Chubba Wubba

Success!  After three weeks of gluey protein shakes, abbreviated bed rest and gallons of water, B the G weighed in at 5.7 lbs today and hit the 35th percentile on the growth chart.  Her Dopplers are all where they should be and there is a healthy amount of amniotic fluid for her to float around in there.  

I am so relieved, so grateful, so proud.  The doctor is thrilled with our progress and told me that we could continue coming in twice a week for evaluating or come back in three weeks when it's closer to go time.  Justin said "Three weeks" faster than I could get it out and the the doctor said she had already written that in the chart because she knew what his response would be.  They've gotten to know him pretty well in recent weeks.  We are both tired of the trips, the angst, and the stress of the visits.  Just let her bake a little more and we'll be satisfied with continuing the above regimen and monitoring kick counts.

She moved around in my belly all during the ultrasound, doing her own little victory dance.  Justin credits the water and the Krispy Kreme doughnuts he bought for me.  I think it was the rest and the protein.  But I also wonder if she would have grown anyway, that she just hit a lull.  It's hard to know.   

Regardless, I am thankful for the results and for the team of techs and physicians I got to know so well over the past three weeks.   It's a weird, loaded environment for all involved in peri-natal.  There's that gold-tinged advice to stay relaxed and stress-free for the baby coming in from all corners, but in the back of everyone's mind we all know I wouldn't be there if there weren't something unusual going on.  It's all unspoken and everyone is trying to protect me from worry and tension but also give me all the information I need.  It was a difficult balance for me and I did break a couple of times on my own.   To let it go and wait for her to make the next move is the easiest decision I've made in awhile.