Complications

On Monday we went in for our ultrasound to re-evaluate Elly's size. I couldn't really see much of the screen, but Brent said she was moving around like she always is.

Unfortunately, she is still breech and she still has her feet up in her face - neither of which are good for being almost 35 weeks.

Yesterday we got a call from the doctor's office. She is measuring smaller than the dates and the doctor wants to see us this week instead of waiting until our appointment next week. The nurse reassured us that the baby was fine, she was just measuring small and the doctor wanted to re-evaluate things with me. As innocent as the phone conversation seemed, it sent me right into a fit of hysterics. I spent the next hour or so crying into my pillow with Brent trying to cuddle me and calm me down. His efforts did not work, but they were appreciated. The crying also completely exhausted me because I took a four hour nap after he left for work. Being emotional and pregnant is a hard job too, you know.

Well, we woke up this morning and went in to see Dr. Elliot. He reassured us, again, that our little girl was fine and the only problem was that she was now measuring two weeks smaller than our date. He said he was not concerned, and he was not even going to change the due date... he just wants to keep her monitored. We will go in every week from now until she is delivered. He asked about family history, and said that maybe my family is just good at making small babies since Whitney and I were both small at birth (Me = 5 lb. 3 oz., Whitney = 5 lb.).

We still have our appointment next week, he is going to hook us (me and Elly) up to the monitors and check everything again. The week after that he is ordering another ultrasound. He said he would take things from there depending on what she looked like and how things progressed.

As far as her being breech... he said they usually give babies up to 36-37 weeks to flip on their own. Elly has been extremely stubborn since the beginning so I doubt that she will flip on her own, though it would be nice because right now she has her head lodged in my rib cage and it really hurts. If she does not flip on her own, I have opted to try an inversion rather than go straight for a c-section. An inversion is where the doctor will manipulate my uterus from the outside and try to manually turn the baby... a procedure that is extremely painful in and of itself, and one that also will put me into labor from the stimulation to my uterus. He said that when we come in at 37 weeks, we will get an ultrasound and if she is still breech he will schedule an appointment to do the inversion at the beginning of November (3 weeks away!!!) If the inversion fails, or she flips back around after the procedure a c-section will have to be scheduled. This apparently happens around 38-39 weeks, to try and avoid going into natural labor with the baby still out of position.

So, potentially, depending on how much Elly cooperates and what happens in the next two weeks we could be planning on having her here in about 3-4 weeks. Yikes! I can't believe how close it is. At the same time, we are both really excited to finally meet her! :)