No Doubt About It!

It seemed last week there was some confusion as to what gestation kicked off the final phase of pregnancy. Some said 27 weeks while others said 28. Well, here I am at 28 weeks, so it's official no matter how you look at it: I'm in the third trimester of my pregnancy! How good it feels to be this far along!

Since seeing Dr. Davis on Monday, I have been keeping a low-profile. I have relied heavily on Hubby, my mom and my mother-in-law. I have been drinking more than I ever imagined I could handle in hopes of an increased amniotic fluid level measurement on Friday (tomorrow).

It's amazing how much better I feel when I rest and how that can give me a false sense of my abilities. There is only so much sitting around one can do without feeling like a lazy lump. Yesterday while Hubby and My Girl were out, I took a shower, made the bed, put away two loads of laundry and picked up a bit. By the time I got back downstairs, I was ready to sit with my feet up again as my crampiness and heaviness returned.

At this point, I am doing a self-induced purge of my schedule, keeping only very necessary appointments and sending Hubby or one of the grandmothers to take care of the rest. Poor Hubby is going to have to suffer through the last Kindermusik class of the semester next week. I know he feels rather uncomfy being the only adult male in the room parading around in a circle and singing songs. Songs, I might add he knows all too well as we make a habit of listening to Kindermusik CDs while in the car. For some reason, he doesn't really look at this musical knowledge as an advantage.

In addition to my increased fluid intake and rest, I have also kept up with the Procardia around the clock. The only new sensation I am noticing is that I am hot most of the time. Since I typically run cold on the temperature scale, it is taking some getting used to as I don't want to freeze my family by turning our heat down. I have opted to dress in less layers instead.

I feel pretty good overall at 28 weeks. My legs are beginning to cramp at night which is not fun but soon enough, I fall asleep and forget all about it. Baby Boy is quite active at times which is very reassuring.

On a final note, My Girl had a GI consult today. She knew we were heading to the doctor and in the car (my mother drove) stated exactly that: "we're going to doctor" - I pushed her a bit and asked her what they were going to do at the doctor. "Doctor checks Baby Brother!" she declared with certainty. She continues to amaze me this 24 weeker of mine... even though it was her tummy that was getting checked today instead of mine.

Third Trimester???

Last night, I was counting down the hours to midnight in anticipation of the arrival of the long-awaited third trimester. I am officially 27 weeks today and with that, it was my understanding, came a new, never before entered (by me) marker of pregnancy. In spite of feeling a bit under the weather (sinus congestion), I was on a cloud, excited about this newly achieved personal milestone.

I had an afternoon appointment today for a cervical scan and shared my excitement with Nurse Barb, who probably didn't mean to, but totally burst my third trimester bubble, telling me it was common knowledge that the third trimester officially begins at 28 weeks. She casually told me, just one more week. I was devastated! Then Dr. Gerson entered the room...

Well, he just made my day and I have to say, today was my best visit to date! He agreed that the literature is conflicting stating that 27 weeks is listed in one source and 28 weeks in another. So, based on my source of the chart below (thanks, Jen!), I am officially in the third trimester and feel damn good about it!

My cervix continues to be long and closed and today, Dr. G told me he considers me a "success"! Well, it depends on how you look at it... I told him that to me, success is having my baby and holding him immediately after birth, something I didn't get to do with My Girl and something I know I wouldn't get to do with My Boy if he were born today at 27 weeks gestation. So to me, success has not yet been achieved, but with each passing day, becomes more and more likely.

Dr. G felt that based on my "success" I discontinue weekly cervical checks. Thankfully, he was receptive to the fact that I NEED these checks for peace of mind and since they are already scheduled through the end of the year, agreed that it was okay that I keep them on the calendar. Additionally, he said if I wanted to be seen, he would be more than happy to do so.

We then had a discussion about preemies and the NICU. He reminded me that survival starts at 23 weeks and is quite low. And with this low survival, comes high morbidity. He emphasized that I have reached the inverse of this and at 27 weeks, survival is high and morbidity is low (survival was quoted at 95%). It feels so good to be on the other side but I still know the potential road and complications that even a 27 weeker would face in the NICU. I opt to keep on cooking...