Induction - T-Minus 2 days

Well - it's official - I have an eviction notice date for this baby. Today I went to see the midwife and to see what we could do about inducing me. For starters, let me say - this was my first late afternoon appointment. I don't like them at all. Besides the classic long wait at the OB, the staff were clearly tired.

I did the usual routine  - urine, blood pressure, and weight. First the surprise for me was that I gained 4 pounds in a week! Overall it's not bad, I have gained only 17 pounds in this entire pregnancy. Secondly my blood pressure was a bit higher than usual - 138/80 . I'm normally around 115/60 or lower. My urine was fine. I mentioned this to the midwife and asked if I should be concerned, but she checked my ankles and commented that they were nice and skinny - so no worries there.

After getting through the usual stuff, we saw the midwife. She did a fundal measurement and measured the baby's heart beat. I have to admit, for a moment, she couldn't find the heartbeat on my left side. I knew I'd felt the baby move earlier in the day, but there's no anxiety like the moment when you're waiting for the doctor to confirm that the baby really is alive. She checked on my right side - and there was her heart beat nice and strong. PHEW! The midwife asked me if I wanted to her to separate my membranes. I told her yes  I would. She did a cervical exam to measure my cervix - and it was 3 cm. So ... not so bad. I've gone from 3 cm to 2 cm, to 2.5 cm to 3 cm again! That exam always pinches a bit but I can breathe through it. Then she warned me that she was going to strip my membranes. I braced for the pain but no amount of bracing could help. I yelped - OH JESUS! And I'm not the very religious type! She let me know that she was done. She warned that I might spot and I might have contractions. She also mentioned that my water bag was right there - and that she could feel it. She said my cervix was completely thinned out as well. Ultimately she said we could go at any time. She mentioned that the stripping might jump start labor too.

Finally, she wanted to set my next appointment for another week out - at 40 weeks. I mentioned that "umm I have gestational diabetes - the last time I was here I was advised that I needed to be induced at 39 weeks because of that." After scouring through my file, she agreed and told me - I'll call you tonight to let you know when we'll induce you. So we said thanks, checked out, and made our way out. I was feeling all kinds of strange cramps and things but nothing unbearable. On the drive home, she called - my induction was scheduled for Saturday - just 2 days away. In fact it's less than 48 hours away!

So here I am ... realizing that I've actually served my baby with an eviction notice. All that's left is to execute the eviction notice on Saturday. I'm scared and excited all at once. I can't wait to get this process started. Spending 3 weeks waiting for labor has driven me nuts and I'm just glad to have a date to work towards.