Mama Knows Best

Today has been exciting, and boring…

I didn’t sleep well last night from contractions, which increased in intensity and proximity as the morning drew on.

We ended up going to the hospital to see what was causing them since I’m still preterm.

10 hours later, they haven’t let up, and I’m on bed rest with bathroom priveliges. The doctors are preparing for delivery, though they’re hoping that at the 24 hour mark, there will have been no more progression and I can go home and Henrik can stay put for a couple more weeks.

But for now, I’m getting really bored and anxious… And HUNGRY! SO very hungry… To the point that I looked up medical studies and made my case for getting to eat. The American Association of Anesthesiologists put out a study in November of 2015 that said healthy laboring women have the caloric intake of a marathon runner. I’ve run a marathon- I couldn’t have done it without GU gels and some protein. And I’m not about to give birth calorie deficient. 

The Crux of the study that really made my case for me is that 1) I have no risk factors- no diabetes, no preeclampsia, no eclampsia, no obesity, and no progression of dilation.  2) I’m not in active labor or facing emergency C-section so there’s no risk of intubation or aspiration. 3) the study showed that while fasting delays contractions because it requires the body to draw blood away from the uterus, the body begins to use fat stores for energy and this puts the mother at increased risk for medical intervention during labor, as well as lowers the newborn’s overall health score upon delivery (low heart rate, low energy.) 

I decided that, “hey, I’m in charge of my body and I have to advocate for what is best for me and for my unborn baby!” And so I got a little hangry at my nurse (I’m so sorry, I’m really not that snippy usually) and my doctor and quoted the study to them. They agreed with me and upon seeing that dilation hadn’t progressed, they agreed I could have some food. That just goes to show it pays to be well-read and educated on not only your body, but all risks and complications you face as a pregnant woman. Knowing your risks allows you to determine what is worth risking. My health and my son’s health score are not worth sacrificing to maybe stave off labor for a few more hours. His heart rate had begun to drop as had mine.

I convinced my husband and he brought me back some Muscle Milk and a fruit and cheese tray which amounted to a solid 46 grams of protein. I love that man. Now I’m much happier, no longer dizzy and angry, and baby’s heart rate is back up where it belongs. Sometimes, almost in spite of their medical training, doctors see their patients as a series of statistics and numbers instead of autonomous individuals. I respect their knowledge and experience, absolutely! But I also respect the physical cues I get from my body, because the doctors may have gone to medical school, but Almighty God made my body. And, well… Really, who knows more about the human body than the One who made it?

God is good. I trust His timing. If Henrik comes early, it may be that God is sparing me from potential hypertension later on. It could be that He’s simply asking me to trust Him and rely on Him to bring me and my baby and my husband through this through fervent prayer and trust. 

I will delight in the Almighty at all times. Because I know that even when this world goes to pot, God is eternal. And my soul is eternal. And that’s where I want my heart to live, full of deisre for eternity in another world with my Lord and Savior.

So yeah, I “fought” the doctor’s over some food. But ya know what? I know from Whom my help comes. And sometimes, Mama just knows best.