T-minus 16 Days and Counting . . . All Systems Go

Thursday's doctor's appointment was full of information, and Leah left the office with probably a big ole dose of reality. Our life is really getting ready to change, and now we have a concrete date to circle on the calendar. Life as we know it is now, at most, 16 days away from turning upside down.

This appointment was the one where Leah is tested for the Group B strep bacteria. Although it sounds serious, it really isn't--it is almost always harmless in adults, but can be passed to the baby while passing through the birth canal (group A bacteria is the one that causes strep throat, and is different from group B). Apparently a majority (90% or so) of women test positive, so it really isn't a big deal. All a positive result means is that during labor, anitbiotics will be given through the IV. At that point, Nicholas's risk of infection will go from something like 1 in 200 (long shot) to 1 in 4,000 (really long shot).

Dr. Bannister also verified that Leah is indeed 2 cm dialated. I think she was a little surprised, since her appointment 14 days prior indicated absolutely no change in the cervix whatsoever. Of course, that doesn't mean anything at all--she should stay at 2 cm for another 2-3 weeks, or things could change tomorrow or the next day.

There was also an ultrasound done to check for size and approximate weight. The result: 6 lbs, 8 oz. The disclaimer that goes with this measurement is that it can be off by 1 lb either way, but Dr. B. thinks that it's pretty close to being accurate. Because of his current size, the ultrasound didn't really allow much to be seen, other than the spine, beating heart, and some distinct bones. In other words, no peek at his little face or anything like that. Currently he is in the perfect position--face down--so let's hope he stays that way to make his arrival as easy as possible (can I use the word easy in referring to any part of labor? I hope so).

Finally, a date has been established to escort his little arrival, in the event that he doesn't do so independently. As is very common, an induction has been scheduled. I guess the "old school" folks would disagree, saying that we should let nature do its thing unless medically necessary. But as long as the lung development and such is complete, it's simply a thing of "Do it now, when we've planned it and everything is controlled" versus "It's 3 a.m.--call my doctor and wake her out of a stage 2 sleep and hope that she doesn't get caught by the world's longest train on the way to the hospital." Bottom line--3 or 5 or 7 days more in the womb isn't going to affect Nicholas one bit, but if allowed to go too long, he could gain too much weight and complicate the delivery. Based on the 6 lb, 8 oz estimate, this would mean that Nicholas will weigh approximately 7 3/4 lbs when he arrives--a nice weight, in our opinion. Plus, with the scheduled aspect of it, out of towners like Dad and Mary can plan on leaving Louisville and be here with everyone else. Of course, if Leah's water breaks at 3 AM next Wednesday, then all this preparation stuff is now relegated to the role of being out the proverbial window.