First, thank you all so much for your sweet comments about our maternity photos! I'm quite smitten with them, and it seems you loved them as much as I do! There were so many more to share, so I'm sure more will be popping up around here every now and then!
Welcome to term, sweet girl of mine! We made it!!
She gets it from her mama, her stubbornness that is. At the end of 33 weeks and heading into our 34th week, we discovered little miss was transverse or sideways instead of head down. So yesterday morning, husband and I headed into the hospital for an external version to flip her into the correct position. Before the procedure they monitored her heartbeat (as strong as ever!), gave me medicine to relax my muscles to keep my body from fighting the doctor trying to turn her, and performed an ultrasound to determine exactly how she is hanging out in there. We discovered that baby girl did in fact move, but she went from transverse to breech! Wrong direction, my girl! From the ultrasound the doctor could tell that her bottom was pretty firmly settled low in my pelvis. He didn't know that there would be success in flipping her, but thought giving it a go was most certainly worth it.
Three to four tries later, and the doctor called it quits on turning her. Little Hill didn't budge a bit; apparently she's quite happy with her position. And thankfully, she didn't experience any distress from it, a huge prayer answered. The doctor tried his best to get her hips and tush out of my pelvis, but it just wasn't happening, so a c-section it is! I was hoping for a natural delivery, but over the last several weeks had very much come to terms with a c-section. So that news wasn't a shocker nor a day ruiner for me. Husband and I are now waiting to confirm the c-section date, and my how it feels weird to know the day we'll meet her. Granted, she may try to show up sooner, and knowing my girl and her feisty personality already, it wouldn't surprise me :)
As for the discomfort associated with turning a baby, I have a high pain tolerance and handled the procedure well. Mind you, it still wasn't comfortable and I'm now feeling sore from the pressure that had to be applied to my stomach.
How far along? In the 37th week
Baby's Size: A winter melon || approximately 19ish-21ish inches and anywhere from 6.2 to 9.2 pounds
Gender: Sweet girl!
Baby Fact: Baby girl is practicing her inhaling, exhaling, sucking, gripping, and blinking. She's also getting the meconium ready for her first diaper.
Weight Gain: 26 pounds since my last appointment, and I'll know if that has changed on Friday at my next appointment.
Baby's Movement: Still moving around with fervor in there! Her favorite time is at night when I'm reclined in bed. I love watching her body wiggle all around.
Maternity Clothes: Even my maternity clothes are being stretched and don't quite cover near as much as they once did. I'm still firm in thinking that sweatpants and pajamas are the only way these days, and wish I could make them work in the office. Oh well!
Sleep: I't's still hard to come by. I'm up for a bathroom break about 2 times a night now. Some nights it's even 3.
Symptoms: Acid reflux (check); swollen feet, ankles, and fingers (check); congestion and a constant tickle in my throat (check); lower back pain (check); fingers that fall asleep while I'm sleeping (check); hip discomfort (check); electric like shocks through my legs when standing up after sitting awhile (check); puffy face (check); no more wearing of my wedding bands (check). None of these symptoms have changed since last week.
Cravings: Ice cold water and juice, crunchy and cold fruit (think grapes), peppermint patties, and cereal. These are all the same as well. A new craving though is salty peanuts.
Miss Anything? My sleep.
Best Moment This Week: Having answers about baby girl's position. The external version wasn't fun, but it gave us a clear direction on the next step. The doctor that worked on turning her was great, and we're trying to set it up so that he'll also be the one delivering her. Since he knows the situation, it makes a lot of sense to go with him.
Worst Moment This Week: Knowing that a c-section is the way we'll be delivering baby girl. It could be worse, so I'm thankful that it's not. And I'm also thankful to have a definitive answer on how baby girl is positioned. It's a prayer answered to have that peace of mind. I trust that the Lord has baby girl this way for a reason, and that's enough for me. A c-section might not be my first choice, but if it's the best for her, then it's the best for me.
Looking Forward To: Looking into her face for the first time. We are so close to meeting her and it gives me all the feels to imagine holding her and making our first eye contact.
How's Husband? A true champ. He's been so supportive during this entire pregnancy and has never let up. He makes making the hard decisions about what to do easy, and I know I've always got his support. You should see his eyes light up when he talks about seeing her and loving on her for the first time. Baby girl and I are certainly lucky to call him ours!
In case you missed it:
WEEK 22
WEEK 23
WEEK 24
WEEK 25
WEEK 26
WEEK 27
WEEK 28
WEEK 29
WEEK 30
WEEK 31
WEEK 32
WEEK 33
WEEK 34
WEEK 35
WEEK 36
WEEK 23
WEEK 24
WEEK 25
WEEK 26
WEEK 27
WEEK 28
WEEK 29
WEEK 30
WEEK 31
WEEK 32
WEEK 33
WEEK 34
WEEK 35
WEEK 36
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