So I'm pretty much the worst blogger in the world. My favorite blogs to read are the ones that are frequently updated, and yet my own blog sits fallow, gathering dust.
First and foremost, I'm sitting here seven months pregnant. So much for using my blog to document important life events, but things are busy. We are still homeschooling, the big boys are both in Scouts plus Matteas is doing baseball, and Lochlan is a total wild man. Wilder than the other two boys were, and he and baby #4 are closer together than Jack and Matteas were. Also, pregnant at 33 is not as easy as pregnant at 21 was. Shocking, but true.
I debated about whether or not I was going to share this detail of my pregnancy, but I was talking to my sister Briana and she was all "You have to, for posterity!" I try to write the blog I'd like to read, so in the event that my experience could possibly benefit someone else and/or in the name of writing at the level of sharing I like to read, let me tell you a little bit about my cervix. In case you want to know.
Mine is over-eager, which is why I all my babies come early. Technically, what I have is called an "incompetent cervix," or "cervical insufficiency." We found out about it halfway through my pregnancy with Lochlan, but at that point the risks posed by surgical intervention are about the same as non-surgical options, so I chose the non-surgical route and ended up having a baby at 33 weeks. Obviously he turned out fine, but we're really hoping to avoid the NICU and maybe even have a homebirth this time around. At 14 weeks pregnant, I had a minor surgical procedure called a cerclage, during which my OB(same fabulous doctor who delivered Lochlan) stitched my cervix closed. This does two things: 1) ideally, keeps my cervix from dilating prematurely and 2) will immediately alert me to any attempt at dilation because word on the street is that when your cervix had been trussed shut with surgical zip-ties, dilating is a painful and gory affair. Something to look forward to! Hopefully not. The stitches come out on one of two occasions, the first being emergency removal if my body finds a way to go into labor early. That's the sub-optimal option. The second option, the one we're hoping for, is scheduled removal at 36 weeks, at which point my cervix is free to dilate away and I can deliver wherever I want. We're getting close, but I'm also getting really nervous.
I'm 32 weeks and four days today, and my water broke with Lochlan at exactly 33 weeks. Premature labor tends to occur earlier and earlier, so the fact that I haven't gone into labor by now is really encouraging. However, my Braxton Hicks decided to really step up their game today, and while I'm not having any bleeding or pain I'd identify as coming from my cervix, I'd just as soon prefer that my uterus calm down. I've been taking it easy today and drinking lots of water, and ignoring the deteriorating condition of the house. I've done most of my nesting already, so it's not too hard to just sit as much as I can. Aaron came home and took Lochlan to Matteas' baseball game and is picking up takeout for dinner, and my plan is to lie in bed, read all the beautiful books I've been amassing, and order stuff for Easter on Amazon.
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