33 weeks!

This week I had both an ultrasound and regular OB appointment.  The ultrasound revealed that Julia is measuring approximately 4 pounds 8 ounces and James is 5 pounds 11 ounces...Yikes!!!  Julia is still head down, but my man-child managed to turn himself breech again.  The high risk doctor said that they look great and asked that I come back for another routine ultrasound in three weeks "if I'm still pregnant."  I wasn't prepared to hear that add-on.  For as uncomfortable as I am, I haven't thought twice about delivering these two before my induction day on September 19th.

I went to my regular OB appointment today and confirmed that James is still breech.  There is a chance he could turn, but because he will be born second, I can still avoid a c-section even if he doesn't.  Dr. Anderson has been clear with me that it is most ideal for James to be head-down especially given that he is believed to be about a pound bigger than Julia.  From what I can tell the delivery will not be without some added excitement, given that we don't know how James will respond after Julia is born.  He could turn head-down on his own, or be manually turned head-down by the doctor, or delivered footling breech.  The concern is how big he is at delivery.  The bigger he is, the greater the risk of him getting "stuck," in which case, there would be a need for an emergency c-section.  Dr. Anderson said that that concern would really come into play if he were in the 8-9 pound range.  Understanding fully that this will all play out according to God's plan, I am still praying that I can avoid a c-section.  The idea of keeping up with all of my children's needs while recovering from major abdominal surgery is intimidating.

When asked if I had been having contractions, I admitted that I have had more than a few, but have managed to curb them with water and rest.  Even still, Dr. Anderson decided to "check me."  It turns out that I am already 2 cm and 50% effaced.  I know very well that I can walk around like this for weeks, but being that I am only 33 weeks and 3 days, this update came as a bit of a surprise to me.  Dr. Anderson said that if I should go into labor now, they would likely just give me fluid, but wouldn't given me any tocolytic medication to stop the contractions.  I left Dr. Anderson's office in a bit of a fog, realizing that, in all likelihood, I wont make it another four weeks to my induction day.  My prayer is that these guys hold on until at least 35 weeks, preferably 36, so that we can feel even more confident about their lung maturity.  For now, I have alerted the troops of my progression, so we have an emergency plan in place.  I am going to be extra diligent over the next couple of weeks to keep well hydrated and off my feet so that these buns can keep on cooking for a bit longer.  But, I think it would be prudent to go ahead and pack my go-bag, just in case.