Nursery pics and a status update

Let me first preface the nursery pictures you are about to see with a notation about my perfectionist desire to have absolutely everything done before I posted these. That is to say that there are still one or two more decorative details that I wanted to get done before baby arrives (and I still may), but decided that — just in case (more on that below) — I better just share with you the very nearly completed room as it looks today.

So, here you are. Again, point-and-shoot camera..., amateur photographer..., intense morning sunlight..., blah, blah, blah. Enough apologies. I actually LOVE this room and it turned out pretty much exactly as I pictured it in my head (which is really rare for me). I hope you (and baby girl!) enjoy it, too.

The walls are a soft gray (I think it was Martha Stewart "Nimbus Cloud"), the furniture (which is the same as what Owen used) is soft white, the curtains and crib skirt (which I made myself...you can congratulate me, it's ok) are a charcoal gray and white damask fabric, and the crib sheet and changing pad cover (and just a few other small details) are soft pink. I also wanted to use the very comfortable, but not my favorite color, glider and ottoman from Owen's nursery, so I just covered it with a big ol' white throw blanket and pillow, hoping to hide the minty green flavor. Meh. And although the carpet has a weird pinkish tint to it in these photos, it's actually just the plain old beige plush that's found just about everywhere else in this house.

The wall right above the crib is one place where I hope to get an additional decorative element completed, but it will just depend on how much time I have before D-day.

And this round mirror will eventually have baby's name applied to it (via some vinyl lettering I ordered), but that won't go up until after she's here and has officially been named. In case you're wondering — and I know you are! — we have two names picked out that we like equally well, but just as we did with Owen, we will wait until we meet her to decide which one fits best. So, yes, I ordered vinyl decals of both names. Ha!

Now, as for an update on my situation, here's the latest. As many of you know, I was (and still am) planning to attempt a "trial of labor" (VBAC) with this baby after having a c-section with Owen, who was breech. You can read more about my experiences last time around here and here, but here's a brief summary for you. In the process of trying to get Owen to turn, I had lots of regular ultrasounds performed in the last few weeks of that pregnancy. And during one done at 37 weeks, they discovered that my amniotic fluid volume (AFV) was very low. (Does anyone else automatically think of America's Funniest Videos when they see the acronym AFV? I did!)

Anyway, they gave me a week to see if the fluid level would come back up, but it never did (in fact, it got much lower), so we ended up having to deliver him the very day they discovered that. Although he was considered full-term (38 weeks), and I knew I was facing a c-section (because he was breech), it was still a bit terrifying leaving the doctor's office and heading to the hospital that day.

So, fast forward almost three years to today where I find myself in a strangely similar situation. First off, the good news is that this baby is NOT breech. She is head-down, fully engaged, and has even "dropped." However, at my insistence, an ultrasound was performed yesterday (at 37 weeks) to check the AFV and, lo and behold, it is very low again. (I was told that just because that happened in a previous pregnancy, there shouldn't be any reason why it would happen again in subsequent ones, but for once, I am grateful for my neurotic request for additional testing because an ultrasound — which is the only way to measure AFV — would not normally have been performed at this point.)

Although none of this was actually explained to me by my practitioners, here is a link to some good information I found myself about this condition (called "oligohydramnios") by just Googling it today.  Lots of stuff in there to freak me out. Good times.

Anyway, the plan of action at this point is similar to last time. They are giving me a few days to do what I can to bring the fluid level back up. The only advice I have received is to rest and drink lots and lots of fluids, so that's what I'm doing. Oh, and apparently that new-ish sugar substitute that's on the market now, called Truvia, has been shown to have the unintended side effect of increasing amniotic fluid in pregnant women (weird, huh?), so I bought some of that to add to my fresh brewed ice tea today. Can't hurt!

If the AFV continues to decrease to an unsafe level by my next ultrasound, scheduled for Tuesday, they will have to deliver the baby immediately. That would be fine — I'm totally ready to meet baby girl! But unfortunately, because of my previous c-section, they can't (and won't) induce labor. So, of course, that would mean another c-section delivery, despite the fact that everything else was looking very promising on the VBAC front. (Here's a bit more on my feelings about that, but let's just say, I was really, really hoping to be able to at least attempt to deliver this baby vaginally. Major bummer.)

I'm praying that my AFV comes back up to a safe range (and stays there!) for a couple more weeks to allow my body the time it needs to go into labor naturally. Alternatively, I would also be happy with going into labor before Tuesday and, to that end, I'm going to try some of the old wives tales recommended to induce labor. Oh, and pray some more.

But to be totally honest, I'm going into my next appointment on Tuesday with the assumption that my AFV will be even lower than it was and they will send me immediately to the hospital to deliver this baby via c-section. (Basically, exactly what happened to me with Owen.) In a way, that's exciting! There could be a new baby in my arms in just three short days! I'm so anxious to meet her! But of course, I would much prefer to wait it out a bit and see if we can't do things the old fashioned way and avoid the c-section.

Ultimately, however, my prayer is for a healthy baby, regardless of the way she is delivered. And I am learning, through all of this, to let go of my desire to control things that are truly outside of my control. I've said it a lot — that I put my full faith in God — but it's officially time to put my money where my mouth is and really do that. I assure you that I have not lost sight of just how blessed I am to be carrying this child and to finally get to hold her in my arms very soon. God is SO good!

Happy Easter, everyone!