Today I am 36 weeks and 3 days. Getting closer all the time.

Yesterday, I had appointments with the cardiologist and the OB. Last week, the cardiologist said that she was calling the OB and telling him that she wanted a general u/s done, because she was seeing fluid starting to accumulate around Jethro's heart. So, I waited all week to hear from them. By Friday, nothing. So, I called the OB's office. Only, you don't get to talk to real people, you have to leave a message. I left a message, asking about an U/S and asking them to please get back to me because I had to make arrangements for child care. Nothing.

Yesterday morning, I'm on my way to Spokane, and I get a voice mail...from the OB's office, telling me that I needed to call the perinatalogist and talk with them because they would be doing the u/s. :-/ I am VERY frustrated at this point! I have felt like little more than a chart with this office, but now they are messing with the well-being of my baby ~ and that's just NOT okay!

The cardiologist was first. Mike took his lunch, and met me there. They were running behind, so he had to head back to work before I even got called back. While waiting for my appt., I called the perinatalogist's office to set up an appt. with them. Thursday was as early as they could get me in. After waiting for an hour (really glad I thought to bring a book with me yesterday! Wish I would have brought Ezra's quilt.), I finally got called back. They did another u/s on Jethro's heart. Nothing has really changed, except that the amount of fluid around his heart has doubled in a week. It's still not a large amount of fluid, but it's doubling. The concern is he might be starting to go into congestive heart failure. He is getting old enough gestationally, that it would be safe to deliver him if we need to.

By the time I got to the OBs office, I was fairly angry. I had talked to Mike after the cardiologist appt., and told him that I was going to 'jump' the OB about how things were going. Please don't misunderstand. The OB is a pleasant sort of fellow, and I'm sure he's probably very competent, however, he doesn't really listen to me, and I just don't have the confidence that what is truly best for my baby and me is his top priority. I'm sure some of this comes from what I am used to ~ which is excellent midwifery care. :-) I told my SIL the other day that if anything, having a high-risk pregnancy has made me even more pro-homebirth. Obviously, there are times when for medical reasons, Mama or Baby need to be in a hospital for labor and delivery ~ but if everything is normal, home with a competent midwife is the place to be!

Anyway, as I waited for the OB, I just prayed. I asked God to help me to not be angry, to be able to articulate my thoughts well, to be heard, etc., because I also know that I need to have a working relationship with this dr. I had just finished praying when he came in. I told Mike, it was like he knew he needed to be on offense. :-) He wanted to know if I had had an u/s done. I told him, "No. No one told me that I needed to make the appt., and when I called to ask about it Friday, no one got back to me until this morning." He said that they should have taken care of it...it shouldn't have been up to me, etc., He wanted to know if we are willing to do an induction if it looks like Jethro is not doing well. I told him that we were talking and praying about it, and that I am more than willing to take on the added risk to myself (being a VBAC, induction isn't the best of scenarios, being linked to higher uterine rupture rates), but I was concerned about an induced labor being a lot harder on the baby.

We had a pretty good discussion, and he said that he would call over to the perinatalogist and see if they could get me in then. So, he did that, and they were. Off I went to Deaconess. Jethro looks great! Other than his heart. But, there is no fluid accumulating anywhere else in his body at this point. I have plenty of amniotic fluid, he is active (and head down!), and the perinatalogist was very pleased with how he looked.

Next week I'll have appts with all 3 drs.

The main prayer request this week, besides for healing, would be that overall, Jethro continues to look good and do well in-utero. The longer he can "cook", the better. The more developed his lungs will be and the better his chances after he's born.