Pregnancy Tracker - 28 weeks

Has it seriously been a week since I posted the 27 week update?  I feel like it's been 1.5 days.  This last week has flown by! 

We had a routine check-up earlier this week, which included the glucose blood draw.  The blood draw was quite painful, as they all have been this pregnancy.  I think I just have crappy veins.  We also sat down with my doctor to make a final decision on vbac versus c-section.  I know it's not a shocker, but yes, I opted for the repeat c-section.  If you don't agree with it, I frankly don't care.  I'm not asking for opinions on the subject anymore. 

We also discussed the difference in the anesthesia I had with Carter versus what I will be having this time.  Since I was in full-blown labor with Carter, I had an epidural.  An epidural means they insert a catheter with the needle to keep the drugs flowing, simply because no one ever knows how long labor is going to last.  With a planned c-section, I will be given a spinal instead of an epidural. No catheter - just a one-time shot of the anesthetic, which my doc tells me will last approximately 2 hours.  More than enough time for the c-section procedure.  However, the thought of meeting up with that needle AGAIN, with no adrenaline of labor in my system, has me understandably FREAKED out.  And my doc assured me that I will have a chance to meet with the anesthesiologist beforehand to discuss my concerns (fears) and hopefully they will put them at ease.  Uh, doesn't change the size of the needle, now does it?  No-sir-ee.  But this is the choice I have made and this is what comes along with it.

I also thought we would all be sitting down with our calendars to pick out the baby's birth date.  No.  Didn't happen like that.  I forgot the minor detail of having to schedule an OR at the hospital, so I was really put off when the doc said the nurse would call over, get a date/time, and call me with said date/time.  In a way, I guess I'm glad it happened that way because I really didn't want to PICK my own child's birth date.  And when it came down to it, I didn't pick it.  Sure, it seems quite impersonal, but again, it is what it is.  So we have our date (with the needle......see, I just can't let it go) and will plan accordingly.

Also, NO, we have not picked a name yet.  My grandmother and mother are giving it their best effort to tease, guilt, manipulate, guess, corner the name out of us.  ;)  Ain't happening.  (1) we seriously do NOT have a name picked from the list.  (2) trust me, I won't let my child remain nameless forever.  (3) it's a fun secret for Eric and I to share.  I will tell you this:  I have run the three potential names through Carter and he doesn't like them.  He wants the baby's name to be Tiki.  Like Tiki Torch.  Good thing I have VETO power!

Here's what babycenter.com has to say about the pregnancy at 28 weeks:

By this week, your baby weighs two and a quarter pounds (like a Chinese cabbage) and measures 14.8 inches from the top of her head to her heels. She can blink her eyes, which now sport lashes. With her eyesight developing, she may be able to see the light that filters in through your womb. She's also developing billions of neurons in her brain and adding more body fat in preparation for life in the outside world.

You're in the home stretch! The third and final trimester starts this week (crap! I didn't even realize that). If you're like most women, you'll gain about 11 pounds this trimester.  (Yeah, let the big weight gain begin.  I gained 40 pounds total with Carter. I have been determined to gain less than that with this baby, simply because it's not necessary. I think I have gained 10 pounds total, so far.  So I'm definitely on track to gain much less than with Carter.)