Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Breech / Transverse

My baby girl seemed to be going along with the plans for awhile. She was head down for a few weeks, which I could tell since she gets the hiccups at least 2x a day. Then about 1 1/2 weeks ago, I suddenly 
realized she was sideways.

Sideways!

I could feel her head on one side and her bum sticking out on the other! Let me tell you, babies THIS size do not fit sideways in a belly. It's so painful! She spends the majority of each day in the transverse position (she is as I'm typing this), but sometimes she's head up. Ever since she flipped, she hasn't been head down a single time! 
I can always tell from the hiccups :)

I went to the OB yesterday and asked him when he would start worrying about needing to do a c-section. He felt the baby and told me he was pretty sure she was head down, but he did a quick ultrasound to make sure. He looked at the screen, sighed, and told me "I hate it when you're right." So he talked to me about breech babies. I had 2 options:

1. Have an external version, where they try to manually flip the baby

or

2. Schedule a c-section

Guess which one I chose? I'll give you a hint: definitely not the c-section!

My OB warned me that a version is painful, and if my abdomen is sensitive (which it is), it's going to be even worse. He also said it's only a 50% chance that it will work AND she won't flip back. So who knows, I could go through a bunch of pain just to find out she's switching back to breech or transverse. And since she's been in the head down position before and apparently doesn't like it as much as her other options, I'm afraid she will be stubborn and flip back. If this doesn't work out, my OB does want me to schedule a c-section. I'll try to put it off for a bit in the off-chance that she flips on her own. Who knows what could happen in the next 3 weeks!

I have to check in at the hospital at 10am tomorrow even though the version isn't until noon. Matt's going with me & will be studying for exams while they prep me & monitor the baby, so at least I won't be alone.

One thing I have to admit I am excited for...is that they'll do an ultrasound at the hospital tomorrow. I haven't seen her on an ultrasound screen since 18/19 weeks!



Tuesday, April 3, 2012

34 weeks

Forgive my lack of caring how I look for a picture. For the first time ever, I don't care. 
At all. 
How bad I look in this picture pretty much sums up how I've been feeling recently.
All that matters is the belly.

34 weeks

I'm definitely in my nesting phase. Only problem is the doctor has told me I have to stop cooking, cleaning, and anything else that increases my heart rate.

My "normal" heart rate for the past few months has been between 110-120, but now it's over 120. My OB was finally worried when he found out my heart rate has been this high (I'd told him, but he just told me it was normal; he never asked HOW high it was) and sent me to my regular doctor. He did an EKG and everything's normal. They're taking me off a medicine I've been on the past few months and hoping that's what it is, but so far no change!

Who knows how long this will last, but it's already been a week. I'm going crazy, there are so many things I want to cook, so many cleaning projects I want to do (and ones I started but now can't finish), and holy cow, I want to exercise!

The only thing keeping me from doing these things is reminding myself that it could hurt Evelyn, so I need to take care of myself & take it easy (and I do...for the most part...). It's not bedrest but it certainly is 
feeling like it! It's TORTURE!