32 Weeks

Well, well, well. Here we are again! I am so happy to be 32 weeks. Such a relief to get to the place where all the doctors want me to be. Now, I am not ready to be done with this pregnancy and have my baby this early, but it sure gives me some peace of mind to know that I am now in a 'safe place' if this baby decides to join us earlier than planned! I went into this week's appointment expecting nothing but ready for anything. I have felt pretty good over the past week so I was hopeful that there wasn't too much of a change. Upon examination- she determined that there was a real change in my cervix. It is now very soft and she was able to touch the baby's head! And let me tell you- when she touched the baby's head- he/she jumped! She said the stitches are still holding and luckily there is not a lot of pressure on them (which is good) but it was a pretty significant change nonetheless. When she did the ultrasound- she found that my cervix still had a great length (3.1 cm) so that ultimately kept me off bedrest for another week. Although I dodged the 'bedrest bullet'- she did tell me that I needed to take it easy. I still lay down for a good four hours a day- but I need to scale back some of the more unnecessary things I do throughout the day. Because of the change in my cervix- she opted to give the baby betamethasone which is a steroid via an injection in me that goes right to the baby's lungs and gives them a boost in order to help him/her when he/she is born. I have gotten them with every pregnancy so far and thought I might avoid getting this time- but no. I will have to go back tomorrow to get the second shot of steroids to make sure the baby is covered. You have two get two shots 24 hours apart for them to be fully effective. I also took the Ffn test and much my relief- it came back negative. Which means that I shouldn't go into labor until at least 34 weeks. The last bit of great news was that I was able to schedule the cerclage removal. She scheduled it for June 12th which means that one month from today- I will regain my freedom and/or meet my baby! I can't believe we are in the final stretch!

I really couldn't ask for more these days. I still have my moments where I worry a little bit- but I am gaining confidence in myself and this pregnancy that after all we have been through, we are going to be okay. I have to give my kids so much credit for rising to the occasion since October. Since I found out I was pregnant, since I got the cerclage in December, and since my life has changed so much physically- they just keep on going and adjusting. They've been adaptable, they've adjusted to this new life, and have understood at times the sheer fragility of my situation. Matthew has adjusted to me not picking him up for the last eight months, Claire knows that every afternoon I have to lay down and she is kind of on her own, and Michael has given me some much needed inspiration and support. Life is good and when times are tough- it generally just makes you stronger in the long run. I thank God for all of the blessings I have been given and pray that the next month holds much safety and promise for our soon to be family of six.