Giving Thanks

This is one of my favorite quotes for this time of year, especially Thanksgiving.

As I sit here waiting in my doctor’s office for my 40 week appointment, I can't help thinking that's it's almost Thanksgiving, and I still haven't gone into labor. This year feels very different than last year. Last year we had hosted our first Thanksgiving at our home for our family & friends. It was a beautiful warm Arizona day as it usually is around this time of year, with it being in the mid seventies, sunny and warm outside. We had set up our dining room to fit everyone which was somewhat tricky, as we expected 13 adults and 2 kids. We angled our dining table in order to fit a card table at the end and an additional table for the kids. It was a day to pay thanks to everyone in our lives and was quite fitting that we have such a big family, being grateful for everyone to share that day with us. We had a mimosa + bloody Mary bar too! I baked the turkey, and everyone brought a dish they made. Brian made his famous deep fried stuffing balls, which I finally got to eat, and let me tell you, they are worth the wait! So delicious. The year before I didn’t get the chance to try them because I spent the day at my parents house, as Sky and I hadn’t moved in with each other yet. After last years successful Thanksgiving, we had told everyone that we would host Thanksgiving every year.  

Flash forward a year, and here I am 40 weeks pregnant, waiting to find out if I have progressed and if labor is eminently near. With my due date being two days before Thanksgiving, we told our family that we were not hosting this year as the possibility of having a new born or being in the hospital was quite possible. As much as we love being surrounded by our loved ones, we just couldn’t fathom having everyone over with a newborn baby, so we didn’t really make any plans. I jokingly told them to just bring us food. Haha. 

We found out yesterday that we will most likely need assistance with going into labor. My doctor went over induction options with us, and I am scheduled for a ballon catheter to be placed in my cervix Monday, with induction on Tuesday, November 29th, which happens to be Sky’s Mom’s birthday! The catheter is a manual technique to open my cervix, to hopefully have my body induce labor on its own, naturally. If that doesn’t happen, then inducing drugs will be administered to progress my labor. It wasn’t necessarily what I wanted, because a part me feels a bit awkward choosing the day of Charlie’s birth, which I feel is somewhat playing around with fate & time. I wanted everything to happen naturally. Going into labor on my own and delivering via a natural vaginal birth. Even with my preconceived choices of how I want things to go, I really feel comfortable with my doctor and with how she approaches chid birth. She understands my wants and needs, but at the same time, she explains the benefits verses risks in a way that makes doing the latter not seem so much as a compromise, but rather a way to have our precious Charlie here, safe and sound. With inducing drugs, sometimes they can make contractions more intense, so in terms of natural labor and childbirth, it could make it more likely that I may need to decide on pain medication but I am going to try to the best of my abilites to hold out for what I want, if all goes well. I am motivated and determined to have a natural birth as that was my main goal from the start. As much as this is my position on childbirth, I am still open to what may come, and what I may need to do to get through it. Our doctor reassured us that the catheter could put me into labor naturally, but if inducing medication is necessary, they start with the lowest possible dose of pitocin, and wait to see how my body responds to it. If needed, they dose slowly and accordingly to progress dilation and labor. My cervix is just being a bit stubborn is all. I have learned from other people and their experiences though, that labor can happen at any time and progress very fast, you just never know. 

Now, we will be able to spend Thanksgiving with our family and friends. As much as I would have liked for Charlie to be here already, I am happy and thankful that we can share the day with everyone we love before she is here. If she doesn’t come on her own before tomorrow that is! My Mom joked that she just wants to have Thanksgiving dinner, and my brother seems to think she’ll come on Thanksgiving day. We will see… 

Happy Thanksgiving to all… hope your day is filled with family, friends, love, and laughter. Oh, and of course, all that delicious food! 

xoxo Angela.