35 Weeks and still Breech

Only 5 weeks to go! Had my doctor's appointment yesterday and he informed me that the baby is most definitely breech and I have made no progress so far. So it looks like I won't be going into labor anytime soon. We are taking it each appointment at a time and not making any decisions yet, but bottom line is if he does not turn, I will have a C-section. Basically my options are these:

1. Let the doctor try and manually turn the baby using a method called "external cephalic version" It has to be done in the hospital and basically the doctor uses his hands from the outside to try and move him. This can be quite painful I've heard and carries it's own risks. It can put you into labor. My doctor says it is up to me, but he did not really reccomend it for me. He said he has had about a %50 success rate and that the chances would be lower for me. The thing is this baby is breech because of the shape of my uterus not because he is just stubborn, so trying to get him to flip may not even be probable. At this point I am not really feeling like this is a good idea. While I want to do everything I can to prevent a C-section, I feel like there is a reason he is positioned the way he is and that is the most comfortable for him. If we did do it it would be performed around 37 weeks. ( on a side note I have been doing everything I can at home that I've read can encourage them to flip on there own: sitting on a bouncy ball, laying with your hips higher then you chest with pillows propped up, putting a heating pad where you want there head to go and ice pack at the top since they will want to be in the warmth, putting headphones on my lower abdomen to get him to move toward the sound, and crawling around on my hands and knees- I have done all these to no avail!)

2. Wait. There is a small chance he could still turn and I can just wait and see if I go into labor. If at the time of labor he is still breech- then a C-section would need to be performed right there. This is my fav. option. It allows the baby to decide when it is the right time to come out.

3. Schedule a C-section. If I want to I can schedule anytime after 39 weeks. Obviously this goes against everything I want, BUT I do see some of the benefits. It gaurantees the doctor will be there for me and can take more time and we can be sure Andy is in town.

I am having a hard time with the whole thing, but really it's not about me. The baby is fine and that's all that matters. I have never had surgery or any type of anesthesia, so these are really scary to me. I'd rather take the pain. Either way I can't wait to meet him!!!!

We are feeling prepared for the most part and have almost everything we need, just need to stock up on more diapers for the first few months and a few other things. I started washing some of his clothes and blankets and things are pretty much set up for his arrival. I have been making extra meals and stocking our freezer for the first few weeks we are home too. My mom will be coming out as soon as he is born so that will be most helpful and then Andy's mom will come for a while. I can't wait for him to be here and part of our lives, it's hard to believe he will be in just a few more weeks!

Baby Gear

We finally got some of our baby gear and set it up. Here is Andy putting together the stroller! I didn't realize how "boyish" it is. I was thinking it was more gender neutral, but I love it! The swing in the background is Winnie the Pooh and I got such a great deal on it I couldn't pass it up. I am not a huge on Disney characters on things but this was subtle and not over the top "kiddish." I think it is so cute and fits in well with the rest of our living room stuff!! I put it together all by myself and it only took me about 2 hours- haha...anyway Andy was suprised when he got home :)

32 Weeks

Well, it's been a while since my last blog. As you can see I have been doing some very important growing :) Andy and I were in Indiana for almost two whole weeks then we drove from there to Buffalo, NY for a night and on to Amherst, MA for another night. Andy was working and since I am not I got to go too....as did Amos! Traveling long hours in a car with a dog is NOT fun, but I suppose it's good practice. We only got pulled over once...haha...really, we were going 70 in a 65 and he nabbed us! So he pulls us over somewhere in upstate NY and this is our worst nightmare! Amos is going crazy trying to jump out the window to get to the officer, who is chuckling by the way and I am trying everything I can to restrain him. Add to it our tiny 2 door Toyota celica that was jammed to the brim with baby stuff from our shower and Christmas gifts, plus my pregnant belly and we must have looked like the Clampetts. Thankfully he let us go without a speeding ticket! Overall, we had a wonderful time over the holidays and enjoyed seeing everyone. It is truely nice to be home now though and sleeping, or trying to sleep in my own bed.

Ok, on to baby. I had a doctor's appointment this morning and the good news is everything is going great! I am measuring right on schedule, good blood pressure, weight gain, etc. However, he mentioned that the baby is breech right now...followed by the words "and if he stays breech you will have to probably have a cesearean section." I can't believe he is already warning me of this! It seems too early! I asked when babies usually turn head down and he said by the 34-35 week, so there is still time, but hearing him say this to me has me a little worked up. All of my preparation and reading has been to have this baby naturally- I have read books on midwifing, the Bradley Method and taken Lamaze classes. So the words C-section are pretty devastating to me, but I suppose it's good that he is preparing me for this now. I know he can still turn and pray that he will, but ultimately it is not up to me and is out of my hands so I need to be prepared for whatever.

Other then that I am feeling pretty good. My back is getting sore and I can't really even stand on my feet for that long with out it hurting. I have also become an insomniac. I usually end up getting up during the night and reading until I become tired and fall back asleep. Now that I am done with work though I am going to try and master the mid-day nap. I have never been a napper, but think it will help me. I have been working on a to-do list of things I want to accomplish before the baby comes and I think of more stuff everyday, so right now I am staying pretty busy. We still have lots of preparation to do in the apartment and lots of shopping, so that will be fun.