36 weeks

I am 36 weeks which means we are going to have a fourth member to our family in 2-3 weeks! CRAZY! I can't believe how big my belly looks in this picture. Marc says it looks like there is a watermelon inside. :)

Here is my 37 week picture with Eli.

My appointment last Friday went well and I feel much better after Marc and I had a long conversation with Dr. H about her recommendations with Hailey being breech. Only 3% of all babies are still breech by term (37 weeks) so I am certainly in the minority at this point. My doctor is a great communicator who is very experienced with external cephalic versions and made me feel much better about it all. We talked through each scenario with her and all of the options and risks. ACOG is the professional OB/GYN medical organization that makes recommendations for health care issues for women and I found this as a summary of their position statement on external versions:

"The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) states that all women with breech fetuses who have completed 36 weeks of gestation should be offered an attempt at version given there are no contraindications."

The risks are lower for both mom and baby with a version compared to c-section so to me it is worth a shot even though the success rate is only about 60%. There are some things that make it more likely to be successful and fortunately Hailey and I both make good candidates for a version as long as there is still enough fluid inside when they decide to turn her (which they will check with an ultrasound that day). 

I read through countless studies and articles last week, prayed a lot through the options, and in the end, feel comfortable with our decision. We will probably set a date for the external version at my appointment this week to be done sometime between 38 and 39 weeks. If it is successful, then I will be induced that day (there is more risk if you go home after a version versus just staying in the hospital where the baby can be monitored until delivery); if it is unsuccessful, then I will have a c-section that day. Dr. H said that the last three moms she had scheduled versions for presented to the hospital the day of the procedure and their babies had already turned on their own to the head down position. I am still hoping and praying I have a smart girl who figures out which way the exit is. :)

I found this video online that shows an external version being done on a mom. If you can't tell from the video, this one was successful and mom looked pretty comfortable through it all.

I hope this info helps anyone else out there dealing with a similar situation!

And, just for fun, here are a few pictures of Eli tonight after his bath when we tried on his suit for my sister's upcoming wedding. It fits well now but I am afraid it will be too small in 2 months so we will probably get the next size up. Doesn't he look handsome??? He kept trying to pull the tag off his sleeve. :)