Peace, Love, and (read on to find out...)

Well, it's Eleanor and me and another late night post with the frosted mini's...she really is getting feisty in there at night and this time the heartburn is uncontrollable and will not allow me to sleep a wink! Maybe I had too many sips of Andy's merlot but after this afternoon, I thought it was well deserved!

So, here is the not so encouraging update from the Dr...as my mother-in-law says, her "little granddaughter has spunk," or her godfather was right and my "womb is really comfortable." I went in Wed. afternoon and still have an "unfavorable cervix." I had a hard time understanding what this means but basically my cervix isn't in line with the birth canal and if it continues to stay that way, any method used to try to induce labor including the common "cervical ripening gel" applied a night or so before labor would be induced with pitocin would not be successful probably landing me with a c-section. I haven't been able to find why a person would have an unfavorable cervix or if there are other alternatives to a c-section but my Dr. is being very sweet and understanding that we REALLY don't want to have to resort to a "c" so who knows what will happen.

I go in on Friday for a sonogram to monitor Eleanor's weight and make sure everything else is "kosher" in there and she still has room to grow and be safe and healthy. If all is well there, I will go in again on Monday for a sono and repeat check and continue with that every couple days until end of next week at which point my Dr. will probably mandate an attempt at induction. At the end of next week (Sunday) I will be 42 weeks and he doesn't like to let patients go past that point. So this little one could end up being like her momma and arrive as much as 10 days past her due date! The problem is that if my cerfix is still unfavorable by 42 weeks, he really can't induce or if he does the chances of the delivery ending up resulting in a c-section are very high.

Our biggest prayer now is that we continue to trust God and His plan for Eleanor's arrival. As everyone keeps reminding me when I freak out about a c-section, it is most important for her to arrive healthy and I of course completely agree. I am also praying for a miracle that my cervix decided to become "favorable" and cooperate for a maybe not completely natural which was the inital goal but still conventional birthing experience. BUT like Dad always sings to me in situations that aren't exactly "favorable" in my eyes, the classic Rolling Stones: "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you might find you get what you need."

At least we know now, Andy can probably go golfing this weekend, I might actually get some curtains made, and little Ellie could have a birthday as late as in the 20's of May! So funny when I expected to be holding my little girl by now. God LOVES putting me in my place! :) Andy and I decided that either she has a strong personality like me and is doing things her way and taking control OR she is being "chill" like him and just enjoying hanging out in there and in no rush to move on to the next event in life. Whatever the case, we are just so excited to see her sweet little face in person and can't wait to share her with everyone!

Thank you everyone for your prayers, Eleanor's Grammie also said to pray to St. Gerard, the patron of expectant Mothers - I love how we Catholics have a patron saint to petition intercessory prayers from for just about anything you could need! Until next time as Eleanor's Aunt Katie would say, "Peace, Love, and Favorable Cervixes"...wow sorry for those of you reading who haven't dealt with childbirth...you really have no filter in regards to women's body parts after it is all said and done...