The good news – we’ve made it to week 26! This is another monumental week – babies born this early have a 75% survival rate! We’re feeling more comfortable in the event Lil Mac decides to be an early bird, but of course we’d still prefer to get further along than we did with Adalynn. I had miscalculated previously when I thought my 30-week mark would be right at Christmastime. Actually, 30 weeks won’t be here until January 3rd. So this means instead of having a goal to make it through Christmas, my goal is now to make it through New Year’s. At least that gives me time to get the Christmas décor put away before he arrives. ;) Seriously, though, I’d love to have the month of January to focus on the nursery so let’s hope he’s content to stay put for a while.
The bad news – the further along we get, the more the panic starts to set in. The realization hits that we could be getting close; and as much as we joke around about how I need to start carrying a phone with me every time I use a restroom, the fact is we may have another premature baby and he may not get as lucky as his big sister. What if he decides to arrive while I’m at work, in the store, or in the car? What if I’m alone when this happens? What if he’s breach or has the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and we’re not in a hospital? I know it’s not good to freak myself out and worry over things that most likely will not happen. But the paranoia started to creep in at my check-up today. My cervical length has decreased. It technically isn’t something to be concerned about just yet simply because I’m still within the “good” range for length. However, in five weeks time I’ve gone from measuring at 3.9 to 2.9 – that’s a big drop. The other item of concern is that up until today’s appointment, my cervical length hasn’t changed when they’ve applied pressure to my abdomen. Today, however, it decreased even further to 2.6. I’m so used to being well above 3 and everything looking just normal that the decrease completely took me by surprise. So what is considered a “good” range for cervical length? It depends on who you talk to. In our area, doctors always want to see it above 2.5. In areas like Iowa City where they specialize in this kind of thing, they’re much more lenient and are okay with measurement of 1.5 or above. So keeping this in mind, I’m still perfectly fine and nowhere near going into premature labor (especially since there is also still no sign of funneling). However, my doctor wants to see me in two weeks, and she started tossing around that nasty horrible “bed-rest” term if I drop below 2.5. I’ve been an emotional wreck ever since the appointment. I feel so much pressure now to get as much as I can possibly accomplish in two weeks done in the event that I’m stuck on bed-rest soon. And the thought of that overwhelms me and sends me into panic mode again. My problem is that I hate the unknown – and basically everything is unknown for me in as little as two weeks. I have no idea how long I’ll be able to continue work, how soon our little man will arrive, whether or not I will even be able to return to work, and how I can possibly get everything “ready” before he’s born when there is no predicting when that will be. Toss in the usual holiday stress that everyone experiences and the crazy pregnancy hormones and let me tell you – I’m a mess!
So basically at this point I just need some prayers for my sanity. Deep down I know I’m making matters worse and stressing over too many things. But I can’t seem to relax anyway. I’m so used to my doctor appointments providing me with peace of mind, and today was the exact opposite. Oh, and while you’re praying for my sanity also pray that my hunger pains go away. The other bad (and shocking) news was that I have gained 7 pounds in the last three weeks. THREE WEEKS. Keep in mind that I have only gained 10 pounds total in the previous 23 weeks. Craziness!!!!! And like my doctor said, it’s not like I can exercise or anything to help combat the weight gain – after all, anything physical was forbidden a long time ago back when I was classified as “high risk”. Grrrr.
Anyway, enough freaking out. Let’s focus on our cute little boy, shall we? Heart rate is a good strong 160, and his mouth was active today – he gave us a HUGE yawn, and he looked like he was talking up a storm in there.
 |
| His mouth is open - looked like he was chatting |
 |
| Close-Up |
 |
| Wazzup?! Holiday cheer in da house, yo! |
Love the pictures! Sorry for all the worrying you've had. :( Call me if you want to talk.
ReplyDeleteOn another note, I was hungry much more with Evan than with Kyra, too. Maybe it's a boy thing? I gained a ton more with him in the beginning, but by the end, it ended up only being a few pounds more.