Will we see Pat today? 39 weeks 3 days in utero

We certainly had an eventful night! At 8:30 PM, Pui was given cervadil, and in an hour some seriously uncomfortable contractions had begun. She got sick a couple of times, and lost the cervadil. The contractions became increasingly uncomfortable, almost unbearable, and by the time her 1 AM exam came she was really hurting. She was measured as dilated 4 cm, station -1. She decided she wanted an epidural, and by 2:10 AM it was in. At 2:13 AM the nurse pulled a cord off the wall, and 15 seconds later 5 more people came into the room and started busily changing her IV, rolling her on her side, giving her O2, etc. Including the Anesthesiologists, there were 8 people in the room. After 3 or 4 minutes, most of them left - it seems that sometimes the initial change the epidural makes will depress the fetal heart rate, but it usually recovers quickly when those measures are taken, and Pat's did. The epidural also had quite an impact on Pui. within minutes she was far more relaxed and smiling - two things she hadn't been in hours. At 2:45 the baby's heart rate dipped again, and Pui spent the rest of the night on O2. At 5:45, she was examined again, and it was determined that she was at 8 - 9 cm dilation.

With all of this going on, I didn't think I'd get any sleep, but I did get a little. Snored too, Pui tells me. Nothing like the Earnest support of a dear husband snoring away while she deals with being in labor to build that sacred marital bond of trust and support.

It appears likely that Pat will be born today. Perhaps before noon. I can hardly wait to celebrate his birthday!