Lucy has now been growing for nearly 30 weeks! I just can't believe how fast the 2nd and now the 3rd trimesters are flying by! We were showered with gifts for our sweet girl this weekend- but I'll save that update for later in the week (so I can download some photos from the showers and new nursery photos). We are simply overwhelmed by the beautiful and thoughtful gifts that we all received.
Doctor visits are in full swing. Since my last update, we had our first fetal echocardiogram. Jason touched on this last time, but here's a bit more info. Lucy was sleeping on her stomach (facing my back) instead of having her belly pointed out. It was a "suboptimal" (I hate that word) view of her heart, so we will return in December to check again. I asked just how worried I need to be about any heart defects. The doctor seemed to think it was annoyingly funny that my baby was being uncooperative with her procedure and failed to give me much helpful info during it. I was a bit anxious as the echo concluded and I'm sure my voice was a bit shaky as I asked about my concerns. It was as though this doctor had not even considered that I might be worried about my daughter. Ugh.
Anyhow, the doctor stated that this echo allowed her to rule out about 40% of defects. She stated that really any type of heart defect can be associated with SUA, so it's not like I can learn everything about a few possibilities. A lot can go wrong with a developing heart. The doctor, a pregnant mother herself, did assure as she was leaving that our baby appears to have a very high chance of no problems. She stated that worrying would be the last thing on her to do list now-- just prepare for baby's arrival in February. That was comforting... finally. :)
We also had our last monthly OB visit. I was so pleased to hear that we are able to stay with the midwives, instead of seeing the doctors. I like the doctors fine, but the CNM was amazing! She spent plenty of time with us, looked through our file with us, asked us questions and gave us REAL answers about SUA. Also, staying with the midwives means that we are not considered a very high risk pregnancy (as the doctors see those patients exclusively). Again, I was quite comforted.
Our new fav CNM told us that she reviewed the info from the genetic counselor and the echo. She had the nurse go ahead and put together our plentiful visit schedule while we were in the office. We learned that beginning December 20 (around 32 weeks), I will attend weekly non-stress tests, weekly ultrasounds to check amniotic fluid levels, and now I begin seeing the CNM/ OB every other week. I can't believe it still, but I'm at a hospital at least once a week until Lucy arrives.
This morning, I'm headed to Florence for a pre-admission visit with the birthing center. 19 pages of paperwork to be completed when I arrive. In preparation for this visit, I had to complete a good portion of Lucy's birth certificate last night. These things are really making it feel like she'll be here in the blink of an eye. I keep trying to decide if I'm ready for her. And as happy as I'll be to hold and kiss her (and as painful as pregnancy is at times), I really enjoy having my baby girl all to myself. These are the last 10 weeks that she and I will ever be so physically close. The last 10 weeks I'll ever feel her kick my ribs or hiccup against my side. I know I'll miss this when it's gone, so I'm doing everything I can to avoid wishing it away.
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