A Few More Weeks Of Being The Center Of Attention

Lucy is thrilled because she found out that Carter just gave her a few more weeks to be the center of attention before he arrives and takes away her spotlight!

We had a check up at Duke Friday that we think went very well. They had originally planned to induce labor at 37 weeks after an amnio to test for lung maturity. We really weren't thrilled with the idea of him coming early or an amnio. At the appointment Friday, Dr. H made a "deal" with us that if we move up to Durham at 37 weeks as originally planned, they would not induce labor, but would just play it by ear and hope that Carter comes on his own in spontaneous labor (we'll be staying 15 miles from the hospital--more on that later). If he's not here by 39 weeks, then they will speed things along. FYI: We're at 35 weeks now.

Apparently, the reason they wanted to induce early is because we live 3 hours away and they were afraid we wouldn't be able to get to Duke, especially in light of the pre-term labor scare a few weeks ago and the continuing contractions. Dr. H said that this is much better for Carter because he'll have more time to "bake" and he won't have to go through an induction, which can be tough on mom and baby and take days instead of hours. Additionally, waiting decreases the likelihood of a c-section. So, I'm still on modified bedrest to keep those contractions under control and we're THRILLED with the thought that Carter will get more time to develop. Looks like he might be an October baby like his mommy!

The ultrasound went well and my amniotic fluid levels are still normal (this means he's swallowing like he should be) and I measure right at 35 weeks. He weighs in at a whopping FIVE POUNDS (he's in the 25% for growth) and Dr. B said that he probably weighs a little more than that b/c CDH babies tend to scew the results a little bit. His stomach is still the only organ "up" and everything else looks good and seems to be functioning well. We even caught him practice breathing, which was amazing to see his little chest rise and fall. They were still able to see some lung tissue on both sides, especially from the back.

We left yesterday feeling very optimistic and excited for little monkey's arrival. Both Doctors we met with were positive about his condition and said that everything looks really good. We keep reminding ourselves that CDH is a roller-coaster and that we must remain "cautiously optimistic" because we still won't truly know about his survival chances until he's born.

As usual, he was stubborn and kept his hand in front of his face, so we don't have really clear pictures. Here's a profile with fingers and frontal picture with his arm in front of his face.