35w5d

In the waiting room at Dr. Risky’s office yesterday, I noticed that a lot of people were looking at me. At first I thought it was the, “Holy Crap She’s About To Pop” look, but then I realized it was the “OMG THERE IS SOMETHING MOVING IN THERE” stare. The Acrobat was particularly wiggly when I sat down and was doing full-body shifts, and the dress I was wearing did a great job of amplifying his every movement. A few minutes later, when I was on the exam table, Dr. Risky’s nurse was standing over me to measure my fundal height when The Acrobat performed a move that could only have been a jumping jack and she exclaimed, “Oh my goodness! That looked like it hurt!”

Yes. Yes, it did.

My appointment yesterday signaled the beginning of the end. I had my Strep B test, and Dr. Risky and I discussed tapering off some of my drugs. I’m done with blood thinner #1 (aspirin), but I still have a few more days blood thinner #2 (lovenox injection). It’s a relief to be off the aspirin since it takes about five to seven days to get out of your system, and since I had Annabel in my thirty-sixth week of pregnancy I am a bit nervous. I desperately want to be awake for my c-section, and if I go into labor before all the blood thinners are out of my system, I have to be put under general anesthesia. Luckily, the shots are out of my system in 24 hours. It’s a tricky balance because it’s risky being off the blood thinners, but you know…I want to be awake. I will continue to trust Dr. Risky, and also listen to my body. The night before Annabel was born, I didn’t give myself a shot because I felt…off. Thank goodness I followed my instincts that night.

All my pregnancy complications are also starting to make going further into pregnancy less desirable, for lack of a better word. My personal goal for this pregnancy is a week from yesterday, when The Acrobat will be the same gestational age Annabel was when she was born. Ideally, I’d love to carry him as long as he needs (and I’d really love to finally be able to say I carried a baby to term), but Dr. Risky’s goal is looking like something in the 37-38 week range. Next week I have an amnio scheduled to check The Acrobat’s fetal lung maturity, and depending on how that comes back I could have a baby “any time after that,” according to Dr. Risky.

So. I could have a baby as soon as next week. Whaaaaaaaaaaaat. I need to pack. I need a crib. I need a name.

Get in those last jumping jacks, little boy. You’re getting evicted soon.