I have HOW many weeks left??!!

On Davis' third birthday, I officially became 34 weeks pregnant. Wait, how did THAT happen? Well, time has a way of passing and baby has a way of growing . . . and growing . . . and growing.  30 weeks 32 weeks 34 weeks A lot has certainly happened since I last posted about baby's progress.  At the end of January, I ended up in the ER with mild stroke-like symptoms on my left side and was diagnosed as having had a possible transient ischemic attack (TIA), a mini-stroke where a blood clot temporarily blocks blood flow to the brain.  Coupled with a couple of subsequent episodes of odd tingling sensations in my head, it made for a pretty scary time.  I am under the care of a neurologist and for now things seem to be okay, just hoping that I can finish out this pregnancy, deliver a healthy baby, and then reassess the situation to see if there is a larger clotting issue going on that isn't just pregnancy-related, or something else.  My prayer is certainly that everything is going to be completely normal.  Amidst all the stress, though, I neglected to take a 28 week picture, so you'll just have to bridge the gap with your imagination.  The comments about "oh, that baby must be coming any day now" and "you've gotten SO BIG" have certainly already started . . . but there is quite a bit of time left for me to keep baking this little muffin. We had our standard 32 week 4D ultrasound on March 4th and took Davis with us to see the pictures of the baby.  Fluid levels looked good, placenta had moved up 7 cm (was originally low-lying), and everything about the baby seemed normal and on target.  The baby was measuring 6 days ahead, had "a little hair" per the ultrasound technician, had a heart rate around 131-ish, and was estimated at around 4 lbs. 13 oz., which is around the 64th percentile or something like that and would put baby at an estimated birth weight of right around 8 pounds.  This was a shocker to me, since Davis was quite a bit bigger (remember this post?).  We got some great pictures of our new little one and I was so thrilled to see this precious face for the first time. I had my 34 appointment earlier this week.  Everything was still looking good.  Baby's heart rate was 142 and he or she is currently breech.  Most babies have assumed their final position for delivery by 33 weeks, although it is still possible that they will change position.  It was interesting that Dr. F said that siblings often take after each other as far as what position they assume in the womb - Davis was also breech very late in the game, and while he briefly turned head down, he had moved into a transverse (sideways) position when he was born 4 days before his due date.  At this appointment, I also had the big discussion with Dr. F about VBAC vs. repeat Cesarean.  I am definitely pro-VBAC and my obstetrician is VBAC-friendly (which is nice, since not all doctors are), but as my personal chances of a successful VBAC are likely less than 50%, a failed VBAC & emergency C-section are far riskier to mother and baby (and have a much harder recovery) than a scheduled C-section, and considering the neurological scares I've been having, we both think that a repeat Cesarean is going to be the wisest decision in this instance.  Believe me, whatever is going to give this baby the best chance of a safe arrival into the world is all I want! That being said, we went ahead and got a C-section scheduled, since the longer you wait to schedule the later in the day the surgery may be, and no one wants to have a 5 p.m. C-section when you're not allowed to eat or drink anything after midnight the night before!  So if nothing happens before then, pencil this in on your calendars . . . 4-24-14 . . . Thursday, April 24, 7:30 a.m.  I am not so thrilled at having to be at the hospital at 5:30 a.m., but hey, what's one less night of sleep when you know you're going to spend the next several months in a zombie-like state of torturous sleep deprivation. (Sidenote: Davis was born on my paternal grandparents' anniversary, March 16. Our new baby is scheduled to be delivered on my maternal grandparents' anniversary, April 24.  How weird and coincidental is that?) Holy cow!  That's in only 5 weeks!  The more I think about it, the longer my "to do" list gets.  I know that these last weeks are going to speed right by, and I hope to soon be holding a healthy newborn in my arms . . . but, you know, not TOO soon.  I NEED those five weeks!

From Loving the Life We Live