39 weeks- My last weekly update!

How far along? 39 weeks.  And I'm really trying to figure out how in the world we got this far!  Of course, I know how we did it.  We had an amazing medical staff who really listened and valued what I said, who treated my baby as a baby from day 1 and did everything they could think of to give her a chance to be born alive and healthy.  And we couldn't have done it without the support, thoughtfulness and kindness of family and friends who have not only shown an interest in the boring doctor's appointments, but kept me entertained with texts, emails, messages and phone calls.  We are really fortunate to know such amazing people.
Weight gain/loss: 40 lbs.  I'm starting to lose weight now, but I seriously have no appetite and feel like even when I eat there is no where for it to go.
Maternity Clothes?  Yup, I have a couple things left that still fit, and when we're just staying home, I go through Dusty's closet :)
Stretch Marks?  Nope.
Sleep? I have been SOOO exhausted.  I'm going to bed before 9 and sleeping until 6:30 - 7 only getting up once.  My body must be gearing up for sleepless nights!
Best moment this week?  We have a date!!  We know that on Tuesday Samantha is going to be here.  If she decides to come any earlier, that's great, if not Tuesday it is!
Food Cravings?  Milk.  Still.
Belly Button, in or out?  Out.
What I miss?  Actually having the energy I think I have.
Weekly Wisdom? There is a light at the end of every tunnel!
Upcoming Appointments?  Well, we don't have any upcoming appointments!!  We do have a surgery scheduled for Tuesday at 2:00 PM!!  


This is the email I've sent to family and friends in the area, if for some reason you didn't get it, now you have the information too :)




It is looking like I will be having a repeat cesarean to deliver baby Samantha.

The cesarean is scheduled for Tuesday, November 9 at 2:00 PM at Mercy San Juan hospital.  We should be out of surgery and recovery by 3:30 PM (unless emergency deliveries of other patients push us back) and in our room.  There is still a possibility I could go into labor and she could decide to engage her little head before then, and if so, we will obviously contact everyone and let them know :) 

Because it is cold and flu season, the hospital is really enforcing their no children under 12 (with siblings being the exception) policy for the labor and delivery floor.  So, while I would love to see everyone, I just want you to be prepared that security may not be as friendly with little ones visiting as I would like.  If we do not end up with a private room after delivery, they are also enforcing their 4 visitors at a time rule.  If we're lucky (and my fingers are crossed) we should have a private room during our recovery period and some control over how many visitors we get to have :)  And obviously, if you are sick or have recently been exposed to someone who is sick, please wait to see us when you're germ free :)

We are really excited to be able to share Samantha with everyone right when she is born, I just want to be sure there aren't any surprises for our family and friends if they chose to visit us in the hospital :)

As long as everything goes well we should be home between Friday and Saturday.




The hospital is being a real stickler on children, which I don't blame them for, but it kinda sucks.  And Dusty and I are both going to be real sticklers on people being sick or smoking around our baby.  When it comes down to it, she does have an elevated risk of SIDS because she has an older sibling who fell victim.  There is NOTHING we can do to PREVENT SIDS, but we do plan on doing everything humanly possible to reduce the risk of SIDS.  We have set up everything for her with SIDS reduction in mind.


So, if you have been sick, if you have been exposed to someone who has been sick, if you have what could be allergies or a cold, if you have been feeling a little off lately, PLEASE wait until you are feeling better to visit.  We would rather play safe than sorry.  If you're going to be around us a lot, it isn't a bad idea to get your flu shot, it can mean many, many more visits with you and of course, a healthy cold and flu season for you as well.  If you are a smoker and you plan on holding her, please be aware that you will need a clean shirt to put on that has not been smoked in to hold her.  Third hand smoke is just as dangerous as first and second hand smoke and is a real danger.  We will be asking everyone to both wash and sanitize their hands before handling our little one.


I know it sounds like we're being overprotective, but unless you've walked in our shoes, there is no telling how you would react as well.  A simple cold to you can be earth shattering to a newborn.  While we have been really blessed to be able to remove prematurity or underdevelopment of lungs from the risk factors, we have no desire to trade those out for colds or exposure to first, second or third hand smoke.




Now that that's out of the way :)  There is a part of me that still hopes we magically go into labor and progress well and have a VBAC before Tuesday.  I know labor hurts, but I would rather trade in 10, 12, 24+ hours of pain in labor and delivery for the weeks of pain in recovery for a cesarean.  And a shorter hospital stay.  But, I know that's pretty unlikely no matter how much walking I do, or how much time I spend on the labor ball, or how many stairs I climb.  She seems to want to do things her way :)  


But, while the recovery time is worse for a cesarean and it's a lot less intimate of a way to bring a baby into the world, at the end of the day, that's what matters, we're bringing her into the world.  And there are benefits of it.  We know that by Tuesday afternoon we will deliver.  End of story, no more waiting around, hoping, wondering, evaluating every little twinge and wondering if every contraction could be the start of something.  And it makes it so much easier to get Kaitlyn's arrangements made.  Auntie Christina is getting the honors of keeping her Tuesday night and taking her to school on Wednesday!  Grandma gets to pick her up Wednesday and keep her until we come home.  And of course, this way we get to plan on picking up Kaitlyn from school at lunchtime to take her with us to the hospital.  And believe me, it's nice that this is the last Sunday I will have to force myself out of bed before the sun rises because I can't handle the heartburn anymore ;)


Just think, the day after tomorrow, there she'll be :)  In the meantime, we do have a baby pool going, and I'm working on coming up with a prize...   Samantha's baby pool