We had interesting news at the doctor’s appointment this week. We had a “size ultrasound” because I am measuring 2-3 weeks ahead. When they did the ultrasound, they verified that yes, the Bean is already measuring at 39w1d and 7lb9oz – when I was in actuality at 36w2d. So yeah, big baby. That’s OK – the J-man was 9lb4oz, so I can handle big baby. He also seems to have a full head of hair that’s already about 1 1/2 inches long.
Unfortunately, the Bean is also frank breech. NOT FAIR! Hasn’t this pregnancy been hard enough? They are going to check again next week, and if he hasn’t flipped, then we’re going to schedule a “version” – which is where they manually try to turn the baby. Do not Google this. You will gross yourself out, and it makes me feel a little faint just thinking about it. If the version works, then we’re all good. But there is only about a 50% chance it will work. There is also some risk involved – that in turning, they could damage the placenta or the cord, and I would have to have an emergency c-section right then.
The doctor suggested just going ahead and scheduling a c-section, but I’m trying to do everything I can to avoid one. No, they aren’t the most awful thing ever, but when I had the J-man, I was up walking around about 15 minutes after he was born. We took a 1/2 mile walk the day after we came home! I also don’t react well to pain meds (see also: epidural didn’t work last time) so I have this insane fear that I’ll be able to feel something during an operation. AND… I’m a large (to put it mildly) woman. I know the issues with wound care that can come from that.
So everything we had planned to get done over the next few weekends has been squashed into THIS weekend. Can’t wait. Really. It also means that we have so much writing to do (instructions for whomever ends up staying with the J-man), and I’m realizing how difficult it is to document everything we do.
On one of the other blogs I read, the writer talks about how the difficulty/badness of a situation is often the inverse of how much she worried about it. If she thinks everything will be fine, all hell breaks loose. If she thinks DOOM, it’s way better than she could have thought possible.
Right now I’m worried, and scared. Maybe that means things will be GREAT!
Posts that hopefully are similar:
- In Celebration of the Woo
- Worry
- Starting to Sink In
- Getting into the Woo now
- Bubbles and Babies
- It’s Baby de Mayo!
- The last day before everything changes – again
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Hugs! I hear you loud and clear. My first kiddo flipped breech at 38 weeks (talk about no fair, it felt like an earthquake) and then we had the whole version thing.
I ended up with two version attempts. Good news was, for me it was not nearly as bad as it sounds. Less good news was that it didn’t do the trick for me. What we ended up doing was another version attempt a week later with an epidural. Had it worked, we’d've induced labor on the spot. Since it didn’t, I was all set to roll into the next room for a non-emergency c-section. When it comes to a full-out effort to avoid a c-section, it’s a useful sequence to consider…
But, I’ll be thinking great big baby-turning thoughts for you. Let us know which end is up next week, yes?
I don’t like socks and I cannot lie
Good luck on getting the baby turned
I hope it all goes really really really well for you 
I’ll be thinking of you. Hope all goes much more smoothly than your fears would have you believe.