about loud and quiet.

What an amazing man I married.