SEATTLE — In the months leading up to her pregnancy, Olympia and the baby both looked healthy. Regular checkups every two weeks included ultrasounds to see how both were doing. Heart rate, bone growth and amniotic fluid all appeared to be stable. Olympia looked to be on track for a mid-May delivery.
By Sunday, May 24, Olympia was five days past her due date. Tests throughout the weekend picked up a lower fetal heart rate than normal. After that eventually stabilized, Olympia’s care team went back for one more test Sunday morning. An ultrasound showed almost no amniotic fluid around the baby.
At this point the care team needed to make a call: Olympia was possibly in active labor, but they wouldn’t be able to see more unless she went under anesthesia for a cervical exam. She was also becoming more resistant to ultrasound exams than at earlier checkups, possibly indicating that something had changed. It was looking more and more likely that a vaginal delivery wasn’t going to be an option…