Time Flies (sarcasm)

So 3 weeks of bed rest is behind me. Baby has scored a perfect 8 on all of the BPP ultrasounds and although struggles a little bit with the NSTs it is still within normal limits. So today it was back to the perinatologist for a follow up measurement ultrasound. Baby gained a whole pound and is now about 4lbs. However, the average 7.5 lb full term baby should weigh between 5.5 lb and 6lbs at this point so baby is still very small. Since baby is still scoring well on BPP and NSTs the goal is to get to full term (37 weeks.) At that point they will do an amniocentesis to check if the lungs are mature and if they are deliver the baby.

Here are a few pictures of my escapes from bed rest.
Attempting (unsuccessfully) to get corned beef and cabbage for the second St. Patty's Day in a row.
The Chiang Mai Thai book club girls threw me an amazing shower at Chiang Mai Thai and invited my work friends. They even made a diaper bouquet. I always thought those were cool.

Sara and Becca (two of my very first friends) threw me another awesome shower with my old day care crew and long time family friends. Sara who introduced us to Crack Pie last year amazed us with another bake off worthy recipe - Thank Heavens for Little Girl Scouts Samoa Cheese Tart. Thank heavens I have Samoas in my freezer for post gestational diabetes because that little sliver was not enough.

In less than 2 weeks we might have a baby - CRAZY! After almost 6 years I can't tell you how unreal that feels. I also can't quiet that little voice that tells me something could still go wrong. However, this little one has overcome some big odds already and we are praying that although tiny it might still be healthy.

33 Week Update

Any guesses?

Unfortunately our repeat ultrasound didn't go any better. The baby did grow but not enough and in some areas has fallen off the growth curve. They still can't find a reason which is frustrating for me since I'm kind of a why person but this pregnancy has been baffling since day 1 so I'm trying to have some faith.

Now I'm on official bed rest, no more work. I'm still allowed modified activity. Meaning, I can do something for a couple hours each day as long as the other 22 hours I'm lying down.

I also have to go in for biophysical profiles to check on the status of the baby twice a week. So far the baby has scored a perfect 8 both times. It is fun to see the baby so often and I get to learn things about it like it apparently has lots of hair. Something I was not expecting from my baby. The ultrasound picture above is the baby's head and the hand points to the hair. We have also learned that our baby has the best kind of growth restriction - brain sparing. At this point the baby's head is still measuring the appropriate size even though the rest is falling off the growth chart. Yes, I did have a discussion with Baby about how he/she could spend more time growing limbs and less time growing hair. His/her response was a kick to the bladder. Point taken!

What's next? Unless baby shows signs of fetal distress all doctors believe it is best for baby to be in utero until 34 weeks. Then if baby isn't showing signs of growth many doctors believe it is better to deliver. No one gets too concerned about a 34 week preemie. They should weigh about 5 lbs, might have minor sucking issues and be a little jaundice. However, since our baby is measuring around 30 weeks it carries with it issues a preemie born at 30 weeks would have. So we are really hoping for a growth spurt in the next couple weeks!

In fun baby news Jaime and Krista hosted a shower with my high school friends. I loved getting to celebrate Baby in the middle of all these stressful doctor appointments.