$H!+ is getting Real!

Helloooooo week 30! Everything is becoming more real with each passing day as we get closer to meeting our miracle baby boy.  I am starting to feel like a whale, even though I've only gained 9 lbs total so far.  Baby M is pushing on my stomach constantly as if he is trying to figure out his escape route so I have this bloated/pressure feeling going on right now.  My back is starting to hurt but only on the opposite side of where the baby is which I find strange.  He's been balled up on my right side for the most part. Despite feeling uncomfortable now....this is the best feeling in the world, knowing that I am capable of carrying a baby this far and knowing what our future holds for me and my husband. 


Baby M is doing so great.  On Tuesday he was measuring NINE whole days ahead weighing 3 pounds, 11 ounces! And we were scared of intrauterine growth restriction, why?!?! This baby boy is not going to be a small one and I'm starting to think I bought way too many Newborn outfits! Thank goodness everything still has the tags on them and haven't been washed yet in case I need to take some things back and exchange them for bigger sizes.  Since finding out we were having a boy, I've been having trouble controlling my shopping addiction.  Who said you can't find cute clothes for boys?!? This little guy is going to be stylin'.

He has quite the stubborn personality already, and he gets that honestly.  Between my husband's French ethnicity and me and my sisters Irish ethnicity-we are all a bunch of stubborn mules-but that's also why we are determined and resilient throughout whatever life throws at us.  I'm hoping Baby M has that same drive to succeed and to overcome challenges as we all do.  Anyways-we tried to capture some 3D pictures on Tuesday but he was being camera shy and kept his legs and arms in front of his face the whole time.  I am going to go back next Tuesday to see if we can get some better images but here's the best of what we did get:

 

 

 

After my appointment today, I will be having twice weekly appointments for the remainder of the pregnancy.  We have all of my Non-stress tests (NST's) along with all of my biometric ultrasounds scheduled from now until the end of July.  We discussed our birthing plan briefly today but do not have a definitive plan yet.  My genetic doctor recommended a c-section at 36 weeks but both my high risk OB and regular OB said they would not induce me or do a c-section before 37 weeks unless an issue arises with the baby before then which we would discover on an NST or ultrasound.  The only answer I have right now is that, if all continues to go well, I will have the baby between 37-39 weeks-so end of July most likely.  My doctor is hoping to have a better answer for me in 2-3 weeks once she talks with the high risk OB.  As far as c-section vs vaginal delivery-that's still up in the air too.  The high risk OB said the cord was not blocking the cervix anymore when she reviewed the ultrasound images on Tuesday...and if that really is the case, my regular OB is all for a vaginal delivery.  However, if there were any signs of distress during the delivery they would immediately take me to the operation room for an emergency c-section.  She is not going to let anything happen to this baby and I appreciate that so much about her. So basically-we will just have to wait and see what these next few weeks bring for us and just keep our minds open to the many options that we have at this point.

 

I've told my boss that my last day of work will either be July 31st or sometime before that if I'm induced that week or the week before.  I'm trying to get as much information as I can on our short-term disability policy to start preparing for my maternity leave. I'm beyond ready to have a break from work-some days my job is so stressful and busy that I wonder if I'm really going to want to go back.  If only that were an option:/ We have a meeting this Saturday with our neighbor who will most likely be babysitting for us when I do return to work.  And I ordered my breast pump and we took a breastfeeding class last weekend.  ANDDDD.....we started painting our master bedroom and the nursery over the weekend and our contractor finally started working on our bathroom so I'm hoping by the end of the month we can have carpet installed in the bedrooms and can get things organized around the house so I can feel like we are actually ready to bring a baby home! So many things to do to prepare for Baby M's arrival...but now that it's all starting to be worked on, it feels like this is really going to happen for us. We are really going to bring our baby home in 7-9 weeks. I can't wait to hold this sweet baby in my arms for the first time and kiss his sweet cheeks!!

 

Stay tunes for more updates over the next couple of weeks and keep those positive prayers coming!