Baby Lowery #2: 34 Weeks

Evie and her baby cousin, already friends in the womb!

We made it to 34 weeks with our sweet girl!

Things are going pretty well! I've seen my doctor twice since my last post. He agreed with my self-induced bedrest, and told me that limiting my activity was helping so to keep it up. My first appointment, they re-checked me (no change) and did another Fetal Fibronectin test which came back negative again. Evie was still breech, but that is probably a good thing because it prevents her head from putting pressure on my cervix. Everything checked out great and I was told to come back a week later.

Throughout the next week, my mom came for several days to help out. It's always nice to have your mama come! She was a huge help--she brought us freezer meals (which is a BIG timesaver and help for my husband) and helped with Holt and other things around the house. She came back for my next doctor appointment this past Thursday (03/31) and we got another good report! Evie is still breech, but I haven't changed at all and we got to look at her on ultrasound again. The NEATEST thing is we could see her breathing on the ultrasound--her little chest was just rhythmically moving in and out.

I'm still having contractions on a daily basis--anywhere from 15 to 30 a day (or more) depending on how active I am. Thankfully these are still Braxton Hicks contractions and are not causing labor to progress in any way. So why stay on bed rest? Because we don't want it to turn into labor, which it could at any point if I do too much or lift too much weight. So limiting my activity is more a preventative measure. We need her to cook in there for a few more weeks yet!

This past Saturday (04/02), my sweet friends hosted a "sprinkle" for Evie! A sprinkle is just a smaller version of a baby shower, usually for 2nd (3rd, 4th, etc) babies--since you already have the big stuff from your first baby, it's mostly just the practical stuff like diapers and clothes if you're expecting the opposite gender. A big plus was I got to see my cousin who is expecting her first baby and our due dates are only 10 days apart. It will be so neat to watch these cousins grow up together! The shower was so fun and so beautiful! It's WAY different this time expecting a girl--all the bows and gowns and pink! So thank you from the bottom of my heart---it was perfect (even though I took ZERO pictures)!

We had another appointment today (04/04) and she is still breech. My doctor had us schedule an ultrasound for next Tuesday (04/12) so we could measure her and also check amniotic fluid levels. If at that point she is still breech, we will be looking at the calendar and scheduling a time for me to come in and let him try to externally turn her head down. This is done down in Labor & Delivery (just in case something happens) and she will be monitored the entire time. I'm a little nervous because I've heard it can be uncomfortable for the mama, but I think it's worth it to at least try and avoid a c-section. If for some reason it's unsuccessful, we will be looking at a c-section (unless she turns right before D-day, which could happen).

At this point, our goal is to keep her cooking until 38 weeks. Once we reach that point, I'm taking myself off bed rest and baby girl can go ahead and grace us with her presence anytime she wants!

How far along: 34 weeks 2 days
Sleep: I'm still sleeping very well. Some days, especially if I take a nap, it takes me a long time to fall asleep--closer to 11:30pm--but I think that's due to the fact I'm not as active right now.
Food cravings: Even though I haven't had one in a few weeks, donuts. Oh, and Lucky Charms. The past couple of weeks, we bought the "family size" box and I've had at least one bowl after Holt goes to bed.
Movement: She has been getting the hiccups! This is so fun for me because Holt never got them one time (unless it was during the night and I was sleeping so I didn't' feel it).