EV Success!

Guess who's no longer breech? That's right!

We went into labor and delivery for our 10 a.m. appointment with the celebrity doctor and before we knew it, Baby W had a new position. I bet he's just super confused at this point having been breech for a long time and now living in an upside-down world.

We know L&D quite well considering we spent a few hours there on Tuesday after my fall. We were taken into a delivery room this time because they needed to use the ultrasound machine-- and it appeared to be pretty quiet around the area.

The nurse hooked me up to fetal monitoring again, asked me a ton of questions, and gave me a shot that was to calm the uterus before the EV was to be performed. The shot was no walk in the park and hurt for a few minutes after, but I've had worse. It made me feel a bit jittery, but that's just what the nurse said I might feel. She came in and gave me a big cup of ice water to get the baby moving. It seemed to work quite well because there was lots of movement going on!

After being there for about 30 minutes, the doctor came in, checked to make sure I was still breech (definitely) and they hauled in the ultrasound machine. They checked his positioning and heart rate often for a few minutes as they figured out where he was in my belly. Then, the action started. She used both hands on my nicely gooped belly (they used a bunch of that ultrasound gel), scooped his bottom and his head and moved him in a circle clockwise (if you're from my perspective). It took about 15 seconds and it worked! Except... he promptly moved back into his lovely breech position. They monitored me again, counted his heart rate, and tried again. This time, about 15-20 not-so-comfortable seconds and he was head down! She held him there for about a minute while monitoring his heart rate as to make sure there was no distress. While painful, it wasn't the worst I've felt. The nurse commented twice that she's never seen anything like it-- the baby's body obviously moving into place. The doctor said it was because I'm a small person and every large body part (his head, mainly) was visible. The doctor was very pleased and said I was a great candidate not only because I have a small physique, but because I was relatively calm throughout the process and didn't tense my stomach muscles.

I was hooked up again to fetal monitoring to assure there was no distress and discharged 2 hours later-- after we both had cat naps, watched a little TV, and listened to some Christmas music. Before we left, I was strapped with a massive belly band so that it would hold him in place and give him little room to be able to flip back up if he tried. I have instructions to wear this band at least until my next OB appointment on Saturday, December 4th.

While elated, it's a bit more scary and real now! Things could potentially move at any time considering he is in position. With our previous situation, I had more control of knowing that there was little likelihood I would go into labor because he was not positioned properly. Now... it's all a mystery! Thank you to all who were praying (especially my favorite 2-year old, Joel Marriott). Now, if we can only keep him down and from already expressing his {obviously} individual mind. I wonder who he has acquired that quality from? ;)

Baby Update: Week 37

This week was quite different from most! I had two experiences I never anticipated! Well, one experience and somewhat of a decision we had to make.

Here's the experience...
I was on my way to sub last Tuesday and stopped off at Starbucks to buy a venti caramel apple spice. I rarely go to Starbucks and even more rare is ordering a venti! I happened to have my free birthday coupon from October that was soon to expire. On this bitter cold morning, I figured it was the best time to use it. I arrive at the school 30 minutes before school starts and grabbed everything I needed from my car. About 20 feet from the door of the school, I slipped on black ice (I did mention is was definitely in the 20's with a wind-chill, right?) and landed right on my bottom. You can imagine where my drink ended up... all over the place. Frustrated, I headed into the school knowing I was probably going to be leaving immediately. I let the secretary know that I couldn't stay and had to go to the hospital. At 37 weeks, that's not something to take lightly. I called Ray and he met me at the hospital. I was just so frustrated because my bottom didn't even hurt, my drink was gone, I lost out on a sub day (which are about to end completely soon, along with that extra cashflow), I left my delicious lunch at the school, I inconvenienced the school who had to find another sub with 20 minutes left until school began, and to top it off, I had to spend 2 hours at labor and delivery! Who knows what that bill is going to look like when it arrives...

I was hooked up to a fetal monitor for 2 hours and listened to Baby W's heartbeat the entire time. It was fairly steady around the 130's until he moved-- then it jumped between 150-160 every time. Ray stayed with me and got a bit of a taste of what it's going to be like in just a few weeks. When I was done, the nurse said she read a few contractions, but at this point in my pregnancy, that is completely normal and not the effect of a fall. I was discharged and carried on with my day.

