still waiting

Sorry, I don't have any cute pictures to share with this posting.  The camera is packed away ready to snap pictures of this little one's birth should he EVER decide to come out!

Here's a little update...

My due date with this past Friday the 25th.  I had an appointment with the midwives that afternoon and I was told I was 4cm dilated, 60% effaced and with a contraction the mid-wife was able to feel the baby's head and my membrane sack "bulge down".  Sorry if that was a little T.M.I.  I was also informed that despite my great efforts all week this little man was still in a posterior position. 

Following that appointment I had some great contractions but as it seems with every night for the past two weeks the contractions will fade out by time I go to bed. 

Last night, the 26th, as I crawled into bed around 11:30ish the contractions didn't go away and in fact I was having them every 6-7 minutes for a good 30 minutes however they must have stopped because I woke up at 12:30 to my son yelling out for his blankie because he lost it in his bed. 

By 5:30 this morning I just felt as if something wasn't right.  Both of my hips started to hurt and I could no longer get comfortable in bed.  I decided a good hot bath should help and it did--for as long as I stayed in there. 

Long story short--after a much needed melt down (or two, or three) I decided all the discomforts I was having was my form of active labor.  You see when I was pregnant with LB (also a posterior baby) my contractions started at midnight on his due date and by 1:30am my water had broke so I knew when I was in active labor.  During my 20 hour labor at the birthing center my contractions never became close enough to allow me to dilate to the final 10th cm and by time I made the call to go to TMC for the epidural my back labor was so great I couldn't take it anymore.  It would still take 4 fours of pitocin and 2 hours of pushing before I finally gave birth to LB. 

So now maybe you can see why I feel needing my contractions to be somewhere around 5 minutes apart for an hour for me to be considered "active" in labor with my membranes intact may not apply to me.  I had considered that if we waited for my membranes to rupture for me to become "active" in my labor while I was having all this discomfort then poor daddy might be delivering this little bundle on the side of the road. 

After a little going back and forth with the birthing center they decided to have me come in just to check things out.  Much to my disappointment I hadn't made any progress since I was checked on Friday.  Good thing I already had all my melt downs that morning!  Now I just wanted a brick wall to smack my head against.

So this afternoon we headed home and I started taking Evening Primrose capsules and drinking chamomile tea to help soften the rest of my cervix and perhaps make my contractions more consistent. 

I must admit that all this going back and forth with what is considered to "false labor" has really taken its toll on me and now with the constant pain in my both of my hips I do feel like I have reached my breaking point. 

I knew to expect that a posterior baby brings a longer labor however it's just extremely frustrating to feel you've made a lot of great head way when you haven't. 

Tomorrow, Monday, we are hoping to see an acupuncturist to see if she can help flip this little boy and ease by back & hip pain and once and for all throw me into active labor. 

Keep your fingers crossed that the next time you hear from me I'll the exciting news to share that we have all been waiting for!