36 Weeks!

So I had my 36 week checkup today at the doctor's office.  I had an ultrasound done, which was pretty fun...it was neat getting to see little Piper all squished up in the fetal position!  Last time we saw her was at 21 weeks, so she had plenty of space back then to stretch and kick her legs as much as she wanted...not so much now.  She's head down, which is a great relief to me...it definitely increases my chances of having a normal birth this time.  Unfortunately, I didn't get to see her sweet little profile today...her head was too far down to really see much (but again, this is a good thing!).

I talked to the doctor about a few things, like having the option to get a saline lock instead of an IV when I'm in the hospital, which they were totally fine with.  If I have a natural labor, I really want to be able to get up and move around instead of being restricted to a hospital bed, so the saline lock is definitely a better option.  I also talked to her about going past my due date, and she said that if I haven't gone into natural labor by 41 weeks I will be automatically given a C-section.  Definitely bummed me out a little, since I really want to have the chance to have a normal birth, but that's their rule.  My chances of having a successful VBAC are kinda low if I'm induced since I've already had a C-section, so it's not really an option for me if I'm not showing any "birth readiness" signs.  There's a part of me that wants to argue my case with them, but I also know that I was so adamant about having a perfect natural birth last time (and we all know how that turned out).  They did say that they could refer me to UVA if I'm really desperate to be induced versus C-section, so I guess we'll reevaluate if it comes to that.  I wouldn't really like to drive over an hour just on the off-chance that it might work, so we'll probably just stick with the plan here in Harrisonburg.  So let's just pray that I go into labor on my own before then! =)

I went ahead and scheduled my C-section (just in case) for April 13th.  That's the latest they'll let me go, and I figured it would be best to go ahead and have it scheduled than to be scrambling for a hospital appointment at the last minute.  So at least we know Piper will be here by April 13th!

This is definitely a test to see how willing I am to give this whole situation to God.  Initially, I could feel myself tensing up and getting all stressed and annoyed about being "forced" to schedule a C-section at 41 weeks, but I got in the car and just prayed, "God, You know what You're doing.  I trust You with it, so just give me peace that whatever happens is in Your will."  I would really love to have a normal birth, but if it's not God's plan for me, then I have to be okay with that.  And to be honest, even though I had a bunch of complications after Ellie's birth, none of them were due to having a C-section (that part of my hospital experience actually went really well!).  I had the best surgical outcome possible (normal scar, horizontal incision, etc.), so I can't really complain about that part of it.  I think it just gave me a really negatively-tainted view of the recovery period after a C-section because of all my other complications (which made my recovery period MUCH longer).  Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that the best outcome is a healthy baby (and a healthy me!)...if that comes via C-section, then praise the Lord that I live in a place that can do that for me.  BUT...I still want to have a normal birth, so I'm going to pray hard that it will happen!