The next piece of weekly news is the decision we had to make. I was scheduled to see the doctor yesterday and not looking forward to the waiting room. Every time I am scheduled to see this particular woman, it takes forever to be seen! I usually wait over an hour in the waiting room for her. She is also the one of the four doctors in the practice that is the "celebrity" of the group. She delivers all the high-risk, scheduled multiples births, and is known in the area for being that doctor. You can almost never get a new patient appointment to see her unless you are already seeing another doctor more exclusively in the practice. Since it is uncertain of which doctor will be on-call the day I deliver, they schedule me to see all of them at times during my monthly/weekly checkups. I saw two other doctors the last two weeks and this week was her turn. Having been breech and given ultrasounds the last two weeks in a row, I thought this week would be no different. The waiting part was dead-on. I had to wait forever. When she came in, she also recorded that the baby was still breech (which we also knew going in) but then asked if I would consider an external version. I was shocked to hear this! We went into this appointment thinking they would automatically schedule me a c-section and just hope for the best when it came to his positioning. That was the only way we saw getting out of the c-section. She didn't even mention the word! She told me she was on-call Sunday and that she would gladly attempt the version if we were interested. She weighed the pros and cons of the procedure (concern of placenta separating from the uterus or going into active labor) but also said that in her 23 years of doing ev's, she has never seen that happen. Well, I believe she said one woman went into immediate labor after, but that's better than the placental separation. So, we agreed to go ahead with it. We scheduled the procedure for 10 a.m. tomorrow (Sunday, November 28th) and walked out. If it doesn't work and he still doesn't turn, we have a scheduled c-section. If it does work or he turns at a later date, we're going natural. I know the procedure is painful, but I'm willing to give it a shot for the potential to avoid the awful c-section recovery! The stat I was given: there's about a 30% chance it will work since it works best on people who've already been pregnant (= stretched uterus more pliable and mine isn't). She also said, though, that since he is quite high in my belly that it may be a better chance for me than another first-pregnancy candidate. Considering I was given a 25% chance he'll move on his own, I will at least increase the probability a bit more and do everything we can.

As for the rest of the baby updates...

How far along?: 37w4d
How big is Baby?: Baby W can be anywhere between 5.5-7 pounds at this point. All estimates, of course. I'm about 2 days away from viability, where the baby can be born at any time without any risk of complication or underdevelopment.
Maternity clothes?: Yes, and I hate them. Loathe. Can't wait for my other clothes to fit again.
Sleep?: I slept amazing last night thanks to the humidifier and lots of lotion. For the most part, I've been sleeping erratically, but I was happy to have a great night's rest.
Best moment of the week?: The whole week was wonderful. We spent Thanksgiving with our friends, Jim, Kristi, and Joel along with their families. Ray and I are in the midst of 4 days off together which is such a blessing to have right before chaos hits (aka having our first baby!). Sure, it will be chaos, but also a precious time in our lives we will only share together.
Movements?: Yes, he moves. A lot, and often. While we were playing games with about about 15 friends last night, and all of them witnessed Baby W moving violently in my belly. He can be quite entertaining. :)
Food cravings?: I've been wanting pizza this week more than usual... though I haven't actually had any. Haha.
Aversions?: I wouldn't say so, except that I don't feel in the mood for leftovers lately
What I miss?: See maternity clothes and sleep.
What I'm looking forward to?: Tomorrow's procedure being over. I want it to happen but I want even more for it to be over so we have a general idea of the next proceedings. Will be be having a c-section, or not?
Anything else?: Nope. Most websites are saying he's fully cooked at this point and can come at any time.
This week in history: The full-body scans and pat-downs at airports are causing lots of issues with TSA and travelers.
What's going on this week (with us)?: I mentioned a few things... but we've been spending a lot of time this week just getting little things done for Baby W. We bought some items and did the laundry of baby clothes, blankets, etc. We're now working on odds and ends that are on our to-do list for this long weekend. We've cleaned the house really well since there is a potential that tomorrow's procedure could be the day for us. Doubtful, but we aren't taking any chances of coming home to massive amounts of dust bunnies. Of course that means I'll probably be doing another deep clean before the baby actually does come, but at least we utilized our time well. We headed out last night after bundling ourselves up in a bunch of layers to see the Naperville parade through downtown. After, we had cider and headed to the Grounds for Hope Cafe to play games with a bunch of friends.

I'll update if the external version was a success, or not after tomorrow's procedure! Turn, baby, turn!

Thankfulness

Thanksgiving is such a special time. Just last night I was reading back on a few random journal entries I wrote while we were living in Germany this time last year. We worked that day and drove to a local town, Iserlohn for dinner-- Chinese food takeout. Then we went to a Christmas market, our very first one, and headed home. The Germans do not celebrate this day of Thanksgiving as we do in the states, but in many ways, it seems like they are more thankful everyday than we are. Their lives are simpler. They have one option of many grocery products, focus less on brand names, and don't appear to need everything like we do.

This year, our circumstances are considerably different. We are awaiting the birth of our son in 3 weeks or less! It's an incredible gift to share with one another as a married couple and an even more precious gift knowing that what we have created is a complete miracle from God. There is simply no other way to describe it.

As we hustle to gather the food together and scope out Black Friday deals, I just want to make sure we, the Wilson's, are conscious of how much we are gifted with. In forms of health, family, friends, love, food, shelter, and God's grace... we're abundantly gifted with so much that it is important to reflect on that.

As we welcome this little miracle into our lives, may we be thankful parents who teach humility, appreciation, God's love and grace, and thankfulness to him each day. May we be a representation of this with our lives as an example.

We can't wait to see you, little love!

