This should have been written 2.5 months ago.
But it wasn’t. So… no time like the present.
Sometime in early May {second OB appointment}
Doctor: Do you have a retroverted uterus?
Me, confused: I have no idea. What does that mean?
Doctor: Most women have a uterus that is slightly tilted forward. If your’s is retroverted, it’s slightly tilted backwards. It won’t affect your pregnancy or ability to deliver but you might have back pain earlier than most women. Is this your first baby?
He then came back later in the appointment to confirm that yes, I did have a retroverted uterus. What he failed to tell me was that it also most likely meant back labor. I found this out through my own research and it’s almost impossible to learn very much about back labor – what it feels like or how to prepare for it.
Mid-pregnancy
I read several books and articles about delivery. My mom had delivered all of us naturally so I was intrigued, but this wasn’t a decision I wanted to make just because someone else had made it. I needed to have my own reasons. So after learning about the epidural, I knew that my goal was to do without.
Thursday, October 29 {36 week appointment)
After doing intense reading about labor, delivery, contractions, hospital bags, and things of that nature, I went to that appointment with a list of questions. After answering my questions, she reminded me that the goal is healthy mom, healthy baby. “If you can conquer this without an epidural, great! If not, it’s not a failed experience.”
Thursday, November 12 (38 week appointment)
1 centimeter dilated, 80% effaced and a “you’ll be back next week” comment from the doctor.
Saturday, November 14 (8 days from the due date)
At lunch, David and I finalized the name Ariana Rebecca Hoots. {Well, actually… I guess Hoots was already in the books.} After lunch, I went to watch the basketball girls in their season-opening scrimmages. I spent the evening helping him with some tedious grad school work and went to bed feeling like my ginormous, pregnant self.
Sunday, November 15 (7 days from the due date)
I woke up at 4:30 AM with a dull back ache. The best way I can describe it is that it felt like menstual cramps. It wasn’t super intense but it was enough to wake me up and make me wonder, is today the day? David woke up about 5:00 and I told him my back was hurting. I remember asking him, “Do you think this is it?”
to be continued…
Continue to Ariana’s birth story | part 2
