Aunt Heather sent us a very precious valentine from Kansas. The kids were so excited about this present that when I opened their door that morning they immediately ran downstairs and ripped into it. Thanks Heather!
We shared our Valentine's dinner with Autum, Matt, Shannon, and Steve. I was originally planning fondue for supper, but my pregnant belly craved Chinese food instead. Shannon did provide us with a chocolaty finish to the meal though, and we actually used our wedding china for the second time in our eight years of marriage!
Once Valentine's Day was over it really hit me that the baby would be joining us in a month and a half (little did I know it would actually only be a week and a half.) Once again, I failed at getting enough pictures of my pregnant belly. I always feel so fat and gross during the pregnancy that I don't bother with the camera, and then experience deep regrets once I've delivered for not capturing each unique stage of the process. It's amazing how perspective changes when you're no longer nauseated, swollen, and peeing your pants. I was planning on having maternity pictures done since this would be my last pregnancy, and I would have, had she not arrived a month early. I would love to go back in time and do a better job of recording my experiences, but that would mean I'd have to be pregnant again. What an awful, horrible thought.
Trenton did manage to capture this classic though! When I reminisce about this pregnancy I will always remember Emma laying her head near my stomach and commenting on how my "tummy is getting bigger." I will never forget Emma and Ben kissing my stomach, talking to the baby, and singing to her. I will forever appreciate them bringing me wash clothes and water when I was having bouts of morning sickness, and being understanding when I couldn't take them to the park or go on bike rides because I was having contractions.
I will never forget how we spent those last few weeks before she was born, passing the days mostly in bed, cuddling (between painful contractions and appointments). I can still feel the warmth of my sweet babies as they snuggled in tight on each side while we read books, ate cereal out of the box, and watched cartoons. Occasionally they'd ask questions about the baby and we would research the answers and look at pictures of newborns.
But mostly when I think about this pregnancy, I will remember all the sickness, anxiety, and concern. When the baby and I pulled through one trial, another surfaced. It was hard to get excited when every cell of my body was filled with worry over the baby's health. Our follow up appointments with the perinatologist confirmed his initial thoughts that her head was measuring smaller because she was breech. He simply said, "If she doesn't flip before you go into labor, we'll perform a 'vaginal bypass'." The doctor was trying to be funny. I didn't laugh. Clearly he didn't understand the agony I was experiencing with her precious head lodged under my ribcage. I couldn't breath, eat solid food, sit, or bend over. And her little feet danced on my bladder making for several embarrassing situations. In addition to my discomfort, the thought that her head wasn't growing like it should because it was trapped really freaked me out! And I seriously didn't want to have a C-section. I don't think most women want to, but I honestly, sincerely, really didn't want to have a "vaginal bypass!" I continued trying everything I could think of to get her to flip- handstands in the swimming pool, using a bag of frozen veggies at the top of my belly and a heating pad at the bottom, playing music, shining light, hanging upside down, rocking back and forth on all fours, manually "pushing" her into position, etc. Finally I made an appointment with a chiropractor that performed the "Webster Method" on me. It's a gentle adjustment that basically loosens the pelvic muscles and ligaments, making it easier for the baby to find her way into the head-down position. My doctor made the suggestion because this method has a 70-85% success rate, which compared to the 50% success rate of the much scarier cephalic version, seemed like a perfect idea. The chiropractor said I was one of the most "tightly wound" patients he's ever worked on. He kept asking me if I was experiencing a lot of stress in my life...ha ha. Anyway- I'll never really know if it was frozen peas on my stomach or this doctor's genius work, but the very day after the adjustment, Trenton and I were quietly watching a movie when I felt a tidal wave in my abdomen, a sudden increase in breath capacity, and a certain cranial heaviness where feet once tap danced.
The picture of the ultrasound was performed just two days before she was born. The perinatologist predicted she'd stay put for two more weeks. But what does he know?
No comments:
Post a Comment