Well, it was an exciting weekend for the Clem family...at times, probably more exciting then we were expecting! As a quick recap, about 3 weeks ago we went to the hospital for a "growth check" ultrasound. It was really just our doctor giving us the chance to see the baby one more time, since we hadn't seen him/her since our 20 week appt. We found out the Littlest One was about 5lbs. 1oz at the time...and decidedly head-up. When I went back in to see my doctor the next week, she said that we really had until 36 weeks before we should start worrying about it, as babies flip around all the time. We spent the next week talking to the baby, telling it that it should really flip over on its head.
Clearly, this Little One has a mind of its own...and there has been an ongoing argument in our house about whether this is a Mommy trait or a Daddy trait. Hmmm...we'll let you be the judge. At our 36 week appt last Monday we found that the Stubborn Littlest One was still head-up, and very comfortable. My doctor said that she wanted to schedule us for an External Version...a procedure by which they attempt to turn the baby by applying pressure to my stomach from the outside. She said that at this point, the chances of the baby turning on its own were about 5%. She said that the procedure is actually only successful about 50% of the time...the other 50% of the time the baby either doesn't turn, or flips back head-up afterwards. However, if we really wanted to do what we could to avoid a c-section, this was our best shot. She booked us a time slot on the labor and delivery floor for last Friday.
Because of the amount of pressure they have to exert to turn the baby, my doctors will only attempt the procedure if the patient is under anesthesia. From everything I read online, and my doctor confirmed, it is painful for the Mom, and my doctors find that the success rate is significantly higher if the Mom can't feel anything. So we checked into the labor floor last Friday and they confirmed that, indeed the baby was STILL head up, so we were go for the version. They actually perform the procedure in the operating room...this is just in case they find that the procedure puts the baby under too much stress, in which case they are prepped and ready for a quick c-section to get the baby out. This is also why they wait until you're 37 weeks to attempt the turn, as at that point you're technically full term.
They took me into the OR, and the anesthesia team administered a spinal block...the same thing they use for c-sections. It basically numbs everything from your rib cage down...and it works fast! By the time they were laying me down on the table my toes were already tingly. Then they let Kevin in the room, fully decked out in scrubs, hat and mask. The procedure itself took less then a minute. Two doctors -- one of my doctors and one of the resident doctors -- proceeded to press on my stomach, one at the baby's head and one at the baby's bottom, rotating it clockwise. Thankfully I couldn't feel a thing, because these two women were basically leaning their entire body weight into this maneuver. Within seconds, though, they got the little monkey turned around on its head. Then everyone in the OR watched the fetal heart rate monitor to make sure baby was okay with this. I'm not going to lie, it was a little dicey right at the beginning, as the heart rate went way down. But within a matter of seconds, it started going back up again and hit a normal range pretty quick. From there they rolled me back into the recovery room, where they wanted to monitor us for a few hours to make sure Baby was doing okay in its new digs.
We spent the entire day Friday in the recovery room. By the end of the day, the doctors decided that they wanted to keep us overnight, just to make doubly sure that we hadn't stressed the Littlest out too much. I mean, think about it...you're sitting calmly on your couch, cozily watching TV, when suddenly 4 enormous hands come through the ceiling and proceed, with great force, to flip you over on your head and leave you there. You'd probably feel a little stressed out, too.
So we spent an exceedingly uncomfortable, restless night on the labor and delivery floor Friday night. Poor Kevin had to squeeze his 6'4" frame onto one of those 5'3" hospital recliners and try to get some sleep. Hmm...now he knows what the baby feels like all squashed in the tum. On Saturday morning, our doctor was very happy with the heart rate variation, as well as the movement she was seeing on the ultrasound, and they finally sent us home.
We slept through most of the day Saturday, exhausted, but thrilled to be home. We went back to the hospital Sunday morning so they could double check everything again, and make sure the baby was still feeling good. And indeed, the heart rate was picture perfect and the ultrasound showed good movement...and the baby is still head down!
So, that was our eventful weekend! Now we're just waiting for the little nugget to make it's big debut. 2 1/2 weeks and counting until D-day!
Here I am Sunday morning back a the hospital. The belly band is holding 2 monitors against my stomach...the one up high on the left is measuring to see if I'm having contractions, and the lower one on the right is monitoring the baby's heart rate.
We got very familiar with this heart rate monitor in the 24 hours we were in the hospital.
This was the view Sunday morning from the triage room where we were being monitored. Our hospital is directly across Central Park from our apartment...in fact, you can see the hospital from the front door of our building. Not a bad view, for a hospital room.
Cameron lives for Laker games with Daddy.
Big grin - must have been thinking about his next meal!
One of his many supermodel poses - we call this one "Red Steel" (shameless Zoolander reference)
The two redheads getting some one-on-one time.
The Clems 3 getting ready to head home from the hospital.
In case there was any doubt as to where Cameron gets his Clem ear...see Exhibit A above.
Grandma Inman getting some love from the little mini-man
Aunt Jamie cradling his wee little heeeed.
