New this week: As I already mentioned, I had an OB appointment this week, which I was less than thrilled about. I'll get to that in a second. Also? I got to see how Riley would react while I was holding someone else's 8 week old baby, and she was so sweet! She was totally interested and kept saying "baby! baby!" over and over and wanting to be right up by him.
Weight gain this week: 1 pound
Total weight gain: 26 pounds
What baby is up to: He's probably about 5 pounds and almost 18 inches long by now. Still packing on the pounds!
MORE ABOUT THE INDUCTION:
So as you may have read yesterday, the OB I saw yesterday wants to induce me at 38 weeks if baby has not already come. Everything inside of me was telling me this was NOT a good idea. Yes I know people are induced all the time, but there are a lot of downsides to induction. First of all, if the baby was truly ready to be born at 38 weeks, then I would go into labor without an induction. He may come out healthy when induced, but that doesn't mean he was READY. Or, the induction could fail, or lead to a really long labor, or assisted delivery (forceps, vacuum) or even C-section. All things I'm trying to avoid. Just think, some women are pregnant for 42 weeks before going into labor naturally, if they were induced at 38 weeks that baby would be deprived a whole month of growing and developing that he clearly needed.
So I was all determined to avoid an induction, or delay it, or find some way around it, until I did a little more research. Turns out, there actually is a reason to induce aside for just my own health- it's important for the safety of baby. From what I understand, the age of the placenta is a concern for those with Factor V Leiden, and is the reason why stillbirth is a common problem with FVL. As the placenta ages it becomes less efficient naturally but the FVL adds an aggravating factor. Also, if you off blood thinners (or aren't on them to begin with), you can get clots in the umbilical cord which can deprive the baby of essential nutrients and oxygen, so going off the blood thinners entirely before labor can be dangerous. Now, obviously I already had a full, healthy pregnancy without blood thinners, but now that I'm a little more informed, it's not worth the risk to me or baby. I'm getting a few different opinions before any decisions are made, just to be sure I'm making the best decision.
So, we'll be scheduling the induction for around 38 weeks, and hoping to go into labor naturally before then! That's less than 4 weeks away!!!!