31 weeks & growing
I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while, but it's safe to assume that no news is good news! We've had an uneventful past week here in the hospital, which is always a good thing. The countdown is really on. I am 31 weeks and 2 days and we have a c-section scheduled for October 4th (the day I hit 34 weeks). So less than 3 weeks to go until we meet baby Jack!
We went today to the specialist for our bi-weekly scan. Today's scan was extra exciting because we got an update on his size (they tell us every other Friday). He is up to 3 pounds and 8 ounces! At this rate, he should be anywhere between 4.5 to 5 pounds by the time he's born. I was really excited that he had gained 10 ounces over the last 2 weeks.
For the most part he's done really well on our monitoring lately. They watch his heart rate for about 20 minutes twice every day. Yesterday, he gave us a little scare by having his heart rate drop several times, but once I repositioned he did much better. The nurse said he was probably laying on his umbilical cord.
My amniotic fluid has been staying stable as well - which is wonderful news because it means he has enough fluid to move around. And move around he has! It's an amazing feeling and sight to feel & see him moving in my belly.
Today is day 44 in the hospital for me. In some ways it's hard to believe it's already been that long and in other ways it feels like an eternity since I was home. With 44 days down, 19 to go to meet Jack doesn't seem like very long. I'll stay another 4 nights after Jack is born before being released. We are hopeful that Jack won't have to be here too long after that.
I've had several people ask if the doctors will let me go past 34 weeks since things have been going so well. The answer is no and I'll try to explain why. There is still a blood vessel sitting right in between Jack's head and my cervix. The further along I get, the more likely I am to experience contractions, dilation, and increased pressure from Jack. All of these things could result in rupturing that blood vessel (which holds Jack's blood). A ruptured blood vessel results in an emergency c-section. The doctors have explained that at 34 weeks Jack is more at risk in utero than he is being born. By 34 weeks he should be mostly developed. I will get a booster steroid shot at 33 weeks to help his lung development. The biggest factor for how long he stays in NICU will most likely be his size. We're hoping for a weight closer to 5 pounds!
Side note - did you know that September is NICU awareness month? We've been so encouraged from hearing stories of friends and family who have had preemies or were born early themselves. I am thankful we have been able to stay put in my hospital room and not had to enter the NICU stage of our journey yet, but I know when we get there we will be in wonderful hands.
We went today to the specialist for our bi-weekly scan. Today's scan was extra exciting because we got an update on his size (they tell us every other Friday). He is up to 3 pounds and 8 ounces! At this rate, he should be anywhere between 4.5 to 5 pounds by the time he's born. I was really excited that he had gained 10 ounces over the last 2 weeks.
For the most part he's done really well on our monitoring lately. They watch his heart rate for about 20 minutes twice every day. Yesterday, he gave us a little scare by having his heart rate drop several times, but once I repositioned he did much better. The nurse said he was probably laying on his umbilical cord.
My amniotic fluid has been staying stable as well - which is wonderful news because it means he has enough fluid to move around. And move around he has! It's an amazing feeling and sight to feel & see him moving in my belly.
Today is day 44 in the hospital for me. In some ways it's hard to believe it's already been that long and in other ways it feels like an eternity since I was home. With 44 days down, 19 to go to meet Jack doesn't seem like very long. I'll stay another 4 nights after Jack is born before being released. We are hopeful that Jack won't have to be here too long after that.
I've had several people ask if the doctors will let me go past 34 weeks since things have been going so well. The answer is no and I'll try to explain why. There is still a blood vessel sitting right in between Jack's head and my cervix. The further along I get, the more likely I am to experience contractions, dilation, and increased pressure from Jack. All of these things could result in rupturing that blood vessel (which holds Jack's blood). A ruptured blood vessel results in an emergency c-section. The doctors have explained that at 34 weeks Jack is more at risk in utero than he is being born. By 34 weeks he should be mostly developed. I will get a booster steroid shot at 33 weeks to help his lung development. The biggest factor for how long he stays in NICU will most likely be his size. We're hoping for a weight closer to 5 pounds!
Side note - did you know that September is NICU awareness month? We've been so encouraged from hearing stories of friends and family who have had preemies or were born early themselves. I am thankful we have been able to stay put in my hospital room and not had to enter the NICU stage of our journey yet, but I know when we get there we will be in wonderful hands.
Comments
Post a Comment