The Morning After

Back at 37 weeks when I became suspicious of my OB's intentions, I started reading everything I could about my local ICAN (International Cesarean Awareness Network) chapter. After the call from my OB telling me that she wanted the growth ultrasound, I called and spoke to the local chapter leader. She put me in touch with a doula who attends home births and gave me a list of providers who might still take me after my due date if I needed them to.

When I woke up this morning, I called all of these providers and learned that the last time any of them would take me was 37 weeks. So I called back the doula, who made a call for me to a practice that she worked with at a downtown Catholic hospital. One of their obstetricians agreed to see me today.

When I went in for my appointment and met her everything just clicked perfectly. She did tell me that with my prior history of not dilating beyond 4 and prior/current lack of descent that I still might not be able to VBAC, but that she was really hoping that I could.

She scheduled a RCS for me on the day that I hit 42 weeks (just in case) and then checked my cervix, which was now at 2 cm. So she stripped my membranes and sent me on my way. I felt a little vindication that I was right when I told my former OB yesterday that I was pretty sure that I was in labor.

Although I really wanted a VBAC, I never wanted a home birth or to go post-term, I am a pretty pro-traditional medicine person. Knowing that I had an OB, who I really liked in this one meeting, and a hospital to got to if I went into labor, or never did, took a million pounds off of my shoulders. But it didn't stop my contractions.



"They encouraged you to put some of your weight in their hands and soon as you felt how light and lovely it was, they studied your scars and tribulations..."
— Toni Morrison (Beloved)