Tuesday, October 10 - No Baby Yet

An update on how things are going - it's been a long day at the hospital, and there's going to be a bit more of a wait before Danielle and Timothy get to meet little Ava face to face.  Danielle started on the oxytocin drip this morning around 8:30.  Mid-morning an ultrasound was done to see how Ava was doing, and it was discovered that she had flipped upside-down again and was now in a fully breech position.  This was pretty disappointing news!  The drip was stopped and after discussing options, they decided to try an External Cephalic Version (ECV) this afternoon to try avoiding a c-section.  An ECV is a procedure used to manually turn a breech baby into a head-down position before labour begins.  It took two doctors about 45 minutes to manoeuvre Ava around, monitoring her closely throughout the procedure, and she is now successfully in the correct position for delivery.  It was a painful procedure - imagine your stomach being roughly kneaded like dough when it is already tender from pregnancy and the previous surgery - but we are thankful that it was a success!  She is hopefully going to be held in place now by a tight wrap, or binder, around Danielle's tummy to keep her from flipping again.     

Danielle was given some time to recover afterwards before moving forward with the induction plans.  She was able to have a bit of a nap, eat some dinner, and visit with friends this evening.  She's been given some medication to help her body prepare for delivery, and things will be reassessed at midnight.  The hope is for the oxytocin to be started up again quite early in the morning, and if all goes well, a natural delivery sometime tomorrow.  A c-section is still a distinct possiblity, but they're trying everything they can to avoid another surgery and the recovery that comes with that.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers - there are so many people out there around the world lifting up Danielle, Ava, Timothy, Martha, and the rest of our family before the throne of God.  Please pray for a restful night in preparation for another long day tomorrow, and hopefully we can update again before too long with the news of Ava's arrival!