One Stubborn Sister

Baby update anyone? Well as you can see out of the corner of your eye baby ticker-tracker-countdown-thing is slowly but surely moving closer to zero. And if our little gal was more like her dad we may possibly be waiting that long (or longer) to meet her. However, she is a lot more like her mother and has a stubborn side which means she will likely be joining our family a little sooner. Can't say we aren't happy about that, but because she is stubborn she will likely be arriving via C-section. Miss Stella is as breech as they come and after monitoring her for several weeks she seems more comfortable then ever in that position. Although I can't understand how she could possibly be enjoying herself as our ultrasound on Wednesday showed our little gymnast bent entirely in half and practically sucking on her big toe.

We have talked at length with our doctor about the options for a breech baby and although c-section is not how I envisioned giving birth it seems like it is going to be the way it all goes down. We are going to attempt to physically turn her just prior to the c-section. If we are successful then the doctor will go ahead and induce labor and allow the natural birth to occur. If it doesn't work, which given the 5% success rate being presented by our doctor is most likely going to be the outcome, then the c-section will performed as planned. The procedure is called External Cephalic Version, Version, or ECV and reports claim a success rate upwards of 55%. My doctor feels those statistics are significantly inflated and that the success drops even lower for me due the fact that she has already engaged her little booty deep into my pelvis and I have a low amount of amniotic fluid. Two things that are working in our favor are the position of my placenta and the size of the baby. Currently she appears to be a tiny thing measuring at a whopping 5 lbs 4 oz. Luckily she has another 11 days to gain a little more weight so I won't feel like I am going to squish her when she arrives. And yes, I said 11 days. Our Version and C-section are scheduled for Tuesday, January 26 which also happens to be her Great Grandpa Hansen's birthday. Good thing there is no one better I would pick for her to share a birthday with!

Knowing that there is literally 11 days at most (she could still come earlier if she wanted) until I get to meet my little girl is unreal. I feel like I still have so much to do to prepare for her arrival, but when I go into her room everything is ready. The nursery is set up, her car seat is installed, and my house will hopefully be organized and cleaned by mid week. However, I still somewhat feel like a chicken running around with it's head cut off! Is this normal?!? Today was my last day of work which gives me a good week to relax and finish the to-do-list, but also plenty of time to countdown the hours and question my physical, spiritual, and emotional abilities to raise our precious daughter. Good thing I am going to have an amazing support team to help me through! My poor husband who will continue to attend classes and study for tests is so excited to be a daddy and his ever calming presence will be such a blessing to me during this new and stressful time. And then there is supermom. She will be flying in at the end of next week to help me finish scrubbing my tub (way too hard when you are 9 months pregnant) and then take care of our little sweetheart for a good week and a half. Soon to follow will be two wonderful sisters who can't wait to play auntie to little Stella. After the three amigos fly back West Grandma P will be braving her fears and coming to help get me through those last few days of c-section confinement. Needless to say we will have plenty of help, because I have not even included our wonderful "Ohio family" who I is already volunteering their own time, dishes, and sleep to help out!

I am just rambling now, but I think maybe it is healthy considering my current situation, no? Ryan asked me if I was excited to be done with work. I kept telling him yes and no. I have really enjoyed my job as dietitian and am so thankful for the experience I was able to gain and for the income I was able to provide our family over the last 7 months. There are definitely things I am going to miss about my job, but I am also so excited to start my new one! I feel very blessed that I don't have a time constraint that will force me to return to work soon after Stella is born. After a few months I might consider going back part time, because I really do love the work I do, but I am so so happy I don't have to make that decision right now.

Well that is about as updated as I can get you. We have one more OB appointment next week and then the scheduled procedures the following, but more then likely we have a plan. Maybe Stella just knows her mother too well and recognizes that us type-A personalities need stability and planning in our lives to function properly. Which also means she is going to be awesome at following a schedule and eat perfectly and sleep great when she gets here, right?!? We shall see soon enough....