Birth Story of Gwyneth Eden: Part 1

Gwyneth Eden Schuchter joined our family on May 31, 2013!  Here is part 1 of the story!

On Friday, May 31, I had a doctors appointment and ultrasound.  Since I had been measuring small, my doctor wanted to make sure she started gaining more weight.

It was going to be a busy day and lots of running around.  I had dance recital rehearsal and a wedding that night.  Since there was so much running from place to place, David was not sure he would go with me to the appointment.  He decided in the end to go with me.

Since we had a wedding to go to, we made sure to bring a nicer change of clothes and I of course did my hair and make up more fancy than usual.  We kept forgetting things when trying to get out the door and David had to make an extra trip from the car to get all the things I left behind.

After all this rushing around, on the way to the appointment I told David, "Wouldn't it be hilarious if for some reason we show up and they want to induce me?  Then all of the rushing around wouldn't have mattered at all!"

We show up to the appointment and go in for the ultrasound.  The technician explained that she was measuring even smaller and this time was in the 6th percentile.  The baby weighed approximately 4 lbs. 13 oz.  The technician thought that she would just end up being small and the doctor may ask me to start coming in twice a week.  This set our expectation and so we didn't think much of it.

Shortly after, we went into the room for our appointment.  The doctor came back and immediately said, "I think today would be a good day to have a baby.  The baby is not gaining weight and we begin to worry when anything falls below the 10th percentile."

Everything for awhile after this became a blur.  I wanted to burst into tears.  Just the day before I was telling everyone that I was no where near ready to have the baby because I did not feel mentally prepared.  Now I am being told that I will be induced.  I knew my doctor was right because he is notorious for his laid back, low intervention approach, but I did not know how to react.  The doctor continued to explain that I would be taken to triage and monitored to make sure this was the best call.  The doctor on call would make the final decision.

I asked who was on call.  Guess who it was?  The only doctor we had not met yet.  Again, I started to get more nervous and closer to the point of breakdown.  I had heard Dr. Choi was very kind and sweet, but it would have been nice to meet her prior to all of this.

A wheel chair was brought over and David and I set out for triage.

Once we arrived they gave me a hospital bracelet and asked us to wait in the waiting room for Dr. Choi.  She wanted to look over the ultrasounds and make sure inducing me was the answer.  I couldn't think straight or concentrate on anything. They gave us directions for where to go and I couldn't remember the first step.  David asked me what we needed to get from home and the only thing I could of is the car seat.  My brain felt cloudy and I was in a daze.  The shock of it all left me speechless.  I felt completely out of control.

A few weeks earlier I sensed that we should view labor as an opportunity to trust God.  Whatever this looked like, we would make our decision and choose to orient ourselves towards Him.  Looks like feeling out of control left me in the perfect place to choose to trust.

We were called into a room where we met Dr. Choi.  She explained that she also agreed that inducing was the best answer for the health of the baby.  They wanted to see how dilated I was since this would determine if I would be started on pitocin or cervidil.  I was 1 cm. which was enough for pitocin.  From the stories I have heard, that was great!

They gave us directions for how to find our labor and delivery room.  Looks like we would not be at any dance recitals or weddings.  We were having a baby!

Birth Story of Gwyneth Eden: Part 2
Birth Story of Gwyneth Eden: Part 3