My 20 week appointment was last Tuesday and as promised, we did NOT find out the sex of our baby during the fetal anatomy ultrasound. And it’s a good thing that we chose not to find out, because the doctor hinted that the ultrasound tech couldn’t “really” tell anyway. I don’t know if there would be anything more frustrating than wanting to know and not being able to find out. I think it’s fun not knowing and I hope that I don’t regret this decision! The doctor said that the ultrasound looked perfect and our little baby boy or girl is just as healthy as can be.
Aside from that, we talked AGAIN about my possible c-section. Looks like that is going to be what the doctor wants to do. She talked to me about all the pros and cons of both options. Either could go horribly wrong. I didn’t realize that c-section babies have a higher rates of NICU stays because they don’t have a chance to get all the goo squished out of their lungs like babies that hang out in the birth canal do. Technical, right?
Obviously, the baby’s safety and my safety are top priority. With that being said, suppose the vaginal birth goes smoothly. The recovery for me is much quicker. I kind of need to be back on my feet asap. The c-section is going to cost us a lot more than a vaginal birth. O.R. fees. NICU staff automatically assess the c-section babies so there’s their fee. I will stay in the hospital an extra day so that’s more money. Aargh. We had somewhat prepared for Theo by saving up money in our Health Savings Account before he was born and it still wasn’t enough. We are still making payments on his birth. Needless to say, there’s no extra money sitting around in the H.S.A. for this baby. Not to say that we couldn’t pay for things out of the checking account, but that’s not what that money is there for and why should we drain it anyway, when that’s what the tax-free money going into the H.S.A. every pay period is for? Blah. It’s a lot of little things one way or the other and I think a solid argument could be made for c-section or vaginal. I’m stressing myself over something that we can’t even make a decision about for another 10-15 weeks.
Basically, everything is progressing nicely. Including my weight, only not so nicely. It’s okay though, Christmas and New Year’s dinners were totally worth the extra pound or two. The baby is 5-6″ long crown to rump and weighs 10 oz. I won’t guess how long I am crown to rump or tell you how many ounces I weigh, but total pregnancy weight gain so far is 7 pounds.
Over the weekend, Theo went to his first birthday party and he had a blast and totally wore himself out. It was funny – me and three of my friends were all pregnant this time last year and now there are all these little people crawling around, playing, laughing, eating etc. It was remarkable to see them all together for the first time. Mind-blowing how much can change in a year.
Time to start planning Theo’s birthday party, his special day is less than two months away now!
~C~