Just when I started getting antsy that we still had a lot to buy before Kylie arrives, my work threw me a wonderful surprise shower. They are quite a sneaky bunch, and they even had Mike in on it. I don’t know how they all kept it from me, but they did an amazing job with everything. I got all the last minute stuff I was stressing over, and it made me relax to know that we officially have everything we need. I really do have the best co-workers in the world!
I went to the doctor last week to have my regular weekly check up and also to have an ultrasound performed to get an estimated weight of Little Miss. The doctor wanted to make sure she wasn’t going to be too big, since Bryson was quite a large surprise. During the ultrasound, it was determined that she weighs approximately 6.14 pounds at 37 weeks. They say babies can gain a pound a week, so wish me luck! She’s going to be big like her brother, I suppose.
Now for the kicker. She decided to flip from the last week’s appointment, so she is now head up – which is the exact opposite of where she should be. The doctor said that they would check me again next week (tomorrow), to see if she decided to flip back to the right position. If so, great…that’s progress! If not, they will try to manually turn her. Sounds scary, huh? I think so. This requires me to be admitted to the hospital “just in case” something goes wrong and they have to conduct an emergency c-section. Getting scarier? Yes. The process takes place by my doctor, and possibly another person, mashing on my belly in an extremely slow circle to get her to turn around. IF this is successful, they send me home so she can work her magic and focus on moving down. IF this is not successful, I suppose they will try again on my induction date. What pleasant news.
Don’t get me wrong, there was good news, too. She is very healthy and active still. Her heart rate was in the mid-140s (her usual). She is officially full term and could come out healthy any day without having to stay in NICU. See, lots of positives. It was just the code words: emergency c-section/manually turn/admitting to the hospital “just in case” that made my visit not so comforting.
The doctor was kind enough to give me some exercises to try to get her to turn. I tried the first one, which entailed putting one end of an ironing board on the couch and the other end on the floor (like a slanted plank). I was instructed to lie on the board, head down, on my back, for 15 minutes. That sounded simple enough. Of course, I didn’t take into account my 30 pound belly crushing my spine and all the weight being shoved into my diaphragm so that I couldn’t breathe. Oh, did I mention I’m having contractions periodically? Yep, I got several of those during this brief stint of voodoo torture. I reached my breaking point around minute 4 when I started crying. About minute 10 Mike suggested I throw in the towel and try later. That seemed like a great idea. Next, I didn’t take into account the proper way to exit out of this unnatural slant, so I grabbed Mike’s hands so he could lift me up. At some point, I lost feeling in my legs, I thought my spine snapped in half, I attempted to roll off the board sideways when leaning up was too painful, and then this retched animal sound came from within I don’t know where, but it was loud. That was the most pain I’ve been in since my Bryson contractions. I think I terrified poor Little B, and Mike had to take him out of the room for a few minutes while I regained my composure. It was quite the adventure. I don’t think I moved the rest of the night and the majority of the next day. Thanks, Doctor S. That was a great trick.
So hopefully tomorrow will bring better news and she has decided to turn on her own. Stay tuned….
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