I have tried to remain positive through this whole pregnancy, but even still I have exceeded my initial hopes. While I of course wanted the best possible outcome, 28 weeks would have been acceptable. 30 weeks would have been great and 32 weeks would have been even better still. Truth be told I was mentally prepared for almost anything. Well, as mentally prepared as you can be for a premature birth.
At the beginning of this experience none of us were sure exactly what to expect, my OB included. Were we dealing with an incompetent cervix? Bentley's infection? Both? Neither? Something else entirely? All we had were ideas and assumptions so we treated the worst possible scenario. And now here we are, less than three weeks from the ultimate goal! I'm not sure my OB necessarily has any more answers today than he did 8 months ago, but we do know that despite random contractions and almost constant irritability my cervix is still holding up! Even if I were to start to efface now I could most likely hold on a while longer and probably even make it all the way to 36 weeks thanks to the cerclage. My next hope is that my uterus isn't completely destroyed from the classical c-section, contractions and two pregnancies. My OB will know more once he gets a look during the delivery.
Cody and I are feeling good about Little Sister's birth. Her healthy birth. And we're getting really excited she's almost here. She still has no name, so we're hoping for inspiration to strike once we lay eyes on her. As of now we also don't have a definite delivery date, but we do know it will be sometime during the third week of March.
I've gained 40 pounds and I only have about two pairs of pants I can wear comfortably (most of them are a little snug in the, ahem, rear). I don't have any stretch marks I can see on my stomach, but my rear and thighs are a different story entirely. Little Sister moves all the time and loves to poke me in my ribs. I go back to the perinatal doctor in two weeks for a final anatomy scan and Cody and I are really hoping she's been packing on the pounds!
As far as Rhys goes he is becoming quite the toddler. He is chattering all the time and has become a pro at vocalizing his displeasure. He is great at pitching fits and shaking his fists, but he'll melt your heart with his smiles and belly laugh. We're trying really hard to start teaching him that temper tantrums aren't the way to get what he wants, but he finds our attempts at verbal "discipline" really funny. He has recently discovered the joy of deliberately dropping things to watch us pick them up for him and gets really tickled with himself when we play his game. He received his last two Synagis shots this week, but is still due for his 18-month well baby visit and vaccines (eh, we've been busy!). Overall Rhys is doing great. We continually see improvements in his development, and his therapists are pleased with his progress even though we've still got a long way to go.
At the beginning of this experience none of us were sure exactly what to expect, my OB included. Were we dealing with an incompetent cervix? Bentley's infection? Both? Neither? Something else entirely? All we had were ideas and assumptions so we treated the worst possible scenario. And now here we are, less than three weeks from the ultimate goal! I'm not sure my OB necessarily has any more answers today than he did 8 months ago, but we do know that despite random contractions and almost constant irritability my cervix is still holding up! Even if I were to start to efface now I could most likely hold on a while longer and probably even make it all the way to 36 weeks thanks to the cerclage. My next hope is that my uterus isn't completely destroyed from the classical c-section, contractions and two pregnancies. My OB will know more once he gets a look during the delivery.
Cody and I are feeling good about Little Sister's birth. Her healthy birth. And we're getting really excited she's almost here. She still has no name, so we're hoping for inspiration to strike once we lay eyes on her. As of now we also don't have a definite delivery date, but we do know it will be sometime during the third week of March.
I've gained 40 pounds and I only have about two pairs of pants I can wear comfortably (most of them are a little snug in the, ahem, rear). I don't have any stretch marks I can see on my stomach, but my rear and thighs are a different story entirely. Little Sister moves all the time and loves to poke me in my ribs. I go back to the perinatal doctor in two weeks for a final anatomy scan and Cody and I are really hoping she's been packing on the pounds!
As far as Rhys goes he is becoming quite the toddler. He is chattering all the time and has become a pro at vocalizing his displeasure. He is great at pitching fits and shaking his fists, but he'll melt your heart with his smiles and belly laugh. We're trying really hard to start teaching him that temper tantrums aren't the way to get what he wants, but he finds our attempts at verbal "discipline" really funny. He has recently discovered the joy of deliberately dropping things to watch us pick them up for him and gets really tickled with himself when we play his game. He received his last two Synagis shots this week, but is still due for his 18-month well baby visit and vaccines (eh, we've been busy!). Overall Rhys is doing great. We continually see improvements in his development, and his therapists are pleased with his progress even though we've still got a long way to go.
4 comments:
Congrats on making it so far! I hope I can make it this far too. I pray for a healthy, uneventful birth of your precious baby girl. Good luck on the name too!
Julie
Our family is so, so, so, so happy for yours! What an excellent report for your health and Little Sister's, too. Anticipating much happiness for all of you!
--Alicia, Levi, Mattie, John
Wow, you're doing so well. You must be so relieved to have gotten this far. I look forward to hearing your wonderful birth news in a few more weeks!
Brian always gives great suggestions. I think the first one he tries for is Brianna Lee. So ask him...if anything you'll get a good chuckle out of some of his suggestions. 11 years ago, when I found out I was expecting a baby, I asked for some suggestions. Amazingly enough, Maximillian was one of the names on his list for a boy. Good thing I had a girl both times and didn't use it... However, when my second daughter was born, she WAS given the name Julia. :D
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