Pregnancy Update - 28 weeks!

Hey all! We met with the high-risk pregnancy doctor on Friday and got to see our baby girl (on the ultrasound machine of course). It was kind of neat because Grandma Margaret got to see the baby also. It was fun to share that with her. All is well - no news is good news - he just reiterated everything that we'd heard before. The baby is growing like she should be (one of the risks of placenta previa is that there is not adequate blood circulation from the placenta to the baby and that can affect the baby's growth and development) but she is a strong 2 lbs, 12 oz - we are so proud! The doctor reminded us of some of the other risks of the complications of this pregnancy and checked to see if the placenta has moved. There was little chance of it moving from the bottom to the top (where it's supposed to be) so they checked it, but it didn't move. So, right now the plan is that if there are no further bleeds we will get to 35-36 weeks and then do an amniocentesis (where they take a sampling of the amniotic fluid through my abdomen) to check the baby's lung maturity. I think it's amazing that they can tell if her lungs are mature just from the amniotic fluid! Anyway, at that point, if her lungs are developed we will deliver the next day and if not we will wait another week or so and then deliver at that time, by c-section of course. We can't afford to risk any contractions as that increases the risk of hemorrhaging and could put my life in serious danger. So, 36 weeks puts us somewhere around the second week of May, depending if they do it at the beginning of the 36th week or the end.

I will meet with my regular OB later this week and let you know if anything changes!

Yesterday my Aunt Jeni and Uncle Mohammed came over and made Kabsa (an arabic chicken-and-rice dish). It was SO good. My cousin Mishial had a few of her Arabic friends over as well and all had a great time. We ate traditional Saudi style - on the floor with no table and chairs. I'm sad that Aunt Jeni and Uncle Mohammed had to go back to Jeddah (they were only in town while Mishial was on Spring Break) and I can't wait to see them in the summer with the boys.

Ryan, Shane, and I had a pretty quiet day today. Grandma was out most of the day so the three of us just hung out on the air mattress in the living room for much of the day. Ryan is learning how to throw a ball and had so much fun laughing (a full belly laugh) when Daddy would throw the ball off his head (he threw it off his own head - he was not bouncing it off Ryan's head). Ryan was a sure chatterbox today! We have no idea what he was saying but he was saying it a bunch! It was so much fun - too bad the work week starts tomorrow.

xoxoxo,
Becca, Shane, Ryan, and Baby Girl