34 weeks! This seems so surreal. The closer I get to my due date the more I can't believe that this is actually happening this time. So, here is a quick update on what has gone on in the past month.
- I switched from Lovenox to Heparin yesterday. Heparin is safer to be on close to delivery. The OB's that I'm seeing usually switch women from one to the other at 36 weeks. I switched two weeks early because of my history of premature birth. Huge sigh of relief when I made the switch last night. The people at the pharmacy must have thought I was nuts because I was so excited to fill that prescription. I was really afraid of going into labor on Lovenox. It would have been okay, but I've got a lot more options with heparin. It clears the body faster so, say, if I had to have a c-section I would be able to be awake for it and not have to go under general. (Any spinal aneasthesia is a no-no on Lovenox. It can cause paralysis.) Downsides of heparin - it's twice daily and the syringes are NOT pre-filled. Even with the crash course the pharmacist gave me on how to load the things it took me a good 20 minutes last night before I was able to draw up the medicine without a gigantic air bubble. Thank goodness for youtube. You also bruise more on heparin. On the bright side, the injections don't hurt at all. Lovenox burns. Heparin doesn't. At least not yet.
- LJ weighs just about 6 pounds now. She is practicing breathing and has passed all of her biophysical profiles with flying colors. She still likes to suck her thumb and fist.
- I went for monitoring on Monday and discovered that I was having contractions every 4 - 5 minutes and not feeling them at all. I'm still working (Sweeny Todd performances just about every night.) but otherwise I've got my feet up. This really threw me because with Alice there was no prolonged preterm labor. My water broke and she was born 6 hours later. It has been difficult for me to slow down. I would love to get past 36 weeks, though, so my attitude is "whatever it takes." Reading and sewing are my main pastimes these days.
- Monday was a wake-up call for Tim and I. When the nurse at the hospital said, "Well, your baby looks great, but you're having a lot of contractions. I need to run this by the OB to see if you can go home or not." I started to panic. We had so much to do to get ready. I had a small emergency bag packed just in case, but nothing else was done. So, after I got home (phew!) Tim got the crib up, we bought a few things that we needed and we packed hospital bags for us and an overnight bag for Alice. Tim installed the car seats. I have some sewing I'd love to finish, but that is the icing on the cake.
- I've got some crib sheets nearly sewn and a quilt almost done. I'll post some pictures when I finish them!
