We arrived safely at 36 weeks on Saturday and had a very important visit to the specialist today. We had what will be our last growth scan and spoke to the doctor about the possibility of inducing me early. Andy was able to get off work and come along with me, which made the discussion a lot easier, and we are both satisfied with how it turned out. So, without further ado, the results! . . .
Little miss Ellie is now weighing in at a whopping 5 pounds! That's up 15 ounces from this time two weeks ago! And if that wasn't progress enough, this now puts her in the 6th percentile! She had been in a percentile known as 'less than 3rd', where they stop really keeping track. This is HUGE! Everyone was very pleasantly surprised and we are so happy that she has grown so much. The rest of my test results looked great too. She is still very responsive for our Non-Stress Tests and scores well on the doppler (blood flow) readings too.
However. They still want to induce me at 38 weeks. We weren't really ok with that until today because we didn't understand why they would want to take her early if she's still growing well. They said that when a baby shows growth restriction as early as Ellie did, it is usually due to a placenta issue, especially considering they didn't find any other potential causes. With placenta issues, time and research have shown that it is safer to deliver at 38 weeks than wait longer and hope the baby continues to grow. Over time, the placenta ages and begins to break down. When there are already issues, 38 weeks and beyond is when you can have problems with placental detachment and stillbirth. So, it's a safer bet to induce me and deliver her early than hope that she continues to grow and we don't have any placenta problems. Makes sense to me, so I'm ok with it. PLUS, I am good to go at my preferred hospital and with the doctors I am already familiar with. So at my regular OB appointment on Wednesday, I will set up a time sometime around the 4th to be induced! I think as far as scheduling goes, the 4th would be our preference, but we will see how the schedule looks for the hospital and go from there.
And after all was said and done, Andy finally came to the realization that that's next week. Next week. Not 4 weeks from now like my due date suggests, but next flipping week. Oh my. I have a lot of different feelings about this, which I suppose is normal after receiving such news. Part of me is glad that this phase of life will soon be over. I am getting tired of being fat and tired all the time. I know, I know. The tired part will not get any better, but it will be a different kind of tired I think. Plus, I'll have a baby to snuggle! The other part of me is completely terrified that I'm going to be a mom next week. Yes, I did realize that this was coming. But it's a little different when it's this imminent. It's a feeling that I'm pretty sure everyone has at some point. At least I hope so.
Anyway, that's all the news for today! I will give you another update after my appointment on Wednesday and let you know what the magic date is going to be!
Oh, and I wanted to take a moment and thank you all for your prayers over the past several months. Just knowing that you're all out there lifting us up has made this whole journey so much easier. And now that we're nearing the end of this, I wanted to ask you to dedicate some of your prayer time to another mom that I know. Her name is also Heather and we went to middle school together. We haven't really kept in touch over the years, but we're facebook friends anyway. She had a beautiful baby girl named Olivia this past week. After she was born, they found out that she has a heart defect that will require major surgery very soon. You can go here to read more about the details of their situation. All I know is that this family needs a lot of prayer right now. Instead of being home for Christmas with their brand new daughter, they will be spending it in the hospital, praying for another day of no further complications. Even though I don't even really know them anymore, my heart aches for them and their situation. So since you've been so faithful in lifting us up in prayer, I'm asking you to please do the same for little Olivia, her mom Heather, dad Kyle, and big brother Jack.
Thank you again for all of your love and support and I hope you all have a safe and blessed Christmas!
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