33 Weeks

As each week passes we feel better and better so 33 feels great!  This week actually went by much quicker than the previous weeks and I think it's because we went to the doctor on Monday and then not again until today.  It was so nice not having to go every other day!  Things were quiet this week and went just as we expected so we're happy about that!

Monday was a busy day!  We had an MCA scan and NST in the morning as well as an appointment out in Riverton with our regular OB in the afternoon.  Now that we're getting closer and closer to delivery these appointments become more important each time filled with a lot of information.  I was really looking forward to our MCA scan this time because it was the first one since the transfusion so I was anxious to see how everything looked.  I was also really looking forward to our appointment out in Riverton because it had been three weeks since we had seen our OB and SO much had happened since then!  The doctors at IMC have kept our OB in the loop but I was excited to talk to him myself and get his take on everything.

The MCA scan and NST couldn't have gone better!  Austin is clearly loving his blood because his MCA level came back at 35 which is all the way down in D.  This made us very happy!

The fluid around Austin's heart also looked much better and he was quite a bit more active than he had been recently so we loved seeing that!  The NST was a slam dunk and at the end the nurse came in and said: "You have a textbook baby!" Hearing that was definitely music to our ears.  They asked us to come back on Friday morning (today) for a repeat MCA and NST and told us that at that time we would prep for a Monday transfusion.  Even though Austin looks great on the scans, they have to plan the subsequent transfusions based on time rather than where he is on the graph because the graph can become unreliable once a baby has received a transfusion so we had been anticipating a transfusion on Monday the 4th all along.

Our appointment on Monday with our OB also went really well.  Lately these appointments have mostly been us updating him on everything that has been going on as well as him asking us how we're doing so they're not too eventful which is just fine with us.  It's nice going to a doctor appointment occasionally that won't bring all sorts of unexpected news.  We'll see him again in a couple weeks and at that time he'll check to see if I'm starting to make any progress on my own since I'll be induced early.  Fingers crossed my body starts itself like it did before my induction with Eli!

Our appointment this morning went really well also so we're feeling good!  Austin's MCA level is still great and came back at 45 today which means he's still in D.

There doesn't seem to be fluid around his heart or anywhere else and his heart rate and movement were really strong during the NST so the doctors are very pleased with how he's doing.  My amniotic fluid was a bit on the low side this morning but they're not too concerned about it so we'll just keep an eye on it and I'll remember to drink a lot of water this weekend.  Even though Austin is doing so well, we're still moving ahead with the Monday transfusion.  They expect that he has lost some of the blood he received a couple weeks ago but they don't anticipate him being as anemic as he was before the last transfusion.  We definitely don't want him to get that low again.  The current plan is to do the transfusion on Monday and if all goes as expected, we'll schedule my induction for roughly three weeks after that, which will put me right around 36 1/2 weeks. That will be the very longest they'll let me go (even if he's doing really well) but they'll also do scans two times a week and if he gives us any reason to think he needs to come before that then they'll just take him rather than do another transfusion.  Fingers crossed Monday goes well and he is able to cook for another three weeks!  As much as we'd love him to stay in even longer, we know that's not safe for him so we're getting pretty excited to meet our little guy!

They're giving me another dose of steroids for his lungs prior to this transfusion so I received the first injection this morning and I'll head back to the hospital tomorrow morning for the second injection and also to have my blood drawn and prepped for the transfusion on Monday.  We would love and appreciate your prayers and positive thoughts as we head into Monday's procedure around noon!

Even though this is our second baby, people have been incredible to us and still wanted to give little Austin a shower.  Our ward wanted to do a shower to help me get to know more ladies in the RS since we've been in the Primary most of the time and Logan's work did a super nice lunch for us.  These showers happened this week and they were both so much fun!  One funny bit of info: I had three showers with Eli but because he unexpectedly came early they were still held even though I couldn't make it to any of them.  The showers this week were my first two showers that I was able to attend!

Our ward shower was on Tuesday evening and little Austin was beyond spoiled!  The food was amazing and there was a great turnout and a ton of support from the ladies in the RS.  I feel so blessed to be in such a wonderful ward that has shown us so much love and concern.  I hope they know how much we appreciate them!

Most of the food hadn't been brought out at this point but aren't those centerpieces adorable??

This may or may not have been the best Cobb salad I've ever had.  It was to die for!

 

Logan's work shower was on Thursday (yesterday) and it was great!  The food was delicious and everyone was so good to us and more than generous to our little Austin.  He is going to have a good start in this world because of them!  Logan has always loved his job and it's easy to see why after spending more time with his co-workers and meeting some of them for the first time.  I completely spaced taking a single picture, which I'm super bummed about, but we definitely had a fantastic time and are so grateful to everyone who contributed to the shower in any way!

Weight: 147.2 (This week: +3 | Total: +26.4) Because Austin will be born a month early, I started getting concerned that he would be super small so I told myself I needed to eat more to fatten him up.  I'm sure that's not how it really works but it made me feel better :) I guess you can say I definitely ate more this week! Haha...Whoops!

33 weeks down, 3.5(ish) to go!