So we’ve just left hospital after our 20 week anomaly scan.
The scan was wonderful, Peanut gave us absolutely no clues to its gender, everything was firmly tucked away and hidden from view (I was secretly looking very hard for clues because I wanted to know, and didn’t in very equal measures lol) as it shyly remained in a tight foetal position for the most part. In fact I had to lie on my side for the majority of the scan so the sonographer could have a good look at everything she needed to.
No anomalies were found. Relief.
Placenta is, as I predicted, anterior which I’m a little disappointed about as I want to absorb every tiny experience of this pregnancy as it’ll be my last and this will cushion a lot of peanut’s movements. However, everything is normal and healthy and that is the main thing.
Findings from scan:
After the scan, due to my advanced age, I had to have an antenatal clinic with the consultant. This wasn’t quite so wonderful.
I’ve come away now feeling rather deflated and more than upset. Now when I turned 40 halfway through DS’ pregnancy the consultant told me I’d have to be induced on my due date due to increased risks of unexplained still births in the over 40s. Placental degradation is one of the reasons given. I wasn’t entirely happy with this for numerous reasons, one being that they wouldn’t have even mentioned this if I was still 39 and so was perturbed at how the matter of a few weeks could make such a huge impact on my birth plan. Thankfully I went into spontaneous labour with DS 3 days before his due date so this never became an issue.
With this knowledge in mind I geared myself up for a similar conversation today and was happy with this… I would try everything I did with DS to get this labour moving spontaneously slightly ahead of time too and felt this a possible achievable thing to do, or hope for.
This wasn’t what the consultant said today however. What he said was he’d like to draw a line at 38 weeks. I wasn’t expecting this.
Don’t get me wrong, I have no desire to risk my baby’s life in anyway but I also really have no desire in being induced either. I thought I’d atleast have a chance to get things going closer to due date than that. I can’t see two weeks being an achievable thing for me to do, needless to say I shall be giving my midwife permission to sweep me at every opportunity from 37 weeks (she’ll be very excited at this news as she’s a bit of a sweep nut).
I know women are safely induced everyday but I have a fear about anything unnatural. And being induced is unnatural. They will pump me full of artificial hormones and with my family history of hormonal cancers I avoid this sort of intervention at all costs.
Another fear is the quick onset and intensity of the pain. I had no pain relief with DS, not even entonox because of its gradual increase in intensity I found breathing techniques worked perfectly for me. I hear induction is very different. I also have many friends who were in ‘labour’ for days when induced and had horrific experiences because of it. Also friends who were in hospital for days simply waiting to be induced. We have no one to look after DS so this is simply unacceptable in my mind.
Like I said before, I will not put my baby’s life at risk but at the same time I would be lying to myself, and this blog, if I didn’t voice my very real fears and concerns.
We’ll just have to cross this bridge when we come to it but know now that this will cause huge ructions between the OH and myself. He who doesn’t have to go through it and thinks intervention is geeeat because he knows exactly when he needs to book time off work. I am totally alone in this matter, as I am in the rest of my parental journey.
On a positive I et two more scans; at 28 and 35 weeks.
In 20 Weeks time I shall look back at this time and it’ll all be inconsequential, but for now my anxiety is such I feel my head is ready to explode and my heart is pounding. I need to chill out.
Yoga is calling.
So on a brighter note, here is the latest picture of Peanut who is totally unaware of this turmoil and growing perfectly and normally.
fearfullyhopeful 