Baby Hope - SOON!!!???

Thursday, November 18th, 2010 - 34 weeks & 5 days pregnant
(5:31pm)

Hello Friends & Family,

We wanted to let everyone know the status and most recent update on Baby Hope (while we can still give one). It's looking like her arrival MIGHT be some time in the NEAR FUTURE! I've been having sporadic contractions for the past month (hence the bed rest), but not time able or aggressive. As of last night, I started having having time able more intense contractions every 2 to 5 minutes for over a 4 hour period. These contractions were very much like I had at the beginning of labor with Hayes, Faith, & Robby. We contacted the hospital/Doc on call....to bring him up to speed-and "check in". He gave me the choice to come into the hospital-or stay home and monitor closely-and to head in immediately if it became more painful/intense. We opted to stay home-and went to bed. I woke up four times throughout the night...but by morning the contractions became less in sequence-but were STILL happening.

I went to my Doc appt this morning, and they hooked me up to my non-stress test/monitor (as they've been doing for past 3 weeks), and the monitor confirmed and showed several contractions. It also showed that Baby Hope was doing well-and the results of her movement and heartbeat combined were GOOD! This is the week the doctor was going to start checking my cervix anyway....and when he did everything was still in tact. Basically, the doctor said my body is getting ready to labor and deliver Baby Hope at this point. He indicated that the potential "plan" of getting to 37 weeks post Thanksgiving was more than likely NOT going to happen. He believes that it can happen anywhere from NOW or some time by next week. It could be longer...but based on what's happening it may be soon.

Dr. Alvarez has put EVERYTHING in place for us and Hope to be ready for this moment....and with the lung steroid injections...and all that's been done to this point....we should be ready...and we should be ok. We're really scared...but, we are SO AMAZED that we've made it THIS FAR. We will be 35 weeks on Saturday. We've prepared for MANY scenarios with this pregnancy...death, early delivery with a baby trying to survive/NICU, to a sick baby in the NICU in the later gestation time frame.......all things we HAD TO BE PREPARED FOR. With that said, to make it to this point-we are just so grateful! Our journey is far from being over....and there could still be many issues, but as we've done this entire pregnancy-we have LET GO & LET GOD be in control-but we've done everything physically possible to obtain a "positive obstetric outcome" as they might say in the clinical world.

THANK YOU for ALL your thoughts and prayers. We thought we'd sneak in ONE MORE update in with what's been happening. We'll try to keep everyone posted on what happens and when Hope gets here! Please be patient with me with phone calls back, texts, or emails-as I haven't been feeling so great with the contractions and all that we're trying to prepare for at this point has been overwhelming....we APPRECIATE everyone's offer to help and we hope to talk to some of you SOON!

Love-Meme & Bob