Lots of Yellow + Squirrel Carnage

I'll start with the carnage. Ever since a few days before Halloween, we've noticed some special holes in our pumpkins. We suspected birds. Oh no. Squirrels. Instead of eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches like they used to eat in Southern California (they weren't normal), they eat pumpkins. I guess it makes sense. They are edible and the squirrels are hungry. They're also not stupid. They know winter is coming and that is a time where they will starve if they aren't on their game. The carnage looks much worse now, but I didn't snap any more photos.

We celebrated our friend Kristi's 30th birthday with dinner and fun at their house. They made lasagna and salad. It was awesome.

We all dressed in yellow to pay tribute to Kristi who loves yellow. Some of us did not have yellow (I seriously can't believe Ray does not own a single piece of yellow clothing. Nothing. Not even a t-shirt.

Here is the some of the crew in yellow...

Ladies in yellow...

Reflective yellow shot. It doesn't appear that I'm doing a whole lot of reflecting. Haha.

Good friends, good fun.

Baby Update: Week 36

How far along?: 36w4d
How big is Baby?: He's about 6 pounds and 18.5 inches long! I can't believe that big of a child is growing inside of me. From the change on the scale at the doctor's this week, one of us is obviously gaining weight. I hope it's him, not me. :) Someone please take all of the Halloween candy out of our house immediately. Thanks.
Maternity clothes?: Yes. I am not starting to return some items to friends because either they fit too snug and I'm all about maximum comfort right now, or they are in need of them. Lots of pregnancies all around. I did discover a store called Clothes Minded (my friend Liz told me about) that has lots of maternity wear... I'll be visiting that place for baby #2 when that occurs in a few years (had to put that for my mom who will likely start asking me as soon as Baby W is born). ;)
Sleep?: Yes... this week was rough. I slept only a few patches at a time and I think it is because my skin has been so incredibly itchy. It's turning winter here. I took Baby W's humidifier and placed it directly next to me while I sleep, I have used massage oil and gobs of lotion, and we've now turned up the humidity in our house. It's almost unbearable. But... not sure that has anything to do with the baby-- though having to use the restroom a million times and having a basketball attached to your abdomen doesn't really warrant the best sleep anyway. Thank goodness for the last two restful nights, though.
Best moment of the week?: Having dinner with our friend Nik! He and Solange are great friends and some we miss dearly from California. Nik was out here for a job training and we were able to have Lou Malnati's for dinner with him. Since he couldn't experience "Chicago" since he was carless and working the majority of the daylight hours, we made sure he at least had a deep dish experience.
Movements?: Yes... but not the ones I want. We found out via ultrasound #2 (in two weeks time) that he is still breech. He moves all the time but none have been the 180 degree movement I am hoping for.
Food cravings?: Like I said, food is just always appealing.
Aversions?: None.
What I miss?: I miss fitting into clothes. Last Saturday (1 week ago from when I am writing this), I bought a vest. I can't zip it now. I'd just like a few more options.
What I'm looking forward to?: Baby W! I think it's safe to say that at almost 37 weeks! I'm also looking forward to accomplishing a few things on our to-do list this weekend.
Anything else?: Baby W is continuing to pack on pounds and the only thing left is to make sure his little lungs are developed enough to sustain life outside of my body. In just about 9 days, he will be considered "full term" and able to live without additional support of any kind. Though, I think he'd be fine if born today, honestly.
This week in history: Not that this is newsworthy... but something that happened this week. Oprah just announced her "favorite things" on that show she does annually and plugged two things that affect us: Groupon (a website we use all the time) and the Nikon d3100 camera. We just bought it this week before her show aired. Thank goodness because now the prices are likely to spike and they'll be sold out everywhere! We needed a great camera to take pictures of our little man. We also made sure to buy the insurance so we wouldn't have the same debacle as our last camera tragedy. Take note, Canon, we've moved on to Nikon.
What's going on this week (with us)?: Ray is working a bunch and traveled to Minnesota for one day where he said there was snow on the ground. We still haven't had snow {yet, knock on wood}, but the temperatures have been a lot cooler. We've been hanging out in the 20's-40's lately. I've been subbing a bunch this week and just trying to get things done. Laundry is now in order since Baby W could really come anytime. I am in the process of washing everything, we just put the carseat in the car, and we're just prepping as we should. I am convinced that "nesting" is nothing more than "holy cow...we're going to have a baby and need to get this done now since we won't have time or energy later" as we are coming to realize. Ray played volleyball again last night and we're about to head out to run some errands. Productive, busy, and good.

Picture comparisons:

Month 1, Month 2, Month 3, Month 4, Month 5, Month 5.5, Month 6, Month 6.5, Month 7, Month 7.5, Month 8, Month 8.5

Here's Month 9! He's still "high" on my belly because he's breech. No "dropping" has occurred, sadly.

We received another cute and creative gift in the mail. The package came from our friends Samiya, Ali, and Norah (their little lady). It's a really cute train of magnetic letters.

Carseat installed! We used the latch system in my Accord and read both the manual and car manual. It's quite tight and secure.