Under four weeks to go...

We (the baby and I) are officially at 36 weeks, 1 day today which means we (hopefully) have less than 4 weeks to go!

I went to the OB this past Friday for a checkup and it ended up being an epic all-day long adventure.  The nurse had almost finished putting all my vitals into the computer when Cy showed up and asked if she had checked my hemoglobin.  (I had totally forgotten to bring it up on my own for some reason.)  The nurse was kind of reluctant and didn't seem to think it was necessary but Cy insisted on it so she did.  It had dropped from 10.2 to 9.0 since my last appointment, which was especially disheartening since I have now been taking an iron supplement for over two weeks and eating tons of red meat (which I don't even like) plus other iron-rich foods.  The doctor spoke with us for a while about this.  She said that a finger stick is often not completely accurate so she ordered some more extensive blood work for me.  I had that done yesterday so hopefully we will find out some results this Friday at my next appointment.  She said that if my hemoglobin is in fact that low I will probably need to see a hematologist and have an iron infusion via IV.  I am not excited about this at all of course but I guess I would way rather have an infusion than have to have a transfusion.  I have really been trying to eat even more iron-rich foods since my appointment.  I am really hoping I can boost it enough to avoid any sort of "fusions" but nothing I do seems to be working.  So we will see about that.

I had my first internal exam and no dilation yet but she said it is "very soft" whatever that even means.  While she was doing the exam, she couldn't seem to figure out the position of the baby so she ordered an ultrasound.  We sat for a while and waited for that, then did the ultrasound to discover that the baby is transverse (sideways).  This was totally unexpected as Gemma was head down by at least 33 or 34 weeks if not earlier.  Bummer.  So then we had to go back and talk to the doctor some more about that.

The doctor walked us through all the options.  She said that the baby still has room and time to turn on his own so one option is to just see how things go.  Another option would be to go ahead and have a version (I'm assuming she meant an ECV and not ICV but she did mention I would need an epidural for it which totally freaked me out).  She said that ideally, versions are performed around 36 or 37 weeks when there is still some room to turn the baby.  However, there are risks to the baby (with the cord, placenta, etc.) and there is no guarantee the baby won't just immediately flip back.  Cy and I both thought it was a no-brainer to pass on this.  The doctor agreed and ordered another ultrasound for Fri. Mar. 23 (between 37-38 weeks).  If he is still transverse by 39 weeks, the doctor suggested coming in for a version then and if the version is successful, they will immediately induce labor and if it is not successful they will be prepped for a C-section (which they would want to do at 39 weeks anyway).  This would cut down the risk factor for the baby since he would be coming out immediately after the version one way or another.  Also should mention at this point that the placenta is anterior (directly in front) which will make it harder to turn the baby.  Of course the decision is ultimately up to us and we aren't sure what to do but for now we are just waiting to see if the little guy will flip on his own.

We eventually made it out of the OB's office and now everything is pretty much just a waiting game (which is how pregnancy always is anyway).  :)

In other news, poor sweet little Gemma is sick yet again with another nasty tummy bug.  She has been throwing up off and on for the past couple of days.  I really hope she will be well soon and that she can stay well for a while now.  She needs to get better so that she is healthy and ready to meet her brother!