Think Head Down Thoughts...

So, if you are keeping track I have about 9 weeks left before this baby (no name yet) will be here. I went to my regular OB visit this week and I have to say that a part of me knew that this was coming... When I was pregnant with Jackson he moved in to the head down position when I was in my second trimester. I knew he was head down not only because I could feel is feet in my ribs but his head felt like it was about ready to pop out. Well, with this baby I knew right where he is. I can feel kicks and punches only on the sides of my stomach and I can actually breathe because he is not crowding my lung space. In the back of my mind I was thinking before I went to my appointment, "I wonder if he should have moved by now?" I went to see my doctor and she looked and around and confirmed that this little gremlin is still lying sideways. She said that we will give him 3 more weeks and if he hasn't moved by then we will try a version.

This explains that:
External cephalic version, or version, is a procedure used to turn a fetus from a breech position or side-lying (transverse) position into a head-down (vertex) position before labor begins. When successful, version makes it possible for you to try a vaginal birth.

Version is done most often before labor begins, generally around 36 to 37 weeks. Version is sometimes used during labor before the amniotic sac has ruptured. This can be a good time to use version, when labor is constantly monitored and a cesarean delivery (C-section) can be done right away if necessary. But the chance to do the version can be lost if labor speeds up or the amniotic sac ruptures.

A scheduled cesarean is used to deliver most breech births if a version doesn't work. 1 But trying a version at 36 or more completed weeks of pregnancy may increase your chances of being able to deliver vaginally. 2

Before the version attempt, you may be given an injection of tocolytic medication to relax the uterus and prevent uterine contractions. The most commonly used tocolytic medication is terbutaline.

While the uterus is relaxed, your doctor will attempt to turn the fetus. With both hands on the surface of your abdomen-one by the fetus's head and the other by the buttocks-the doctor pushes and rolls the fetus to a head-down position. You may feel discomfort during a version procedure, especially if it causes the uterus to contract. The amount of discomfort depends on how sensitive your abdomen is and how hard the doctor presses on your abdomen during the version attempt. If your fetus appears to be in distress, as shown by a sudden drop in heart rate, the procedure is stopped.

So...I will return to the doctor in 2 weeks and we will see where the baby is. I can tell you now that it has been one week since that appointment and he is still sideways. Ahhh, I guess all we can do is think head down thoughts.

The Pen

The day after we got home from my parents house in North Carolina I was rushing around the house to catch up on things that I had missed while I was gone. I put on Sesame Street for Jackson and I went to the back to put some laundry away. I came back out and sat down on the couch to fold some more laundry and that is when I saw it. Out of the corner of my eye I could see something black, something black on my brown couch. I slowly turned my head to find that Jackson had practiced his circles with a pen on our couch. My eyes went wide, all I could say was, "Time out" and then "Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!". That is when all the pregnancy hormones overflowed and I began to cry. I didn't know what else to do. Jackson walked straight to time out and then started to cry because I was crying and kept saying, "I'm sorry mommy, I'm sorry mommy." I was still in shock and was frozen staring at the couch. Now I know that although this was the first time something in our house was maimed by my child it will not be the last, but the first time is always hard. Luckily, when we bought the couch we bought a fabric protection plan and someone is going to come out and clean it. Needless to say all the pens in the house are very high up now.