5 Down, 2 to go!

I couldn't get out of bed this morning...I was sooo tired.  I knew we needed to be out of the house in 1/2 an hour and there I was laying there trying to keep my eyes open.  I finally made it to the shower 5 minutes before my mom got here to watch the kids.  Needless to say, we were late for my appointment at Maine Medical.  But, that didn't matter because my appointment was at 10:00 and they didn't call me in until almost 11:00 - wish I would have stayed in bed a little longer!  I have been so tired I'm having trouble doing anything.  I picked up some liquid Floradix (iron) tonight though and I just drank the whole bottle, so I should feel better in the morning. :o)  Kidding.  Hopefully I'll start to have more energy in the next week...please pray for that.

So, the first part of my appointment was tough.  The ultrasound tech was having trouble getting a good picture of Rachel and said that I had a lot of extra fluid.  I didn't get any 4D pictures this time, which I was expecting and had my heart set on, so I was disappointed.  We did get a profile picture this time though, but that was sad because it seems like her scull stops lower than it looked like in our last pictures, which was really hard to see.  My heart aches for my baby girl.

We met with the nurse, and that went well.  She was very nice.  We told her about our desire to have a c-section and she asked the reasons.  I gave her my list of reasons and she said she'd let the doctor know. She told us that a vaginal delivery would be safer before she left, so as we waited, we prepared ourselves for another "no".

We had some friends over last night and spent time praying that God would make a way for this to happen for us.  I had been praying specifically all week that He would clearly shut and open doors so that I knew which way to go.  I had started to second guess my decision and was afraid that I might be trying to make something happen that God might have been trying to protect me from.  I didn't want to look back and wish I had listened to the "no's".  I was prepared to leave there and have to ask another hospital to do it,  because after our appt. there 2 months ago, I didn't think there was a chance they'd do it. 

The doctor came in, sat down, and told us that he thinks our request is reasonable.  He went over the potential risks, and was careful to say that he wanted us to keep them in their proper perspective because they are rare and they do c-sections all the time.  He said that, before he came in, he asked 4 other doctors there what they thought and they all said that they would do it, so now he just needs to ask the other 2 and we'll be all set!  Please pray that the other 2 will agree.  We talked about the details of how it will all go, recovery time and other information I'll need for the future.  I asked about my mom & sister being able to see her (they have seen all 3 of our kids be born and can't come in for a c-section) I wanted to know if she only lives for a few minutes, will they miss it and was very encouraged to hear him say that he thinks we'll get a few hours with her.  Obviously, he can't tell us that for sure, but it was music to my ears.   I am praying daily for more than that, but hours sounds better than minutes.  I will be grateful for whatever time I get with her, including now. 

I have to go back in 2 weeks, which will be hard to keep up with, but they need to keep an eye on my fluid.  Please pray that my fluid won't build up too quickly.  It can cause premature labor.  It occurs because Rachel is not swallowing as often as she should, so pray that her sucking will get stronger and that will take care of that problem.  She is very healthy in every other way.  All her organs look great and her cord is circulating blood properly.  She weighs about 2lbs 3 oz right now, which is average for healthy babies at 29 weeks - this made me so happy to hear.  She is amazing. 

We walked out of the office and went to get on the elevator.  Matt told me to give another pregnant girl our card with the blog address and I really didn't want to, but went with it.  She took it and said "I've got double trouble"  Matt asked "how so?"  "I'm having twins, twin girls.  And I have an 18 month old boy at home.  This ought to be great."  I said "Well, if they ever give you a hard time, give us a call cause we'd love to hold one of them" and told her to take care as we headed for the car.  I pray that she'll someday see the great blessing those precious baby girls are. 

I was so excited that the doctor responded so well, that I wanted to scream.  I didn't though cause a screaming pregnant girl can be scary and I didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. :o)

There really is no answer for this turn of events other than answered prayer.  Thank you to everyone who has been bringing us before the Lord.  I am so grateful.  Our God hears and answers prayers.  I asked Him for a clear answer and I am confident that this is it.  I am also extremely happy that it was the answer I was hoping for.  I know if His will was for me to have a vaginal birth, that He would have closed this door, especially since it was only open a crack to begin with.  And I also know that if He changes His mind and I go into labor early, He will prepare me in advance.  I know that I don't need to worry about the future potential risks or the con's of having a c-section, because God has again and again proven Himself trustworthy, reliable and aware.  I know He is in this.

I came home and took a nap, which never happens.  I fell asleep saying "thank You God" over and over with a renewed sense of hope for Rachel's birth.  I am so relieved.  I think I'll probably sleep better tonight than I have in a long time.