ABIGAIL IS ON THE WAY!!

Well, we had a check-up with Dr. Siegel this morning, and the news was surprising, to say the least. Because my due date has come and gone (yesterday, September 10th), the doctor wanted to perform a non-stress test, to make sure that Abby was doing okay in her little watery home. They hooked me up to two sensors and gave me a button to push whenever she moved. Her heartbeat was strong, and she must like Dr. Siegel's voice, because as soon as he came into the room, she started moving. A lot. The doctor said that the stress-test results looked fine; Abby still seems quite content in there.

After that portion of the test, he performed an ultrasound to see how much amniotic fluid is present in my uterus. After performing a few measurements, he said that my fluid levels are slightly lower than he would like. He checked my cervix, and I am 100% effaced and 4 centimeters dilated, so he said he would like to induce me today. Well, as you can imagine, Carey and I were stunned. I didn't know what to say, and didn't really say much until we got out to the car. Then I broke down. My first and foremost concern is doing what is best for Abigail. But, the idea of inducing her today was a shock to me and I lost it. Luckily for me, Carey was calm and went back inside to speak with the doctor. Dr. Siegel agreed that, since Abby is doing fine according to the stress test, we can wait to begin the induction. (The doctor literally wanted us to go straight to the hospital from his office this morning...) Obviously, had it been an emergency, I would have run out to the car to get to the hospital faster. But, as long as the doctor said that it is not an emergency, that Abby is doing just fine in there for the time being, I am very relieved that we'll be able to wait a bit.

So, Carey and I are heading to the hospital tonight. The doctor would like us there by 9:00 pm, so I figure that by the time we get checked in and I get hooked up to Pitocin (or whatever they decide to use to induce my labor), it will be around 10:00 pm. Dr. Siegel said that he has never seen a first-time labor happen that quickly, so I'm hoping that our little Abigail will be in our arms on September 12th!!

It was very difficult to hear the doctor say that he wanted to induce us, as I was expecting labor to begin on it's own. Yet, as He has done many times before, God has shown us that His plan is not necessarily my/our plan. I feel very lucky to have Dr. Siegel as my OB/GYN, and I know that he is doing all that he can to ensure that our little girl is delivered safely. Low amniotic fluid is not something to be taken lightly, as it can signal that the placenta is starting to break down, so I'm glad that we had the tests done this morning. And, I just keep thinking that by this time tomorrow, I will hopefully be holding my little girl!!

Please keep Abby and I (and Carey, too!) in your thoughts and prayers. I hope that labor and delivery go as smoothly as possible and that our Abigail comes into this world as a healthy, happy little girl. I'll probably be off the blog for a few days, but I'll try to post pictures as soon as I can. Wish me luck!!!!! :-)