He asked what my feelings on elective induction are - basically, I can choose to be induced between 39 and 41 weeks. Medically, they'd induce me after 41 weeks, but for the two weeks before that, it is basically up to the mother based on the discomfort of the pregnancy. Since I am still fairly comfortable physically, I told him that isn't an issue for me. Pregnancy has started to wear on me mentally, though - the constant waiting and not knowing when labor might start, where I will be, how it will go, etc. is starting to get to me. But I'm still hanging in there, and I'd like for labor to start on Elle's terms, with the "thrill" of a natural start to things in God's hands, not mine.
Buuttttttt ... if Elle is indeed going to come out needing 18-month clothes, I'm not sure what good letting her "cook" until she's ready to come out would do.
And if she's really too big to be delivered vaginally, Dr. S. said he'd rather plan on a c-section than risk her head/shoulders getting stuck. And as much as I dread surgery (of any sort, not just a c-section), I think I'd prefer going straight to surgery if it is needed as opposed to laboring for hours and then finding out that Elle is just too big. I guess I've only really thought of having a c-section as a last-resort option after going in to labor on my own.
And now I'm thrown for a loop. Here I've spent the last 8 months worrying about contractions, excited and terrified at the thought of such a spontaneous event like going in to labor, learning about recovery from a vaginal birth, etc. and now we've been presented with the possibility that a) we could choose to be induced, taking the whole "Holy crap I'm going in to labor" aspect out of the equation, or b) the doctor might recommend a c-section based on the fact that we apparently create large babies.
I think Dr. S. sensed my shock/hesitation, and as always, I asked him what he'd recommend from a medical standpoint. Bottom-line, I want to deliver a healthy baby safely, and I trust him, so I'm not going to fight his recommendations. He suggested we wait until after the growth ultrasound next week and then discuss our options based on what Elle's size appears to be at that point. And of course, this is all if I don't go in to labor on my own before then.
Since I've been thinking about it a lot today, I realized I have a lot of friends who have had c-sections, scheduled or unscheduled, for a variety of reasons. I'm sure, if the ultrasound shows that I'm gestating a linebacker, I will be asking them A LOT of questions. There is already a lot on my mind about the possibility, but I'm trying to remind myself that at this point, Elle's arrival method and timing is still as undecided as it was before our appointment this morning.
I've been reminded of perks of having a c-section by various people: we'll be more in control of when she'll arrive and the conditions surrounding her arrival; if she really is that big, going straight to the c-section might be the best thing for both of us, anyway; I qualify for more paid leave time from work, etc.
I also see negatives, like: it is surgery, which terrifies me; the recovery time is longer; the hospital stay would be longer; future vaginal births would be more complicated (although future big babies that we breed would likely face the same situation as this one); we'd lose the "it's up to nature" side of things; I wouldn't experience "natural" (well, as natural as natural gets when one is open to pain medication) labor (not quite sure how much of a con this one is, haha) ... and there are about a million other pros/cons flying around in my pregnant brain.
For now, I'm going to focus on the fact that we're still nearing the end, Elle and I are healthy and doing well, anything could happen in the next week, and anything could happen at next week's appointment (and we get to see the "little" stinker again, too, which is always fun). Like most things with this pregnancy, what happens is out of my control, and we'll roll with it - we've had an uneventful pregnancy and are surrounded by medical professionals that we trust, so if this is the biggest (haha, another size joke) "issue" we face, I'm grateful.
