In the Hospital

Olli and I are presently in the hospital awaiting the birth of our baby boy in the next 24-36 hours. We had a doctor's appointment this morning and discovered that the amniotic fluid surrounding our precious little one was lower than normal (but Olli wants to point out it was not in the danger zone). I then went for another ultrasound scan at a special clinic where they measured the fluid again as well as did a Doppler scan to assess how well the placenta is functioning. The placenta was found to show signs of being old from its looks (there is some calcification), but the actual function is quite good. Nevertheless, after the appointment our doctor suggested that my labor be induced as the baby is a good weight (3.1-3.3 kg/6.8-7.2 lbs) and in a good position for birth, but due to the low amniotic fluid level, he thinks it best to encourage the baby to come sooner rather than later.

Apparently, there is a dual process for induction and we have already begun the first stage. I (and the baby) will be monitored overnight to see if this method is able to encourage strong enough contractions for labor. I have already begun some contractions, but if they are not sufficient enough, they will give me a more traditional injection tomorrow morning in hopes of a delivery sometime during the day tomorrow. We are excited and a bit overwhelmed as this is not what we expected when we went to the doctor's this morning, but are happy at the prospect that we will have our baby in our arms sometime very soon!