Oops. Catch-up.

So... yeah.  This here ol' blog hasn't been updated since 28 weeks.  Um, if I were still pregnant, I'd be 43 weeks today.  Oops.  I love blogs though, and I'd love to be able to keep up, especially to record the life of our little girl.  So I'm going to try.  But that means I have a lot of catching up to do.

So, after our appointment at MFM, it became clear that our little Freebie had some growth troubles.  Dr. G had me on that nasty protein powder.  In March, our girl got an IUGR (intrauterine growth restriction) diagnosis and things got real.  He wanted more monitoring to make sure that she was still better in than out.  Yikes.  He said our goal was to "make it" to 37 weeks, which would mean that Freebs would be born in April, before my 30th birthday.  Holy crap!

In March we also had a slew of baby classes.  Breastfeeding, and an all-day baby care class.  That class was funny.  The most memorable thing for me was that we were given fake babies (dolls) and had to be responsible for them all day.  Which meant that when we went to eat lunch in the hospital cafeteria (the food was not bad!), we had to take our fake baby with us.  Ours sat on the table between us.  We got weird looks.

April came, and with it, my residency at Evergreen Hospital.  By that, I mean, I pretty much lived there, I was there so often.  We started out 5 week Hypnobirthing class that first week.  I was skeptical going into it, about the whole hypnosis thing, but left that first class feeling really encouraged!  I really enjoyed the whole series of the class, but I was nervous that I wouldn't be prepared, because I was likely to miss 2 out of the 5 classes with my potential IUGR induction looming.

Speaking of that, April started my bi-weekly NSTs (non-stress tests - monitoring of baby's heart rate, and my uterus to see if it was contracting).  Every other week I also had an ultrasound, either growth, or a BPP - Biophysical Profile, to check on the Freebs.  Spring Break was the 2nd week, and baby actually kind of failed an NST.  She went off of the monitor for longer than they like, so I was ordered to have 3 NSTs that week.  See what I mean about living at the hospital?  I was making good friends with my NST nurses.
That week, coming home from the hospital, I got onto 405 and got hit with a barrage of rocks, cracking my windshield.  Wtf.  I couldn't get the license plate of the truck, because I needed to get out of the way of the debris, but I saw that it belonged to a construction company.  After much sleuthing, I found out I could file a "rock claim" with the company, to see if they'd compensate me for a new windshield.  Not only did they, but I mentioned that I was pregnant & would like it taken care of quickly, and I had a new windshield the NEXT DAY!

The following week I spent 4 more days at the hospital.  My wonderful co-workers threw me a little shower, with many a wonderful, practical gift.  I also had my 36 week appointment with midwife Shana, where we went over my birth plan.  Oh yeah, I also had to have the lovely Group B Strep swab, so I consented to an internal exam.  One centimeter dilated, 70% effaced.  I asked Shana about the MW schedule, because I was still so paranoid that she or Michelle would not be there to deliver my baby and I'd be stuck with an OB.  Yikes.

I made it to 37 weeks!  Freebie had a HUGE growth spurt.  She grew 20oz in two weeks, which meant...  NO MORE INDUCTION!  Yay!!!  Dr. G said we could go on our own now, woohoo!  I still needed 2x weekly NSTs, but no more ultrasounds until 40 weeks if I made it that far.  Phew.  Keith and I kind of secretly hoped that she'd be born that following weekend though - so she & I would share a birthday (and, bonus!  Michelle was on call!).  Alas, I spent my 30th uneventfully, with swollen feet and pizza.  =)

That Monday, I noticed that I was missing that bowling ball between the legs feeling.  Also, baby girl was stretching and poking out body parts quite uncomfortably right under my ribs.  She'd been at 0 station at 36 weeks, but I felt kind of like she'd moved back UP if that were possible.  I also had the realization this week, that I didn't know her position.  She'd been head-down for a while, but was she anterior (ideal)?  Sunny side up?  That Tuesday at my NST I had to have an AFI (fluid check), so I asked the sonographer which way baby was facing.  Ugh.  She was facing out my left hip.
I went to see Shana right after, and the first thing she said was, "So...  Feel like you're going to have a baby any time soon?"  I told her no, not at all, and that I felt like baby had moved up.  She measured my fundal height, and I measured on track for the first time ever.  Shana said that that was probably because Freebie HAD moved up.  She also told me that the position was transverse, and showed me some exercises I could do to turn the baby (and avoid some painful back labor).  I left my appointment in such a funk.  I felt like this baby was never going to come out, and I'd be induced at 42 weeks.  Keith met me at the hospital for our last Hypnobirthing class, and I was almost in tears because I was so convinced that she was never going to come.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong!  Freebie's birth story is coming up next!