Today is the Day - 38 weeks & 6 days

   We finally made it to the end of this pregnancy and the beginning of the birth.  Today is the big day.  It has been a very long week.  Due to the diagnosis of decreased fetal movement, we have been to triage every day for additional testing and some much needed peace of mind.  

   The schedule for today is one last appointment with the doctor for a final check on the baby and to see how I'm progressing so she can decide what medications to give, what dosage and when to induce labor.  Then we check into the hospital at 7pm.  Their estimate is that the baby will be born sometime between the afternoon of the 29th and at the latest the morning of the 30th.  We are still hoping for a vaginal delivery which means it will take longer and move a bit slower.  At this point we don't really care.  Our birth plan is for a healthy baby, whatever else happens, happens.  So in between now and then I am having my last prenatal massage, then having dinner before we check into the hospital.  The rest of the day will be spent trying to remain calm and keeping busy.

   I am filled with all kinds of emotions today.  I am excited to have actually made it this far and the thought of finally holding my baby in my arms is overwhelming.  It has been such a long journey.  It's surreal that this moment has actually come to be.

   I am extremely nervous for the birth, there is just so much that could go wrong and when there is a chance of something going wrong with us, it usually does.  We recently found out that the umbilical cord is wrapped around his neck.  Our doctor told us that it happens to 1 out of 4 babies and usually they can slip it off during labor, yet its just another thing to cause us worry.  We are still dealing with the diagnosis of decreased fetal movement and they show concern over that too.  I am happy that the pregnancy is almost over and these pregnancy worries will go away soon.  I'm looking forward to being able to just look at the baby and see that he is ok instead of having to wait for an appointment and the doctor freaking us out before we know all is ok.  

   And finally sadness, it really hits home today the loss of Baby B.  Every time we went to our appointments this last week it comes up as part of the questions the nurses as me.  

  Looking forward to writing my next post and announcing the birth of our son!

Thanks for Reading,

HEATHER

38 Weeks w/ 1 Week To Go

It's the final countdown!!!  We are officially a week away.  Our induction is next Wednesday with a birth more than likely on Thursday.  We start every morning now with a trip to triage and today was no exception.  Luckily he was moving a bunch so the test looked great with no issues. Since he was not moving too much on Monday or Tuesday, it's a huge relief when we can get him going and moving.   My fluid levels are good.  Cervix is still closed and no contractions long enough to count, just little ones every 10 - 15 minutes it seems.  So as of right now it looks like he will hold on for the full week, which sounds like it's soon, but this week is going to crawl by.  It's just so difficult to keep fearing the worst.  At least when he is born, I can just look over to see he is breathing instead of having to trek to the hospital every day.  It's never a good thing when they know you by name at the hospital.

I don't have any new pictures for today because he was nestled with his head on my placenta as a pillow so you couldn't see too much that really looked like a face.

Thanks for Reading,
HEATHER

Week 30

  The most exciting thing about week 30 was going into our regular anatomy scan and about halfway through, she switched it to 3D and we saw our handsome baby boy.  It was amazing to actually see his face. That was definitely a highlight for both of us, especially since it was a surprise.  It's amazing to finally his his little face and start to imagine what he will actually look like.    The rest of the anatomy scan went ok. Baby is now 3 lbs 14 ounces. He is super long now and basically takes up my whole belly.  That day, he was stretched out horizontally across my belly with his legs tucked under my ribs. He isn't too uncomfortable yet, but I've been told that will change. 

  The newest issue that came up is when they measured the amount of amniotic fluid, it's on the higher side. There is nothing to do about that now except notice it and keep an eye on it.  The other issue I am dealing with is I have been experience moments of becoming severely lightheaded and dizzy with a racing heart. When I talked to the doctor about it, she said it's probably just being pregnant, but with our situation , she didn't want to take any chances. She sent me over to Sharp Hospital for an EKG.  The test went fine and there were no issues. She also ordered a blood pressure cuff and wanted me to test every time I'm having an episode.   So far I have tested 4 times. Each times my numbers are about 92 over 52 ish with a pulse of about 110.  Again this is another thing that is borderline too low that we will be monitoring.  The good news is the gestational diabetes is under control and there isn't much going on there, so at least we have that.  We will still monitor and test my blood for the time being and keep an eye on that.

Thanks for reading,

HEATHER