New Mama on the Block

We are inducing this Saturday. Three days folks. There goes my hopes for as natural a childbirth as possible. I’ll have prostaglandins to soften and dilate my cervix, and pitocin pumped into me to make me contract. I’m still going to try and go without an epidural. I’m also praying I don’t need to have a c-section, though I’m aware most induced labors end up going that route. Wish me luck!

So I had to let everyone know exactly when we were bringing munchkin into the world.

This is why my mom isn’t allowed in the delivery room.

My mom still doesn’t understand what it means to induce, and nearly every conversation I’ve had with her recently involved explaining it to her. Even then, it doesn’t stick. It’s like she suddenly goes deaf when I talk to her. This is the conversation I had with her when I called to give her Roman’s drop date:

K: Hi Mom, we got a date, we’ll be inducing beginning the morning of the 16th.
M: You are a-what?
K: INDUCING, trying to get me to go into labor ya know, having the baby…
M: What does that mean? A C-section?
K: NO MOM, I keep telling you, with preeclampsia, they induce early so I don’t risk going into eclampsia later at full term. That means they’ll use drugs to stimulate my uterus and I’ll hopefully go into labor. If it doesn’t work, THEN they may have to do a C-section, but they’ll try vaginal first cause surgery is riskier.
M: Oh my god, Oh my god, that’s the day of the Canao (our big association shindig), I will not go then.
K: Mom, we have no idea when Roman will get here. Besides, Ben will be with me and La and Clarrie will be changing out shifts. You can still go to the Canao and just come the next day, and hopefully he’ll be here then. You’re not allowed in the hospital past 9PM anyway.
M: But I am your mom, I should be there in the room! (I really don’t want this. She’s so panicky, her presence will just kill my mood)
K: We’ll call you if it looks like we’re close, but really, it can take the whole weekend.
M: Tell the doctors to stop X-raying you!
K: WHAT? MOM, an ultrasound is not an X-Ray, how many times do I and the doctor have to explain that to you?
M: The doctors don’t know everything you know!
K: Oh, and you do?
M: Ay! I don’t understand! I will have to be in the hospital! (She starts breathing all hard and wigging out in true mom-fashion, just THINKING about me going into labor, which consequently irritates me. I’m getting really tired having to comfort others when it’s ME delivering this baby!)
K: OK Mom, you’re just making me upset. I swear your making my blood pressure go higher.
M: (Voice raised) HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT? I do not stress you out!

yeeeeaaaaah.

For some reason, she’s speaking to one of my aunties, the mom of my cousin who had to have a C-section cause her baby had a big head. That is a TOTALLY different situation from mine. This cousin is on my DAD’s side even, not my mom’s. When the baby’s too large, and/or your pelvis too big, you really can’t avoid a C-section. In my case, it’s cause of the hypertension–which usually gets worse as the pregnancy progresses (mine’s stayed the same really, still no symptoms beyond the protein in my urine). My doc won’t even give me blood pressure medication, which is usually an automatic thing w/true preeclampsia. I’ll get blood pressure readings in the 90’s over 60’s, which is considered really low–and I could pass out if I were on blood pressure meds.

Anyway, so my mom has it in her head that I should just schedule a C-section. I don’t get any “oh, everything will be fine, you’ll be okay, at least we’re doing it early,” no words of comfort, only paranoia and worrying, which does nothing good for me whatsoever and just irritates me to no end.

Of course she’s worried cause she loves me, but she doesn’t understand how her stressing is just making me stress. I can totally be on bedrest, even lying down talking to her, and our conversations STILL make my blood boil.

Luckily I have other aunties, experienced in OB and pediatric nursing, a couple of them who either had preeclampsia or knew others with it, who always send me positive thoughts and emails. I keep telling them to talk to my mom so hopefully they can reassure HER as well. I think she needs it more than me.

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