- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Preemies
How my OB allowed me to sleep
A long note for all the mammas hoping for full-term babies:
I had my 36 week check up yesterday. My OB is very pleased with how well I've managed the last few weeks (DD was born at 34w5d and we've been a high alert for PTL since 30 weeks). Baby is locked and loaded in my pelvis, no sign of BV, GBS-, heart rate is perfect and rebounding after contractions, and baby's size is (as best we can estimate) a little big for age. My cervix is soft and I'm just beginning to dilate (I didn't want numbers because I would have just agonized over them). I have a happy, healthy, moving baby on my hands.
My OB congratulated me yesterday. She said I've done absolutely everything right this time around (not that I didn't last time- but she knows I've gone above and beyond the call in the caution department this time around). She's happy with baby's development and she said she's proud of how well I've handled the stress leading up to DD's delivery date. She said that we're at the point of no return, no more stopping labor- if LO comes, LO comes. She told me I've already given this baby an amazing start and that I will be amazed about the differences between my late term preemie and my (soon to be) full term baby. She gave me the OK to live my life without panicking about every twitch and twinge. Obviously we don't want baby coming today, but she let me know that after 36 weeks we're just going to have to trust my body and deal with any issues that may arise when baby's on the outside. She said that I've done everything I can for this LO and that I need to let go of the guilt from DD and let myself enjoy these last few weeks of pregnancy.
I felt like Matt Damon getting the talk from Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting. I was thinking, I know it's not my fault that DD was born early, but she kept reassuring me that even if I went into labor right there in the exam room that I have done the absolute best I could for this LO. And then I cried... right there, on the table, I cried like a baby. She said to go home, take a walk, and just let myself be a normal pregnant woman for what little time I have left in this pregnancy.
And last night I slept a deep, dreamless sleep. I didn't even get up to pee! DH said I was even snoring. I didn't get up to use the doppler, I didn't do a midnight kick count, and if I was having BH or contractions I just ignored it and kept on sleeping. I went from being up a minimum of 10 times a night to just sleeping. I feel like a million dollars this morning and I've decided that DD and I are going to have a good day today- walking, playing and not worrying about LO. I still honestly believe I'm having an April baby, but I feel like a huge weight has been lifted and I keep looking at my calendar for next week where "37 weeks" is written in big red letters and thinking that it wasn't such an unrealistic target after all!
So yes, there is a chance for a "normal" pregnancy after a preemie- but you probably won't appreciate it until the very end.
Our Little Family Keeps Growing!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: How my OB allowed me to sleep
Exactly! Thank you for sharing your story and big congrats to you!!!