Happy New Year!

Big changes here in BabyJ-land. So much for my post of three weeks ago when I claimed this pregnancy was smooth sailing! Argh.

At our doctor appointment on Tuesday, December 30, we found that my fundus measurement was way off from what Dr. F expected it would be, and so the she ordered an ultrasound to get a better read on BabyJ's size. The ultrasound measurements indicated BabyJ is very small for a baby who is at 34 weeks. With 6 weeks to go until her due date, she's estimated to be 4.5 pounds, and that is a small baby, compared to the 5.5 pounds they'd expect her to be at this time. So, after reading the ultrasound paperwork, my doctor called me on New Year's Eve afternoon to tell me to check into Swedish Hospital for bedrest and thrice daily fetal monitoring.

So I have been here for almost a day and a half now, and the good news is that each monitoring episode continues to indicate that BabyJ's heartrate is strong, she is age-appropriately active, and I am also perfectly healthy. It's just that she is in the second percentile for her gestational age (yes, that's 2 out of 100!), and while Jeff and I believe it's highly possible and totally reasonable that together our bodies make small babies, the doctors need to react as if the issue is one of infrastructure (the placenta/umbilical cord nutrient delivery system). So I am resting here in a hospital bed at "Club Swedish," where I can read, watch TV, talk to friends and family, and order from the menu 24-hours a day, as opposed to running around with school commitments and making last weeks' preparations for her arrival. My energy and blood need to be focused on delivering nutrients to BabyJ so that she can grow.

We are both disappointed at this turn of events, but we do realize we are very fortunate for all the good things we have going for us at the moment. More details will be forthcoming in future posts, but this is the short version for now. This bedresting momma needs to go to bed!