Operation 'Flip William'

OK - I am now 36 weeks today and had my most recent OB appointment yesterday, complete with another sono to get position of baby.  Well......the little man is still in breech position.  Head is up where it has been and one leg up and another leg down.  I was very disappointed and crushed and I understand this is absolutely ridiculous!  I have had a wonderfully successful and healthy pregnancy so far and hearing myself become upset about this seems absolutely absurd!  How lucky I am!!

I was hoping to avoid a c-section if I could and this certainly doesn't put me in a position to have much of an option.  However....I will continue and give "alternative" methods a shot before I give up.  There seems to be a good amount of fluid around baby so turning still might be possible.

So the midwife recommended Spinning Babies for some resources of some harmless, at home techniques I could try.  They might not be very effective - but since they won't hurt me or the baby, why not give 'em a whirl, right?  These "methods" seem absolutely ridiculous though, it's honestly hard not to laugh. 

• Putting ice pack where baby's head is to try to get him to move away from the cold  (my bald husband seems to think this is a fantastic idea since he knows what it's like to have a cold head, HA!)
• Playing music or talking to the bottom of my belly so baby will follow the sound  (I'm wondering if William would like rap, pop or light rock....hmmm)
• Laying with my hips positioned higher than my shoulders  (well sure.....I can barely get up out of bed, but let me just somehow figure out how to accomplish this for an extended period of time...I'm going to go ahead and not count on being graceful for this event)
• Webster maneuver - still not entirely sure what this is, supposedly can help relax ligaments holding baby in place to help encourage baby to turn.
• External Cephalic Version - this will be the last option and I'm quite nervous about this one.  Next week I will be talking to doctor on risks and benefits and see if this is something we want to try....EEK!  I would be admitted to hospital and have two doctors trying to externally (yes, pushing on my belly and baby) turn the baby - while being monitored to ensure baby is handling this just fine.

So what's a gal to do?  William might be just content and safest in the position he's in, and c-section will be the "best" way to go.  I will admit, I was sitting watching the Yankees game last night with hubs, with an ice pack on the top of my belly and Adam's Ipod and headphones on my lower belly.  I also scheduled an appointment with a chiropractor this Friday to try the Webster maneuver (and maybe once again early next week??).  Next week, I'll discuss ECV in more detail with my OB.  We'll give these things a shot and see what happens.  If little man is happy to be where he is for the next few weeks, then mommy will just have to listen to that and accept c-section as the best option to meet him!

Let Operation "Flip William" commence.....

Mommy Guilt

I realize I've been absent from writing for a few days - originally this was due to the fact that I was traveling to visit family in Ohio for a family thrown baby shower!!  This will be my last trip before William is due - since I'm getting closer to the due date, I want to stay kind close to home.

However, the weekend had an unexpected turn.  Pain in my ear Friday, led to leaving my cousin's wedding early Friday evening, which led to absolutely no sleep that night and eventually landed me in the ER at about 2:00am because the pain was beginning to be unbearable.  A quick diagnosis of an outer ear infection, with a few prescriptions (an oral antibiotic and a pain med) and I was on my way home.  The pain medication barely touched the pain - the night continued with no sleep. 

Saturday - the day of the baby shower.  I was not well.  It was wonderful being able to see family and friends, but I really wish I was able to enjoy it more.  Had called my OB in Illinois and they had called me in some additional ear drops to help with the infection and inflammation.  The night came - another night with no sleep.  Sunday - time to head back to Illinois.  I'm so thankful my mother-in-law had made the trip with me and she was able to drive and I was able to get a little more rest.  After arriving home, still in intense pain, I headed back to the ER.  This time, the infection had become more severe and eardrum had ruptured.  Change of pain meds, a shot for the pain while in the hospital and I was sent home where I was finally able to get some sleep.

The 'mommy guilt' comes into the fact that I'm 33 weeks pregnant and now on an oral antibiotic, an oral pain med and ear drops.  All have been deemed fine for someone who is pregnant.  I also understand that mommy needs to be healthy for baby to be healthy - I have an infection (that eventually could get worse if untreated), I wasn't eating or sleeping because of the pain and my blood pressure was up because of the pain also.  So I'm doing what I need to do to get myself better.  Still hard for me not to feel as if I'm doing something wrong.....

