The appointment went great! There is ONE baby bean with a very strong, beautifully flickering heartbeat. I'm so glad JP was able to be there with me, even if he did have to miss an important seminar and write a paper to make up for it.
I really like my doctor and her nurse. I still miss my Chicago midwife, but I think this practice is going to be great for us, especially since this time around I will be carefully monitored for pre-term labor. Our goal this time is 37 weeks gestation and no NICU time. A baby born without being covered in bruises is also of high importance and we're talking about opting for a c-section since if I do hold on to the baby longer, there's every reason to believe he'll be bigger than the 7 lb. 7 oz. 5-week early Landon. That's something we'll keep discussing during my check-ups and I'd like to talk about it here as long as everyone can play nice in the comments. I'm sure it won't be a problem, as I have great readers who leave thoughtful comments even when they disagree with me, (except for one person who was determined to tell me I'm fat; I wonder if I should stop deleting those as I get bigger since they'll be closer to true?), I've just seen comments devolve on childbirth issues so many times before.
But overall today was a great day and we're very excited about our baby bean!
Fugs & Pieces: April 19th, 2024
4 hours ago
Whew, that is TREMENDOUS news! I've had my fingers crossed for you all day long, so I'm glad to hear that everything is going well. I can't wait for all of the updates - but more immediately, I can't wait for the update where you say "and my stomach stopped revolting and actually calmed down." :)
ReplyDeleteGlad the appointment went well! I'm not a fan of scheduled c-sections, but I think that I'd opt for one if I were you, given what happened with Landon. In your case it seems like more of a medical necessity rather than a matter of convenience.
ReplyDeleteSomething else to consider.... you might check to see if you could monitor your blood sugar. Even if you didn't test positive for gestational diabetes with Landon, you might have still had blood sugar issues that resulted in such a big pre-term baby. You don't seem to have any of the risk factors, but Landon's size at birth would make me want to monitor my blood sugar if I were in your shoes.
Congratulations!! So exciting to get visual confirmation.
ReplyDeleteThough I generally think a lot of c-sections are unnecessary, you have some good reasons for keeping that option in mind. You and your doctors can weigh your alternatives, given your history with Landon, recovery times, your (maybe?) desire for more kids, etc. There's a lot to think about, and you have to figure out what's best for your family. Don't take the commenters too seriously. Incidentally, who the $!&* would say you're fat?
So glad everything is progressing well!! I had no idea Landon was so big! He was on track to be a ten-plus pounder full term!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad everything is on track! And lord, you, fat? That's crazy talk.
ReplyDeleteSo, I have a c-section scheduled 2 days after my due date - as I am trying to go for a VBAC but realize it may not work. The main reasons I am hoping for a VBAC are the physical restrictions and my husband almost passed out during my first c-section from the sounds (so he is voting VBAC). Stairs are to be limited at all cost after a c-section, and all of our bedrooms are upstairs while everything else is pretty much downstairs! So, that is one thing to consider.
ReplyDeleteYay for the healthy baby! I had a scheduled c-section with Tater after my emergency c-section with Bear. I found both of my recoveries to be relatively easy (especially the second one). But I have never been one to feel like I needed to have a vaginal delivery. You need to do what you feel is best for you and your baby and to hell with what everyone else thinks.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are so not fat. Not even close.
So glad all is well. I vote scheduled C-Section. The idea of scheduling them for convenience is ridiculous, but in cases like yours, they make sense. I was in active labor for 33 hours, pushed for 2 and ended up with a C-Section at 37 weeks (and my girl was 8lbs and 5ozs 3 weeks early). I will NEVER do that again. I missed the first 12 hours of my daughter's life as I was so extremely exhausted. I gave birth just after midnight - promptly passed out (due greatly to the benzo they pumped into my IV as I had such a tough, sleepless labor) after seeing her in the OR and didn't actually hold her or really see her until late the next morning. That was the worst part of all of it. I can't speak about what's best for you, but I know I will definitely be scheduling a C-Section when #2 comes along one day.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Did you cry at your appointment (I think you said you're not a crier)?
ReplyDeleteI pray for you to be able to make it as long as possible, especially given the link between Landon's having been preterm and having had all those medical issues his first year. Happy and healthy rest of your pregnancy!
Thanks everyone!
ReplyDeleteHi Anon, nope, I didn't cry at the appointment. As you remembered, I'm really not a crier. I'm emotional, just not through tears. I never cried with Landon either - none of the prenatal appointments, his birth, NICU, his first day at daycare, his birthdays, etc. Today I pretty much just smiled and thanked God there was only one baby and it had such a strong heartbeat. (And I already can't wait until the ultrasound when I get to find out the proper pronoun to use instead of "it")
Congrats LL!!! I'm not a natural birth Nazi or anything like that, but I wouldn't schedule a c/s, personally. You had one vaginal delivery and you can do it again, most likely. Why put your body through major surgery when you most likely won't need it? Recovery will be more painful and you'll have a toddler AND a newborn to care for.
ReplyDeleteThere is no way to predict how big your baby will be. This baby may be smaller than Landon. This is just my opinion, but I couldn't imagine having a non-medically necessary c/s. I would stay FAR away from a doctor who would suggest one, as c/s is usually better for both mother and baby. C/s means more money for the doctor plus the ease of a scheduled delivery (i.e. no middle of the night deliveries).
Anonymos 10:00 here - meant to say that a vaginal delivery is usually better for both mother and baby, not c/s.
