38 Weeks

and just for fun, below is a picture of what this shirt looks like when there isn't a belly taking up all the space!



February 2011

Sylvia got our ultrasound results by Friday afternoon and gave me a call to discuss them. They measure his head and abdomen circumference and compare proportions. His head growth is fairly normal (slightly smaller, but still good) but his abdomen growth is comparably smaller. This is due to baby not getting proper nourishment (usually caused by the placenta not functioning optimally), so his body re-distributes fat and nutrients to the most important organ; the brain. Now they do estimate him to be 6 lbs, so he's not in terrible condition, but it would be better to get him out as soon as possible so he can begin breastfeeding and not lose any more abdominal fat.

Sylvia wants us to naturally induce labour before 40 weeks. If we haven't by that point, she will send us for another ultrasound, which she suspects will still show a lack of growth. At that point, medical induction would be required. Of course, this is exactly what we all want to avoid. Any sort of medical induction is a lot more invasive and prone to break the natural hormonal chain of events that starts and continues labour. It would also greatly reduce our chances of having a home birth, if not eliminating the option completely.

So. We are on a mission.

The ultrasound showed the his head is very low, which is good. And it showed that my cervix is beginning to thin (I found signs of this over the course of Friday and Saturday), so putting ourselves into labour isn't too far-fetched.

Under Sylvia's suggestion, I have an acupuncture appointment scheduled for this afternoon. It may take more than one session, but acupuncture has an excellent success rate for inducing labour. We may also have Sylvia do a membrane sweep at our Wednesday appointment.. we'll see what's going on at the time.

There's a very good chance that we could meet our son within the next two weeks!!

I think it's starting to really set in for Garrick. He's a little concerned because "he's just going to be so small and so fragile.. and I don't want to break him or something." I think it's super cute that he's thinking about these things. I told him that it's perfectly normal to worry a bit, and re-assured him that he's going to be a great daddy. I wonder if he'll cry the first time he holds the cashew.. hehe....

ultrasound photos; his face takes up the whole screen now