Friday, March 23rd
It has been too long since I have written anything here. I have so much to say and not enough time to say it. I still need to write about my doctor experience with the Vietnam Vet and need to write about my fall out with our minister. That has weighted heavy on my mind and heart; and needs resolution since we feel like we are being pushed out of our church & now need to find a new church to baptize this baby.

So, I will quickly give a quick run down on the baby's progress....
As of last Friday, the baby is weighing about 4 lbs. The doctors want the baby to gain 225 grams every two weeks until the due date.  That will mean if the baby is brought to full term (April 25th is the due date) then the baby will weigh 5 1/2 pounds (just a few ounces shy of Rachel who was 5 lbs 10 oz at 2 weeks overdue). We will be thrilled at having a 5 1/2 pound baby. Everything else has been fine such as amniotic fluid levels, heart rate, etc. The non-stress stress tests are showing that I am having some "practice" contractions. I am so happy about that! Since I did not have any Braxton Hicks contractions with Rachel. We have scheduled a gentle c-section for April 25th but I am keeping my fingers and toes crossed for a VBAC. If it doesn't happen, I am okay with it but it would be great to bring this baby into the world in a non-surgical way.

A lot of my thinking, reasoning and some would say obsession about pregnancy, childbearing and birth stems from my experience having Rachel. I finally found an article that adequately expresses my feelings. If you have a moment, please read it: http://midwifethinking.com/2011/05/13/guest-post-when-birth-is-trauma/