24 weeks with Emelia: We’ve officially hit viability

Viability.

If you haven’t gone through infertility and loss, you may not even be aware of this milestone. I wrote several weeks ago about how good I was feeling about all this, how I wasn’t thinking of having a miscarriage, of losing this baby — I was able to think ahead and wasn’t having that anxiety I had with Olivia.

But the anxiety hit not long after that. This time period where so many people I know have lost their babies. I hate feeling jaded. I hate this worry, because you guys, I’ve seen these women lose everything. I’ve seen firsthand the absolute devastation. And I’ve been repeating to myself over and over for weeks now that it’s not going to happen in this pregnancy.

It helps, but I also know how these things can be over in the blink of an eye.

So in other words, I’ve been freaking out the last few weeks. And started thinking more and more about hitting viability. Of course, it’s not a guarantee. But it makes me feel a little better knowing this baby now has a fighting chance on the outside when she didn’t before.

And we’ve hit it, y’all. Officially. It’s a good feeling, reaching this milestone with my second and last miracle baby.

I got a new OB

I had my 24-week check with a new doctor at a new clinic today. I’ve been really nervous about this for a few weeks now, one because I’m a classic overthinker and two, change is scary. I’ve never gone out of my healthcare system and even though I know this doctor and the hospital he delivers at is really good, it’s still a big change.

The appointment went really well. He went over my records I had sent over and we talked in depth about my last pregnancy and delivery. I’ve gained another 3 pounds since my 20-week check. Unfortunately, my blood pressure was elevated again and this is the second reading I’ve gotten where it’s been high. 141/86 and 139/95 today. I’m starting a low dose of Labetalol and I need to come back in two weeks to have it checked and he also wants to do an US to check Queos’s growth. He told me preeclampsia is a possibility again, but that this could just stay PIH (pregnancy-induced hypertension) which of course is still serious, but far less than pre-e is. He told me if it remains stable, I will start weekly biophysical profiles starting at about 32 weeks, but if it continues to rise, we’ll have to do the BPPs twice a week. I’ll have to be induced around 37-38 weeks if my blood pressure isn’t cooperating, but he’s willing to wait to let me go into labor on my own at 39 weeks if everything is stable on the Labetalol.

I’m also going off the hydroxyprogesterone injections that I’ve been doing weekly to prevent preterm labor. He said with my water breaking at 36w4d with Olivia, that he wouldn’t have put me on it in the first place and instead said I could do vaginal progesterone suppositories if I was worried about preterm labor. They would be every night, but that this form of progesterone is better because it’s not synthetic like the P-17 shots are. I’m also relieved because I knew gestational diabetes was also a concern with these injections.  From everything I’ve read, there’s not a lot of statistical significance of these shots actually working to prevent preterm labor. And now this means I’m not driving to the clinic 30 minutes away for a quick shot once a week. He assured me the suppositories were just as effective as the shots, so I feel good about this.

Overall, I just felt good. He went over my plan for a VBAC and said he’s been doing this for over 40 years. He has a 97% success rates with his VBACs and follows a specific protocol. It means his patients labor longer, but it’s been really successful at avoiding an unnecessary C-section. Plus, he does all his own deliveries and that means if I’m laboring at the hospital, he’s there. If there’s an issue, the nurses don’t need to call him from home, because he’ll be there. It also means I don’t have to have a lot of cervical exams because he’s checking the fetal heart rate tracings. I just feel really good about it all. And then he prayed with me at the end of my visit, for Queso and for myself. And I’ve never had an experience like that before. I walked out of that appointment feeling heard. Like my wishes mattered and that what I wanted was important.

What’s going on with Queso

She’s now the size of a French Press, or a tray of Chips Ahoy! cookies, about 11.5 inches and 1.3 pounds (but I’m guessing she’s probably a little bigger than that). She’s busy growing body fat, sporting white hair, and her little face is almost fully formed.

And she’s been moving. Like crazy. In fact, she’s big enough to let us feel her kick from the outside. I first felt it Saturday night, at 24w0d while in bed. I pressed my hand into my stomach and felt a strong little foot kick my hand and my stomach pushed out. I’m pretty sure this is happening earlier than when it did with Olivia. The next day, Olivia tried it. She claimed she felt the kick, but who knows. Chris felt Queso later that night for the first time. I know Olivia felt her Sunday while we were out doing yard work. It’s been so fun. This is my favorite part of pregnancy. Queso’s favorite thing remains, however, curling up to sleep over my bladder.

What’s going on with me

I’ve been having more headaches lately. Nothing too crazy, but it’s definitely annoying. And more achiness in my abdomen. After one particular, ahem, sexy time, I actually had some pretty uncomfortable period-like cramps that lasted probably 45 minutes. I drank a bunch of water and lay around for a while, waiting out calling the on-call provider which would have made the second time calling them for sex-related pregnancy concerns. I think I basically need to just stop having sex.

Otherwise, heartburn remains. Indigestion and burping remains. The sciatica has improved and I’ve had Chris rubbing my butt almost every night before bed. Who says pregnancy isn’t sexy?

I went to acupuncture today and got my butt needled and feel so much better. She wants me to update her on my blood pressure to see if the acupuncture helps with my pressures over time. I’m hoping to nip this thing in the bud so we don’t have a repeat from 2015.