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I haven't had one of these days in a while, but I am UNCOMFORTABLY bloated. Like, I have to lean way back in my office chair and recline. I'm wearing some stretchy jeans with a belly band today and I feel like I'm just spilling out everywhere in an explosion of butt, hips, and gut. Speaking of which, my hips have gotten out of control!

Thanks to everyone for the encouragement!

So, this was THE. LONGEST. DAY. EVER. Met with 5 doctors and 2 ultrasound techs (or radiologists, they never said). It started badly, with the first high risk OB basically leaving us feeling like termination was the only option (after the first ultrasound of the day), but after going over to the fetal center at the Children's Hospital, I had a second ultrasound and we met with a neurosurgeon (one of the top surgeons in the country for hyrdocephaly in infants!), another high risk OB, and the head of the NICU, and we're feeling pretty hopeful. The ventricles are definitely very enlarged, but not quite as badly as originally thought (around 17 and 19mm, versus 20mm each). They did not get any larger in the 2 weeks between ultrasounds. Everything but the brain is perfectly on track growth and development-wise, and all the parts of the brain are present and developing, though some are small from being compressed by the extra fluid.

So all that to say, unless things progress badly, and we see pretty significant increases in the ventricle sizes, this baby is going to be *okay*. There will almost 100% definitely be developmental delays, but *probably* not super severe ones that would totally compromise quality of life for the baby or for us. Termination could still become a possibility (though we only have a couple weeks before we'll have to go to another state), but it's looking pretty unlikely. We're not out of the woods yet, but things are looking very hopeful.

And.... it's a GIRL!!

@torchwood Yay, welcome to team Pink! I am so glad to hear that things aren't as bad as they seemed. KMFX that everything keeps heading in a good direction.

@Torchwood: So glad to hear your update! I'm hopeful for you guys and for your little GIRL!!!

@Torchwood: Congrats on your girl and getting answers!

For those who want more details on our results (and have a lot of time, I'm long-winded) I did update my blog with everything that happened yesterday.

@SweetiePie: Can't believe it's a girl!

DH just booked us a couple's massage for Mother's Day! JUST what I need right now, to finally release all the tension from this stress! (And I prefer couple's over being by myself, so it's not weird that he's getting one for Mother's Day too. Maybe I can convince him to do the same for Father's Day, so I can have another then!)

Hi guys. I'm at L&D. I got rear ended this morning at a red light and had some soreness so they had me come in. Getting monitored and hoping I didn't rupture anything. Will keep you posted.

@gingerbebe: So glad everything is okay! Hope the soreness goes away soon too.

@gingerbebe: phew! Good to hear! Dang people! Pay attention!

@tequiero21: Yep, we were totally wrong! I can't wait to see her reaction. She really wants a girl (and has bought some very girly clothes), but she's super sure it's a boy! It's going to kill her claim of a 100% accuracy rate on predicting!

@tequiero21: I slept with my feet propped up last night, and when I got up at 4am to pee they were freaking huge. My toes looked like little sausages. I woke back up at 8 and they were normal size. I remember swelling with Chloe so bad at 27 weeks.. We were at a wedding & I had to take my shoes off. I was DD that night and drove home barefoot. I couldn't get my flip flops on! I'm guessing as log as I don't have swelling in my face/hands and there's no protein in my urine I'm in the safe zone.

We had this realization last night that there is only 17 weeks left in this pregnancy. I felt like time stood still when I was pregnant with Chloe, but this is racing by.. We bought our crib yesterday & I have to order the bedding. Then it's just a matter of bringing stuff down from the attic to clean and air out.

@torchwood so glad you had a good appointment. Fingers crossed that everything continues to go well!!

@gingerbebe hope you are okay!

@mrs. jump rope have you called your doc? that sounds like a lot of swelling for so early! (not that I really know but better to check in!)

@mrs. jump rope that's good that it has gone down. Funny how something happens one day but not the next.. Hopefully it was just a fluke thing.

@Mrs. Jump Rope: I know! I have less than four months! Hope your swelling stays down. Sounds so uncomfy.

So I held a newborn today, four weeks. It is not like riding a bike! Lol. Definitely will take some getting used to. Sigh. But they really are precious.

@tequiero21: Ah! I love newborn snuggles! I held a 2 week old at Easter and it was kind of terrifying. My husband and I were both freaking out...like, we're going to have one of those that belongs to us in a couple months! So weird.

@Mrs. Jump Rope: I was in the midst of morning sickness for my birthday and all I asked my husband for was a robe. And then we got it for me I cried (happy tears). Ha! A good comfy robe is the best!!

@Weagle: did I miss this?! Congratulations!!

@Mrs. Jump Rope: Thanks! We just had the anatomy scan yesterday

Hey y'all. Been zonked out since the fender bender on Saturday. I feel okay other than a little soreness in my lower back, but with the adrenaline and hustling back and forth from L&D, I was just so tired. I slept basically the entire weekend.

I had my regular monthly appointment today. The NP said baby's recent heart pictures look perfect and he's perfectly healthy....BUT.

(There's always a but.)

Apparently I have a complete placental previa (as in the placenta is completely sitting on top of my cervix). Unlike a partial previa, it is very unlikely it will move out of the way by showtime, so we have to be hyper vigilant about bleeding (any spotting and I have to go into L&D immediately) AND I have to have a C-section at 39 weeks (so September 6th-ish).

So little man is calling the shots here. I thought I'd be having a normal vaginal birth, but now we're scheduling C-sections. We were going to go to Hawaii in July for a babymoon, but not so much anymore. We were trying to decide between 2 hospitals, (one is closer and newer but handles low-risk routine births, while one's farther but has a well-regarded NICU), but now we're definitely going to the one with the NICU. Its funny how all your plans change in a second!

Anyways, hope everyone is doing well!

Just posted a name question on our bump thread, because it's our only gold thread. Can ya'll go see what you think, if you get a chance?