As I explained in my last post on the pregnancy, just a few weeks ago we were waiting, and hoping, that the uterine synechiae the high risk docs had identified as inhibiting Ruby’s progress toward the birth canal would snap or otherwise give way and allow Ruby’s head to engage and us to proceed toward the natural birth we planned for from the beginning of this pregnancy. Unfortunately, our 36 week ultrasound confirmed that the positions of the synechiae and our little girl remained the same. That ultrasound also revealed something more alarming: Ruby’s umbilical cord was resting directly above my cervix, with no part of Ruby’s body to function as a barrier between it and the outside of my uterus were my water to break. In other words, we were at serious risk of a cord prolapse, which could be life-threatening for Ruby.
My OB, in concurrence with the specialist, recommended an amnio at 37 weeks to confirm lung maturity, and a c-section immediately following if the results were positive. We struggled with the decision of whether to proceed as they indicated over the weekend, weighing the risks of a c-section and premature birth against the risks of PROM (Premature Rupture of Membranes) and the possibility of a cord prolapse, and finally finding that the gravity of the risk of cord prolapse, however small (estimated to be approximately 2%), was enough to warrant the proposed intervention. It wasn’t what we wanted, but we believed it was the best thing we could do for Ruby.
My c-section was scheduled for Thursday, January 21, and we found ourselves scrambling to prepare for our second child in less time than we had planned. By far the most fun part of those preparations was a shower Grandma Cheryl and Aunt Kristin threw not just for Ruby, but for her big sister Violet. The four of us got together the Sunday before Ruby’s birth for a girl’s afternoon out to celebrate Violet’s becoming a big sister:
Violet's big sister shower
Violet got to decorate her big sister crown and sash herself, and scored several great big sister gifts, including her own diaper bag Grandma made, which included all the essentials: a changing pad, diapers, wet bag, bottles of lotion and cream, and a burp cloth. Baby Kristin (Violet’s favorite doll) has never been better cared for!
The shower wrapped our our last one-kid weekend, and I headed back to work to finish a few things there. After spending Monday and Tuesday at the office, I signed off to start my leave a day early in an effort to check a few more things off my to-do list Wednesday, the last day I thought I had left before plunging back into life with a newborn. Good thing none of those things were too terribly important, because just after 4 o’clock Wednesday morning, plans changed . . .