I am 2 days shy of 34 weeks pregnant, and at my doctor's appointment this morning, the doctor informed me that my fundal height was measuring large for my due date. In fact, she said I was measuring like someone who was a week from her due date, not six.
At first, I thought she was telling me that my due date must be wrong, which was a bit startling given that I am supposed to go to the beach with my family next week, host a bridal shower/bachelorette party for my best friend the following weekend, and serve as matron of honor for my best friend's wedding the weekend after that before finally settling in for my last few weeks.
She quickly clarified that an incorrect due date was not her concern but rather that I may be carrying a large baby. This could, of course, mean that I would have to have a c-section instead of a vaginal birth, which, naturally, I would really like to avoid if possible.
My doctor did reassure me that having a big baby has some serious benefits, including better overall health, better appetite, and better sleep habits. However, as she put it, "we just have to figure out how to get him out of you." (I assume she has some ideas on how best to do this, which will be revealed once we know more.)
I was able to get an appointment for an ultrasound tomorrow morning at 9 a.m., so hopefully after that I will know more. It's funny because I am not really nervous about any of it, at least not in the conventional sense. I get that if this little guy turns out to be not so little, I may have to have a c-section, and that is fine. It's not my preference, but I can deal with it.
I guess what makes me freak out a little is that I have been mentally preparing for the labor and delivery process for months and especially in the last few weeks. I really felt like I was ready for it, and now I feel like I have to mentally prepare for something else entirely. I know, I know. Every woman should prepare herself to have a c-section because it is always a possibility, but I guess now I may have to seriously prepare myself.
If it comes down to it, a c-section would not be that bad. I would be prepared for it, and I would deal with it, and it would be fine. But the goofy thing is that a part of me feels like if I do have to have one, I would be missing out on the birthing experience. Which is just plain ridiculous because that is not exactly an experience that people crave. However, after reading and watching videos and preparing, I was kind of looking forward to the whole thing. Kind of.
All that being said, I think it will all be fine. I mean, yes, my family does tend to have big babies - even I was a big baby - but my family also tends to not have c-sections. My mother carried big, just like me, and she was fine. And since the beginning of my pregnancy, I have been praying and proclaiming blessings over my delivery, so it is almost unthinkable that something other than a normal, relatively easy and uncomplicated birth would happen. As my mother said, this is probably nothing more than a roadblock thrown down to test my faith, and I will meet it with a confident smile and believe that everything is still going to go according to my birth plan.
Was this a sudden thing? At about the same point in my last pregnancy, I was all of a sudden measuring 2 weeks ahead. They didn't do an ultrasound until my next appointment, two weeks later, but when they did, they found that she was breech, which is why my measurements had jumped. Luckily, I was able to convince her to flip back over within a couple of weeks. :o) Best of luck to you!
ReplyDeletePrayers going up that this baby comes at just the right time, in just the right way!
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