Week 29

With Darling Daughter #2:

With Natalie:

This past Friday I had my 28 week appointment with Nurse Hilbert. Blue Ridge has two nurse practitioners that they like everyone to see in addition to the doctors. She was very friendly and comforting. She administered my RhoGam shot, although this time in my hip instead of my arm. It hurts a lot more in the hip! I had planned to schedule a c-section date for 40 weeks. I am comfortable going with a c-section then if I haven't started to progress or go into labor on my own and thus, attempt a VBAC. However, Blue Ridge likes to schedule c-sections for 39 weeks (which would be around December 1). Because I was proposing a different time, Nurse Hilbert needed to clear it with the doctor I would like to do my c-section, Dr. Gaines. He instead wants me to come back into the office in 2 weeks (October 1) in hopes that I will have either committed to doing a c-section (and thus, schedule it around 39 weeks) or go for the VBAC with out pre-scheduling a c-section. I have been going back and forth on this for 29 weeks -- what is 1-2 more weeks going to do for me! I honestly don't get why it matters when I choose to schedule my c-section, assuming it's later than 39 weeks. If I decide at this point to fully commit to doing a VBAC, I could still change my mind come 39 weeks if I have no progress and schedule a c-section for a week later at that time. I could also wait it out for labor to start on its own and if it doesn't by 40-41 weeks, I'd still have to schedule a later c-section date so I'm not sure why he wants to discuss this more with me.

I am still very torn about doing a VBAC. I have many reasons for wanting to try for a VBAC and other reasons for wanting to just go with a c-section. VBAC: getting to experience a vaginal birth, not having to deal with recovery from surgery; c-section: having a date set, knowing how I respond to surgery already (recovery went well for me last time), getting my previous raised c-section scar removed (which I have to say is really annoying how much it always itches with it rubbing on my clothes), and getting two extra weeks of STD. And then of course there are reasons that I'm scared to choose either option: VBAC - potential complications, not knowing how my body will respond to a vaginal birth (since I never progressed on my own previously), the pains of vaginal birth which I haven't experienced fully yet; c-section - another major surgery, missing out on knowing what it feels like to push my child out, once I have another c-section I will have to have a third if we have more children. I'm also so unsure of going forward with the VBAC because I feel unprepared and unsupported by the doctors at Blue Ridge. They don't really give me a good cozy feeling about attempting a VBAC. Even those who say it is possible to try for a VBAC still make it sound like they'd recommend a c-section. To me, it seems most say this because scheduling a c-section is the easy thing to do. I'm really unsure what to do.

As always I'm exhausted all the time. I can't get my pants or socks on very easily and it's a struggle just to turn over in bed. Luckily, I'm still not experiencing the hip pain I had my last pregnancy and am able to sleep pretty well except for having to get up to use the bathroom once at night. My fundal height (pelvic bone to top of my uterus) is actually measuring one week behind my EDD which is within normal range (and yet people still say I look so big for how far along I am in my pregnancy).

Our baby now weighs about 2 3/4 pounds and has a crown-to-rump length of about 10.5 inches. Space is getting really tight for the baby. She will have her knees tucked up to her chest now all the time in the 'fetal position'. Nurse Hilbert thinks she is head down located more on the left side of my body which is consistent with where I feel most of the kicks, pushes and her butt.

Her bone marrow has now taken over production of red blood cells. Now that almost all of the our baby's organs are functioning, her growth will focus on maturing those organs and growing muscle mass and fat stores. She should more than double her weight again between now and birth. All 300 bones in the little one's body are present and accounted for now, though some of them will fuse after birth, leaving a grand, lifetime total of 206.