The Final Month (35,36, & 37 Weeks)

Statistics:
37 Weeks 5 Days
Starting Weight: 135
Current Weight: 169
Issues: I want her to be here!

Well, I'm sorry I've been such a slacker on my blog. The last few weeks have been kind of crazy. I haven't even updated my doctor appointments or anything like that. So I'll try to give you all a brief rundown of the events of the past couple of weeks.

As of my last post, Payslie WAS in a head down position. Well, she decided to stay that way for only a week and then flipped herself back into a breech position. Even though the ultrasound at the beginning of my pregnancy concluded that my uterus does not appear heart shaped, I am thinking that it still may be slightly shaped that way and it is only something that is discovered in surgery. This means that I probably have a very minor form of a bicornuate uterus, so minor that it really doesn't affect my pregnancy negatively other than my babies are more comfortable in a breech position. I have to admit that her being breech does make me feel better about my decision to go ahead with a repeat c-section. I feel like the decision was made for me.

I have been going to my non-stress tests twice a week and she's been doing very well. I think she was going through a growth spurt last weekend (the 7-9) because she was a little bit sleepier than usual. She passed her NST on the 9th, but I was so full of anxiety and had myself convinced that something wasn't right. The ultrasound even showed that everything was good. I had an emotional breakdown in front of the labor and delivery nurses at the hospital and fortunately, they were kind enough to let me stay as long as I wanted hooked up to the monitors in triage to give me peace of mind. I really like a woman named MJ who works at scheduling desk in the NST office. She has really taken me under her wing and she came and talked to me after my "breakdown." It was just a bad day for me.

As far as my anxiety, it is subsiding. I think I purposely left a lot of stuff to be done this week to keep me busy since you know that idle hands are the devils playground. Payslie has been a lot more active this week, although she did decide to take a nap at the beginning of my NST yesterday. Poor girl...we had to "buzz" her awake. For you moms, you know how quiet your baby is while he/she is sleeping in the womb? Imagine at the slightest "buzz" of this device, your baby literally jumps in the womb. That's what she does when they buzz her, but it's a very good sign that she reacts because it means all is well with her nervous system. I know I will feel bad about buzzing her when I see her sweet little face, but for now, it helps us establish that she's OK.

I am still waking up in the middle of the night, although mostly because I have to use the ladies room and also because my hips are super sore sleeping on my sides. This is the time when I am most susceptible to anxiety because I lost Brooke while I was sleeping, so I feel like I have to be on guard during the night. Fortunately, I have a lot of Scripture memorized to help fight off those anxious thoughts ("Take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ") and she usually does some kind of movement to let me know she's OK.

So, as most of you know already, my c-section is scheduled for this Friday, February 20 at 1PM. I am having an amniocentisis performed at 8 AM on Thursday morning to check for lung maturity. I am hoping that she is ready since I will be 38 weeks. If she is not ready, the c-section will be delayed probably another week. On an interesting note, I'm not even sure if MY doctor will be doing my c-section because apparently, she has hidden a pregnancy quite well. Imagine my surprise to find out that she is about as far along as me with her pregnancy! Those scrubs sure do cover up a baby bump! So as long as she doesn't have her baby this week, she is still on to do my c-section, but if not, it will be another doctor in the practice. I told her just as long as a doctor shows up in the OR, that's all that matters to me.

I will keep everyone posted and hopefully by this time next week, I will have some pictures of Payslie OUTSIDE the womb.

Thank you to everyone for all of your prayers and support going through this pregnancy.