Crossing Our Fingers

So I'm just shy of 33 weeks and there is something on my mind....

The last two sonograms (at 28 weeks and at 30 weeks), our little stinker has been breech.  My doctor has reassured me that even the late "turners" can bounce around to different positions until about 35 weeks, so I shouldn't worry - but how can I not?  From the last sono, William was measuring about 2 weeks larger than "normal".  So could be potentially more difficult for him to turn to head-down position. 

'Lil' Stinker' being breech leads us down the Cesarean route, instead of the natural path that I had hoped.  I know women have c-sections everyday and I have complete faith in my doctors and my hospital to deliver my baby safely either way, but a c-section would certainly not be my first choice.  I'm more nervous about the procedure in general and about my recovery from the surgery.  Mostly what I am worried about is not being able to experience the delivery in the same way as I could have by having a vaginal delivery.  More than anything, I am looking forward to pushing and delivering our baby and having him brought immediately to my chest and being able to start nursing soon afterwards.  That's the moment I have dreamed of before I was pregnant!  Cesarean babies may need to be tended to a little more and I'll need to stay in the OR to be stitched up while Adam heads to the nursery with the little guy and I can hope to be able to start nursing while in recovery.

Today's appointment, the doctor wasn't sure, but he thought perhaps he was head-down.  We will be able to confirm in a few weeks (at around 36 weeks) with another sono to get estimated weight and position. 

I am crossing my fingers and my toes that little man turns and can come into this world with the least amount of medical intervention possible!!

Meet William!!

Today was the 3D/4D sonogram!

William had been dancing around mommy's belly all morning and decided to be almost completely still the minute we get in the room with the sono technician.  And the little stinker decided to be shy and hide his face from us - I think he wants to just make a grand entrance into this world, with no surprised ahead of time.

No real surprises - it is a boy, confirmed again.  One possible eye brow raise....he's gonna be huge!!  I asked the technician to measure, and he's currently measuring at about 3 lbs, 7 oz - which is almost four weeks larger than what a normal 28 week baby would be.  Am I further along in my pregnancy or is William just going to jump out ready to play football?  He is currently in a frank breech position - both legs and head up and butt facing down.  This isn't too concerning at this point since it's still early.

Regardless of being able to see his face, the images are pretty amazing!  We are just in love with him already!

"Wanna see my face?....oh..just kidding...."

"I"m quite comfy with my shin in my face, thank you very much..."

Grabbing his toes

Being shy and not showing his whole face

Bottom of his foot

Snug as a bug in a rug - legs up to face and arms to face

Wiggling his fingers and giving a "peace" sign

You can see a cheek and eye poking thru and yes, that's his foot on his head!

Seriously...technology is amazing!!

IT'S A BOY!!!!!

Emotions racing....tears running....hearts bursting....

We are having a boy!!!!
Everything looks healthy (insert sigh of relief) - he's a growing (bigger than average right now), kicking, healthy baby boy!!

Meet William......

Legs propped up on the left, head on the right, fist near his mouth

Side view of his face

It's clearly a boy.....

(this is a bottom shot with his legs bent in a V-shape and his boyhood in between)

4 Weeks is a Lifetime Away!

Doctor appointment yesterday - pretty routine.  Found the baby's heartbeat again....[sigh of relief].....160 beats per minute.

Although the only sign of life inside me has been my expanding belly, it's such a great feeling to hear the heartbeat again!

Anatomy sonogram scheduled for 4 weeks from now - July 15th.  4 weeks?!?!  That's forever away! 

That's 4 more weeks until we can see our baby again.  Another 4 weeks to wait to make sure that the baby is healthy and developing properly.  A long 4 weeks to find out if our "large baking potato" (that's the size the baby is this week - not as cute sounding as a blueberry or peanut) is a boy or a girl!

Countdown - 28 days away......