A wrench in the plan

38 Weeks and what a crazy week it has been. My pregnancy was going pretty smoothly until...

I had my 37 week checkup last Thursday and my doctor informed me that my blood work showed my platelet levels were dropping significantly below normal. Very early in my pregnancy they were found to be low but she said now they had dropped further. I am going to a Hematologist tomorrow to discuss causes/treatment. She also told me that most anesthesiologists wont administer an epidural in patients with low platelets because of the risk of bleeding into the spine and causing permanent damage (yikes!). I am a little scared because although I would like to see how it goes during labor before electing for pain medication, I would really like to have the epidural available to me if I want it. Many other pain killers are also off the table because they thin your blood. My doctor suggested that she would like to induce me later this week before the levels get dangerously low. At a certain point, the routine things to do is completely put the patient under general anesthesia and perform a c-section to avoid risking internal bleeding with a vaginal delivery. I am crossing my fingers and praying that when I visit the Hematologist tomorrow, he finds that my platelets have improved and I can safely have an epidural (whether I am induced or not). If I am not this lucky, I will probably take the induction even if it means having to do it without medication. :cringe:

Car seat

Here in California, the Highway Patrol offers a free service where they will inspect and install car seats to ensure they are being used properly. We decided to take advantage of this service and I am so glad we did. My car is equipped with the LATCH system for installing car seats, but when we tried to install the base as per the car seat instructions it did not feel snug and secure in there. The officer told us that we were correct in installing the seat in the center of the back seat but that instead of hooking the LATCH hooks to the ones hidden under the middle seat, we had hooked them to the ones for the side seats. I was a little embarrassed, but considering the correct hooks are only a couple inches away from the incorrect ones I bet we aren't the only ones who make this mistake. Boy does that couple inches make a big difference. The officer also explained to us how the harness and straps should be adjusted which may seem like common sense but I appreciated him explaining it so that when we leave the hospital we can feel confident that we are actually securing him in there properly.

Happy Friday!!!

Here I sit at 35 weeks and 3 days. I feel giant, I can't even imagine how I will feel over the next 4-5 weeks. little t has been so active lately and boy is he strong! I can see his kicks and punches popping out all over my belly. I am very appreciative when he kicks out and not up into my ribs or down into my bladder. He gets the hiccups at least once a day. They are usually so low in my pelvis that only I can feel them. Yesterday they were up by my belly button, so his daddy could feel them too. I sure hope that doesn't mean he has gone from head down to head up!

His room is almost done, I will post some pictures when it is. We just need to get the curtains up. I can't wait for my little guy to be here but I am so nervous because I don't know a thing about being a mommy. I hope as baby is delivered, so too is my standard issue delivery of mommy knowledge. Happy Friday and have a good weekend, everyone!

Cloth Diaper giveaway event

Coupon Mommy of 3 is having a cloth diaper week where she is reviewing and giving away several cloth diapers. Today she posted a Softbums giveaway. I have been eyeing this diaper for a while and am dying to try it out on my little one, I hear such great things. Head on over to her blog this week to win yourself some cloth diapers.