While we were dealing with the terror of preterm labor and nearly giving birth to a 26 week old baby, and then part deux at 28 weeks, the neonatal specialists continued to encourage us to be hopeful. They assured us that once my contractions were under control there was no reason to believe the rest of our pregnancy wouldn’t be perfectly normal. In fact each of the doctors and nurses had a success story to share. You’ll be surprised to know, they told us, the vast majority of women who have brushes with preterm labor make it to full term and beyond.
We are part of that vast majority, it seems. We celebrated all the milestones that lessen the threat of preterm; 30 weeks, then 32, when chance of survival (and equally important, chance of good long term health) grew by leaps. Then 34 weeks, when his chances of surviving and thriving quadrupled as his organs became fully developed and formed. At 36 weeks the doctors took me off bed rest and now, at 37 weeks, full term, I may go about whatever business my energy level and physical ability will allow. Live my life as normal.
Today, at my dr’s appointment, she feels all around my belly, measures, pokes, prods, then exclaims, “Wow. That’s all baby. You don’t have an inch of spare room in there. There’s no way to know for sure, but he feels big for 37 weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were 8 pounds or more if you keep going to 40 weeks, more if you go longer.”
Now you’d think having spent torturous weeks and months worrying about giving birth to something too small and sickly to live that I’d be deeeeee-lighted to hear my baby is a strapping little fellow. And you’d be right. I am! Really!
But unlike Rumsfeld and crew, my little man has an exit strategy…
I’m just saying.
When we were about at this point, the doctor told me that the baby could come "at any minute" which I thought meant "you're about to drop" but in fact meant, "there is no health risk if he is born right now because he's already plenty big!" I flipped, because we had no heating and hot water (for starters). Turns out he was "late" (counting is not my strong point). Also, huge. Also, very very fast once he decided to come out. The huge I got over. The very fast I've never ceased to be grateful for. I wish the same for you, seriously.
Posted by: anne at September 27, 2006 02:25 AMAlso, also, also. I think they don't actually grow much in the last few weeks. You can read up on it some but I think there's not a correlation between "late" babies and size. Kein was big and I thought it was because he was in there longer but my midwife friend says that's not accurate. So. That "all baby" you have may be all the baby you have.
Posted by: anne at September 27, 2006 02:29 AMWhen my dr says 'he could come at any time,' it's a combination of what you said--that I'm at term and birthin's got the greenlight--and also that I'm 80% effaced and 3cm dialated.
I couldn't sleep a wink last night. Part due to the crampy-achey feeling in my lower belly, part a new (to me) crazy imperitive feeling. Things have to be done. NOW. The carseat has to be cleaned, NOW. The co sleeper has to be attached to the bed, NOW. There are doubles of baby things that need to be returned to the store...and that box of stuff needs to go to Good Will...and HOLY CHRIST! Don't get me STARTED on the condition of my cupboards...
I'm not saying I'm in labor. This second. But something has been set in motion that is quite obviously out of my control.
Posted by: antigeist at September 27, 2006 06:57 AMYou're nesting, lady. And, according to my childbirth instructor, that means you really could go at anytime and are likely to go w/i a week. Good Luck & hope it goes so smoothly!
-a 33 weeker.
Posted by: jl at September 27, 2006 09:39 AMFor the nesting: I have some hair and some tinsel you can use. Oh wait. Maybe I'd better hang on to that. Wouldn't it be cool if you pulled a Mork and Mindy and gave birth to Jonathan Winters?
Posted by: monk at September 27, 2006 11:18 AMWouldn't it be cool if you pulled a Mork and Mindy and gave birth to Jonathan Winters?
Um...what do you think?
Posted by: anti at September 27, 2006 11:43 AMah.. the nesting thing? as far as I'm concerned, that's labor. Not the kind of labor where you grab people by the throat and demand all the drugs in the hospital pharmacy NOW or you will crush them and go on an Alien-like search for morphine, but the earlier, slightly-less dramatic phase.
My advice? Submit to the urge to clean. It might be the last time you have that feeling for several decades.
Posted by: laurie at September 28, 2006 12:29 PMIt's not the weight you need to worry about, it's the head circumference. And you won't know that till they measure, after the baby's already out.
Plus, I've never met anyone who had a 6.5 pound baby and said, "man, that hardly hurt at all." Labour's labour, and it hurts, but then it's over and there's a baby. So that's all right.
(Coming from someone who had an extremely difficult labour the first time around, and still did it all again a mere two years later, when it was significantly faster and easier but still very very owie.)
Posted by: Melania at September 29, 2006 02:37 PMTrue, even taking the most medicated route, there is no way out of the owie that is a vaginal birth. There is no way out of the owie that is recovering from a c-section. There will be some degree of pain no matter what and this means you, you yogi transindental earth mother pain displacing monkettes of birth.
I only wanted to point out how I never pay more attention and be more overly careful of what I wish for.
I wanted a big, healthy baby, I wanted to go to full term, I wanted...
Posted by: anti at September 29, 2006 02:48 PM