Pregnancy update

Not much new to report... just waiting, waiting, waiting. Had a visit with my OB Monday afternoon. He reports that I'm 1/50/0. That is, I'm 1 cm dilated, 50% effaced, and at 0 station (look it up). That's progress - I was 50% effaced, but not dilated at all two weeks prior. So that's my status.

As for the baby, he's doing great! I had the ultrasound portion of a Biophysical Profile (BPP) test on Monday, also. This is just an ultrasound where they take measure of 4 things and give him 0-2 points for each: fetal body movements, muscle tone (flexing of the arms and legs), breathing movements (moving his chest muscles and diaphragm), and an adequate amount of amniotic fluid. They've done this a couple of times over the past 6 months, and he ALWAYS scores 8/8 - A+! Of course he does - not only is he my son (heh!), but everything works just fine while he's on the inside.

I've also had the other portion of a BPP twice - the Non Stress Test. He always passes that with flying colors, too. Basically, there are two monitors strapped to my stomach, one measuring the baby's movements and heart rate, the other measuring contractions. Healthy babies respond with an increased heart rate during movement, and the heart rate decreases at rest. The heart rate should also remain steady or increase during contractions. The concept behind a non-stress test is that adequate oxygen is required for fetal activity and heart rate to be within normal ranges. If the heart rate drops during a contraction, it may be a sign that that the baby's oxygen supply is compromised. A good result is a "reactive" result, meaning that the heart rate correlated in the right direction with movement and contractions. Make sense? You can find out a ton more about these tests by good old Googling.

By the way - he's had hiccups while writing that last paragraph. Kind of an annoying feeling, but normal and a sweet reminder that he's there.

So, because of the long weekend, I have two appointments scheduled, one tomorrow (Thursday) and one next Tuesday if I'm still pregnant (that''ll be 40 weeks, 2 days, but who's counting?). The testing is frequent now I guess to make sure he's born in as strong a condition as possible. Tomorrow morning I'll have another BPP, and if all is normal, I won't even need to see the doctor. Tuesday will also be an U/S, then a visit with the OB to get see if I'm progressing towards labor. At that point, he wants to begin discussing the "I" word. Aaaah! I really don't want to be induced. I don't have any numbers or data here, but I have heard that induction can lead to longer labor, stronger contractions (therefore more likelihood of pain management drugs), and higher likelihood of birth by cesarean section. No thanks. SO, I'm hoping he's ready and wants to come within the next week or so. They'll want to induce if he hasn't come naturally by the 41 week mark. BUT as long as the baby and I are still doing well, I'll definitely push to wait until 42 weeks, or at least in that 41st week.

So... I'll write again soon with an update. Let's hope it's with news of labor!

Ted in the Boston Globe - "Head of the class"

Check out Ted's contribution to back-to-school time this year. We hope to be as green as parents as Ted is a teacher and Anna is a planner.

Head of the class - The Boston Globe

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Fatherhood

This is my favorite song. The perfect song. "August 1986" by Tom Smith, one of my Park School colleagues. Every time I hear it, I'm reminded to get off of my computer and get outside to enjoy nature.

As a soon-to-be father of a son, this song takes me even deeper. I become a father in 4 to 6 days, and the thought in this song of canoeing with a son in our beautiful world inspires me beyond all else. It's my dream. I can't wait to share our world with him. And to rediscover it, as I discover and love my boy.

Listen to this song, then go canoeing or for a walk with your sons and daughters.

BY WAY OF INTRODUCTION...

I never wanted to write a blog. Never, not ever. The commitment to posting, the sharing my life with strangers, the sharing my life with people I know (!), the time sink of getting it to look just right... But now that I'm about to embark on the most exciting, rewarding, fulfilling, emotional endeavor of my life, I can't get enough of sharing it with friends and family. I still can't say that I'll be able to hold up my end of the commitment - regular, engaging, well-written updates - but I'd like to, so I'll try.

So, here's the scoop: it's the end of August (a mild one for New England, thank goodness), and I'm 39 weeks pregnant. I'm SO ready to be done with this part. Ready to upgrade: trade in the bump for a baby. I have all sorts of apprehensions about the next few weeks.
Will I be late? Go to 41 weeks? With all my being, I hope not. If I'm late they'll probably induce me, which I know I do not want. Plus, that means two more weeks or longer of the discomfort and sleeplessness of the end of pregnancy.
What will my labor and delivery be like? I want a natural, mindful childbirth, but there's no way to know how my body and mind will respond to labor.
How will our baby boy fare when he enters the world? We know he has a heart condition and that he'll have to spend his first few days in the Cardiac ICU; we found out at 18 weeks that only his left ventricle is fully developed. Despite increasingly positive news to the contrary at each cardiology visit, it's possible that he'll need open heart surgery within a week of birth. Then regardless of whether he has an operation right away, we know he'll need two more procedures at 3-6 months and 18-24 months to make his heart function well enough to survive. So, yup, all that is terrifying. (The defect is called single ventricle heart, and we'll write more about it in other posts.)
And there are all sorts of questions that go along with not knowing exactly how he'll do once he starts breathing: How long will he have to be in the Cardiac ICU? What medications will he have to have in those first few days/weeks/months? When can he start feeding? Will he have trouble breastfeeding due to decreased stamina? When can we take him home? And on and on...

All that aside, we are so, so, so excited for our first child to arrive. We have both been dreaming of this for years. And we are so grateful for our friends and family who have been and continue to be so supportive of us and our baby bear.

We'll keep you posted! Get it, "posted?"