ReplyDeleteThe point, Anon at 10:00, is not that I cannot do another vaginal delivery, but that it might not be good for the baby. As I've written in prior posts, I have abnormally narrow, turned-in hips. I had to have major hip surgery before college because of this (my hips were so narrow they were rubbing away cartilage that is normally not touched by the pelvic bones and all the torn cartilage had to be removed). Landon was a very average sized baby and he was bruised from head to toe after birth, had major breathing problems for days after birth, and 7 broken ribs. If another baby is even the same size (certainly likely given JP and my size and the fact we are hoping this one will gestate longer), the result would probably be the same. I absolutely flat out refuse to do that to another baby (and to us) again. For me, the vaginal birth was great; for Landon, not so much.
ReplyDeleteyay!! so when is the due date?
ReplyDeleteOh for heavens sake. You get to decide what kind of birth you want. Don't even listen to the trolls who think they know everything. You are a grounded, sensible person, it's your baby and your body, and you get to choose.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to see pictures of the newest member of the household!
First, congratulations! Yay babies!
ReplyDeleteI also have VERY narrow hips (but not the point where I needed surgery - yikes!) and ended up having to have a c-section to get my 10 pound, 2 1/2 ounce baby (!!!) out (after 24 hours of labor, only making it to 4 cm). The recovery really wasn't that bad. Stairs are difficult, but manageable.
It's all about what you're comfortable with. It's not like anyone would be able to step and take your place on this one. Do what you need to do.
Congratulations -- so glad to hear the appointment went well!
ReplyDeleteYou've got an award! Check out my blog to see it!
ReplyDeleteEverything sounds great! I thought all the same things as Jean. Did you tell your new doctor anything about The Nightmare, or just the birth injuries part? (I suppose that's the important part.)
ReplyDeleteAlso, did you think about telling Landon later? (That looks slightly judgmental when I type it although it sure isn't.) I always felt the same as you about telling friends and family early in the pregnancy since I would want their support in the event of miscarriage, but I think for a round 2 I'd be afraid how Becca would take it.
Hey PBB! I told her the whole story - DCFS included. I like her a lot. She just sat down on the chair next to the exam table and listened. She said it was absolutely possible to break ribs at birth and since it sounded like Landon's probably were cracked then (or maybe something that never came to light from his time in the NICU, or a combo of both), it made sense to do what we could do to prevent it this time. And of course, no decisions need to be (or were) made now, but we'd keep talking about it. Contrary to what many people assume, it was definitely not my doctor who came up with the c-section idea; I've been thinking about it pretty much since Landon was 6 months old and my doctor just agreed it was an option.
ReplyDeleteAs far as telling Landon - I don't think he fully grasps the concent, so if I miscarried now and we stopped talking about the baby I don't think he would be upset (or notice). I think in his mind, a baby is just going to stop by and play with him one day - and since that happens frequently because a close friend of mine has a 6 month old - to him, the "baby" was here! and it was fun, yay babies! Should we have a third and he is 5-6 and really old enough to understand the idea of growing a baby, then yes, I think I would wait to tell him, at least until after the first trimester. And maybe longer since 6 months is so long in little-kid-land. For him now, the idea of a baby coming to live with us in the summer is sufficiently abstract that I don't think he would be sad if I told him that was no longer happening. Right now he just likes to point to babies and say "baby home!" - and I tell him that won't happen for a long time and he nods his head and moves along :)
Yay! I'm so excited everything looks great. And as far as the c-section/no-c-section thing goes, I'd say do what you think is best for your baby. If I were in your shoes I'd at least seriously consider a c-s.
ReplyDeleteLL, First of all, Congrats on a healthy little bean!!!! We told O that we were pregnant with #2 right away. Of course she never got it. But it was fun to try and get her "used to" the idea. If and when we are blessed with #3, we won't tell the kids for a while. O is almost 5 and S is already 3 - O already gets the concept that babies grow in mommies bellies and would be sorely disappointed if the baby didn't turn up in the very near future.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have a big decision ahead of you as to whether to do the c/s or vaginal delivery. I don't know what I would do in your shoes. Before I had kids, I had little desire to have a vaginal birth. Now that I've had kids, I am more afraid of a c-section (mostly due to the pain, as I've never really had surgery before and found the aftermath of a vaginal delivery to be only mildly uncomfortable). I guess if I thought that Landon's fractures were an unavoidable birth injury, I'd do the c-section to avoid that happening a second time. Luckily you have family nearby that can help you with Landon while you recover, if you choose to go that route. However, I'd also consider trying for a drug-free birth in a more upright position, which opens up your pelvic bones more, making for an easier delivery.
If it were me, I would already be signed up for the C-section. And then I wouldn't let myself think about it again because who needs that kind of doubt lurking over them?
ReplyDeleteThe fact that a baby is likely to be big, in and of itself, isn't a very good reason to opt for it in my opinion (although I wouldn't judge anyone for wanting to do it), but with the narrow hips and Landon's history, I feel like it's a no-brainer. Plus, I would welcome the ability to plan out care for Landon, time off work, etc...
Anyway, I'm sure you will have no problem making the decision that's best for you and your family. Good luck!
Yay for the bean! And I don't blame you for considering a scheduled c-section, though would they consider an induction if they get you past 37 weeks? Or is the concern that this baby could get caught on the way down? My poor brain is failing on Landon's birth story.
ReplyDeleteAnd who called you fat? I mean, they need their head examined. Every pic I've seen of you shows that you are naturally very slender.