10 Weeks To Go and All Is Well...

I went for a 30-week ultrasound yesterday, and everything seemed really good. The doctor did a 3-d ultrasound (we got a picture, but she looks like a claymation blob), and told me everything seems to be in a very normal range. She weighs 3 pounds, 10 ounces. Wow! Almost four pounds. So at least I can say that of the 30 pounds I've gained, less than 26 of them are fat. He asked me about changing doctors (he knows the doctor I am going with) and I explained that I was going to do a VBAC. He said, "good for you," and we had a conversation about it. He told me there is nothing in my pregnancy that isn't healthy, and by all appearances, I should be able to labor vaginally.

It's funny, because as soon as I made my decision to do a VBAC, I have found nothing but support from professionals: doctors, nurses, doulas. It's all my friends who are opting for a repeat C-section who keep trying to tell me that I should know the risks. I do know the risks, and my doctor already told me that she will not put me or my baby at risk. Also, the baby's head is down, so that is a good thing. I have been feeling the Braxton-Hicks contractions every day, intermittently, but sometimes I'm not sure if it's those or the baby is just stretching my stomach muscles out. I'm really not that big in the stomach yet, for being ten weeks away. But I was like this with Owen. I didn't really pop with him until the end, and then he was early, too. So I think things are fine. The doctor told me that the baby is in the 50 percentile for weight, and measurements. I'll take average, boy, will I take average and normal this time around!

So, the next two months I just have to concentrate on readying myself for the birth. I know this sounds strange, but I'm actually looking forward to trying a vaginal birth, which is totally different from how I was when I had Owen. With Owen, I was so scared and nervous, and didn't know what to expect, that I preferred to go into a C-section; I mean, after all, everbody else has C-sections, how bad can it be? But this time, I'm thinking of it more as a challenge, as a rite of passage, something I will try my best to do. I have been walking an hour every other day, to keep my body in shape, and I have to say, I feel like I'm in pretty good shape. Sometimes, I forget I'm pregnant and start to run through the house to get the phone, only to realize I can't quite run like I used to. I will sometimes start running after Owen, and have to stop myself, because, after all, I am 7 months pregnant. But it's good. I'm happy to be where I am at in my life, and excited about the future.