Clementines & Coffee: Baby B: The 5 Day Countdown

To say that it has been forever and a day since I last wrote would be quite the understatement! I think this is the part as a blogger where I'm supposed to apologize for being MIA, provide excuses for my absence and then pinky promise I'll write more often. So, I'm sorry I fell off the face of cyber space, life has been insanely busy and I'd love to promise to write more often in the near future but who am I kidding, I only have 5 more full days left until Evan rocks our world in the best way possible and

Evan > writing. How is that for a run on sentence?!

Yes. Five. More. Days. and I can say this with quite a bit of confidence because we have an "elective" c-section scheduled for next week. Can we talk about this whole "elective" term for a second though? It's my blog so yes, yes we can and we will.

When I hear of an elective surgery I think of liposuction, tummy tucks, breast augmentations and nose jobs. On the contrary, I do not think of c-sections required for medical reasons, as is our case, as elective because, really, they aren't. I'm not having a c-section because I have a traumatic fear of childbirth or am overwhelmingly concerned about peeing myself for weeks after delivery due to the incontinence it can cause. I'm having a c-section because Evan is breech. His hard noggin has been the source of the intense upper abdominal pain I've been experiencing since 24 weeks and has been repeatedly confirmed during biweekly and then weekly ultrasounds that started at 29 weeks.

We've tried various ways to get the little guy to turn (chiropractic, exercises recommended by Spinning Babies, etc.) but opted against trying to have him manually turned. As a first time mom the odds of an ECV being successful was around 50%. Pair that with the risks to myself and Evan (placental abruption, fetal distress, cord entanglement) that would result in an emergency c-section anyway and we just weren't sold on the idea. We did our research, consulted various resources and made a decision we feel confident in.

All that being said, I'm still apprehensive about letting myself get excited about the idea of meeting Evan so soon simply because if he magically turns last minute, the surgery will be canceled and we will join all of those expecting parents who get to play the waiting game. A "turn" of events like that could mean we don't meet for a week or two longer. It's highly unlikely but not impossible :)

Here's the lowdown on baby and I at 39 weeks:

Movement: Quarters are pretty cramped for the little guy these days but I sill feel lots of squirms, wiggles and hiccups. We play music for Evan every night and he seems to really love it. It has been fun to watch his head and feet move in response to the noise and is something I think I'll miss once he's born. Aaron missed a lot of the end of this pregnancy because of work so I'm glad this has been something he can experience too. It's been fun to see his reactions to the movements and the hilarious one liners that tend to accompany them.

Symptoms: Left hip pain (where his little butt cheeks have settled) and upper abdominal/back pain where his head is resting cozily. Those aside, heartburn has been minimal, I haven't been nauseous and my coffee aversion has only returned on two occasions.

Food Favorites: Watermelon and strawberries I suppose. As odd as it may sound I haven't had any true, go to the store in the middle of the night because I have to have it, cravings. Boring I know. I have tried a few foods I have never had before though that I'd like to blame on being pregnant like a DQ Blizzard and barkTHINS. The blizzard, meh. The barkTHINS, now those require some self restraint. I want to eat them all.

Weight: I gained a total of 27lbs and have held at that for the last week or so which my doctor said is pretty common near the end. 25-35lbs was the recommended target set by my doctor so since she's not complaining, neither am I!

Sleep: Sleep comes in 2-3 hour intervals these days. If anything at least my body will already be somewhat acclimated to that weird schedule once Evan is here :)

And now I'll leave you with a nursery tour. We need to hang curtains and the growth chart, and are waiting for the mobile arm to arrive for the crib, but since Evan will be in our room at first, I'm not in the least bit stressed about those little details.