34 Weeks!!

We made it to another big preemie milestone -- 34 weeks!! We're now at the point where most doctors don't try to stop labor (even though there isn't anything left for them to try on me anyway) and we're beyond the need for steroid shots. 34 weeks is when most babies develop their suck/swallow/breathe coordination as well, making feeding issues less likely. We're into definite feeder/grower territory now -- although we'd most likely still log a little NICU time, some 34 weekers go straight home. So, if I wasn't so big and unwieldy and out of shape, I'd be doing a happy dance right now. ;) Now we raise the bar to 36 weeks and see how close we can get!

I had my weekly checkup today. My OB looks happier every time I see her. ;) She wants me to start moving around some more and to cut back my meds. Since I'll be stopping my meds at 36 weeks, she wants to wean me off of them gradually. So, I'll go back to taking my meds three times a day instead of four. I'm scared to rock the boat, but I know we need to start getting my body back into the normal swing of things. I also only have two more progesterone shots to do, so in two weeks I'll be drug free.

So I get to ease up on the bedrest a bit, which will be nice but freak me out at the same time! My doctor is sending me up to the hospital tomorrow for another ultrasound -- she wants to check fluid levels and the baby's size again and they'll do a cervical length check as well. It's always reassuring to peek at the baby -- I'm curious to see how big they think she is. Space must be getting tight in there, because she does less kicking and punching and more wiggling and stretching. Sometimes you can see little hard knees or elbows poke out. I felt my first real kick in the ribs the other day! Max never got big enough to kick me in the ribs and this little girl has been hanging out so far down that I don't usually feel her up that high. She also gets the hiccups fairly often, which Max never had.

So, one last big push (pun intended!) and we'll be in the clear. It would be really nice to be able to deliver in the normal labor and delivery rooms, rather than spending time in the high-risk wing and delivering in the OR. At this point, I think the normal L&D rooms are the only part of the maternity ward that I HAVEN'T seen. The hospital has L&D suites, so you labor, deliver, and recover in the same room. All things being equal, the baby never has to leave your sight. Wouldn't that be a nice change!