25 Weeks

A strange thing has happened: ever since my uterus reached past my belly button, my belly seems smaller in some ways. I guess having a long waist means Baby has more room to move around in!

But anyway, here I am today: 25½ weeks, I can’t believe it! Or, six months on Wednesday, and the third trimester next week! My pregnancy app says “15 weeks to go” but it’ll be more like 11 or 12.

Holy shit.

That’s less than two and a half months away.

What was I doing 12 weeks ago?

I’d just entered the second trimester!

I am confident that I can keep Baby V safe, and I trust my OB, Dr. D, to look after us and deliver her safely. So, in a bold move which DH even remarked was a big step for me, I unpacked the giant box of baby gear that PSIL has handed down to me.

Thanks to my SIL – who has also given me a bunch of maternity clothing – we have a variety of outfits and diapers all in various sizes; an Ergo carrier; a Mamaroo swing; a regular swing; a jungle mat thing; a Boppy pillow (which is great for iPad reading, I’ve discovered!) and a couple of bottles. With Baby V’s arrival seemingly around the corner, I’ve started researching cribs and things we will need. I’ve chosen a stroller and a car seat, but that’s it. We don’t have a nursery, so I want to keep Stuff to a minimum. I have a registry, but it’s mainly so I can keep track of what I need and then get a 10% discount on those items >:)

I am slowly coming around to the idea that a caesarean might be a wonderful experience. Like having a baby via egg donation, it might not have been my first choice, but it could be a wonderful choice nonetheless. All that matters is that I keep her safe until such time as she straddles the line between maturity and needing to be born.

I’ve started reading books on how to have a wonderful caesarean. One of them says to use positive language: call it a caesarean birth — not a c-section, with its reference to being cut open — because it’s still the birth of your baby! I think that is a subtle but important point. Henceforth, I will limit my use of the term ‘c-section’ and use the term caesarean birth or ‘CB’.

The books I’m reading The Essential C-Section Guide, Choosing Cesarean: A Natural Birth Plan, and Mindful Birthing which says:

“…from a mindfulness perspective, every birth is natural. It’s natural for a baby to grow inside its mother’s body, it’s natural for a baby to be born, and it’s natural for people to want to help with the process.”

(Okay, I acknowledge it’s not completely neutral language for women who become mothers via adoption or surrogacy, but I guess this particular book is skewed towards the mother who will give birth to her baby.)

I have a bunch of questions for my OB tomorrow (Monday), which include:

1. Does an active baby mean she’s at greater risk for cord entanglement?
2. Does an anterior lobe require a vertical incision?
3. If Baby is born at less than 37 weeks, what is the likelihood she will spend time in the NICU?
4. Can we schedule the caesarean for closer to 38 weeks?
5. Is there anything I can do to prepare for a caesarean, e.g. taking extra iron now?
6. Subject to Baby being healthy, is it possible to include the following in my birth plan:
   • DH cutting the cord
   • Skin-to-skin Apgar
   • Delayed cord clamping
   • Immediate breastfeeding
   • Photos and video of the birth or in the moments afterwards
   • (Slow delivery may not be a possibility if they have to cut through the lobe and deliver Baby V quickly)
7. What can I do about my foot pain?

I’m curious to know what Dr. D says, especially about the birth plan stuff. More on that soon…