Rockin’ out on New Year’s Eve… Adam in his Goodwill ensemble and Mama in her event garb.
One of the most fabulous of my 26 years, 2008, has come and gone and 2009 has made a fantastic entrance into the Brehm household. Adam and I hosted a little shindig at Casa de Brehm to ring in the New Year (pictures to come) and had fab times with friends and fam. Most of my very favorite people made an appearance and came dressed to the nines to usher in the year of Baby Brehm.
The Monday before the New Year’s celebration, Adam and I spent time at Heart and Hands and as Jearlyn was out for the holiday, we saw her colleague, Karen. I’ve now had the opportunity to meet with each of the three women in the practice and I am very pleased with all of them. Although I am assured I will birth with Jearlyn (the beauty of a small office), it’s nice to have worked with all of them, just in case. Karen seemed a bit concerned with my current bp conditions and consulted with my perinatologist via phone as I laid back on the exam table and chatted it up with my main squeeze. Following her phone convo, she re-entered the room and broke the news… it seems little Snowball will be rolling into a hospital near you sooner than expected. Throughout my entire gestational journey, the fact that I will deliver “early” has ne’er been kept a secret. What has been more discrete however is just how early early is.
Well friends, it sounds as if all parties will be satisfied *if* Snowball stays inside until week 35 and after that, it will be touch and go. Now, as you all know, I am not really a “planner”. In fact, I might say, through my pregnancy party, I have been more of a “count-er on-er” and operating under the auspices that a 40 week gestation would be the destination. As I am currently in my 31st week, I was counting on having at least 8-9 weeks left to “prepare” (ha ha ha) for Baby Brehm’s grand entrance and to have that time cut in half can really scare the crap out of a first time momma to be. But, truly, it will be what it will be and as long as mom and baby are healthy and safe, all will be well. After all, women have been having babes for centuries and have encountered waaaay bigger roadblocks than chronic hypertension.
Karen also assured me that the beautiful things about my situation are:
1)my mother went through very similar happenings with all three of her babes and avoided my ultimate fear, the C Section
2) I am doing all that I can to make the conditions the best they can be “considering” and still spending time with Mr. Elliptical Machine about 4 to 5 times a week
3) High BP babies are similar to this scenario “you have your in-laws coming over for dinner and you have a pot roast in the oven. You need to get the pot roast done sooner than anticipated so, you turn up the heat and it cooks a bit faster”.
Apparently, high pressure mamas get their babes cookin’ and lest, less complications with lung function occur than in a normal pre-term bundle.
I have to admit, my first thought upon being told that early delivery is imminent is thinking of all the things we need to accomplish before little Snowball gets his/her official name. However, I suppose I also find myself calm with the knowledge that because I am surrounded by such fab fam and friends, Adam and I will be just fine regardless. It’s not as if having four extra weeks with the bun in the oven will afford us the luxury of having any real clue as to what we are doing as parents. And, since my brother, sister, dad and myself all arrived in the month of love, Snowball will be in good company should he/she arrive in February. I will keep you updated on Snowball’s status and let you know just how soon the arrival will be. For now, we will leave it up to Father Time as to when we will first see our Baby New Year.
