Due Date?

Thursday, August 23, 2007... supposed arrival of newest Vennard! To our surprise, not only is the baby not arriving today, but it has flipped over into the breech position in the last few days! At the appointment just last week, it was in the "optimal birthing position" with its head down and back to my left side. Today, its head is between my ribs and its back is to the right! This changes everything. Instead of the holistic birthing approach we hoped for, we have decided to schedule a cesarean section. Our alternative would have been to attempt to reposition the baby by having two doctors push on my stomach from opposite sides. We decided that a definite plan for surgery is a better alternative to a risky and non-guaranteed procedure. We have not yet scheduled the exact time, but it will be sometime next week if I don't go into labor sooner. While we are caught quite off-guard by this switch, we thank God for the midwife who recognized the positioning and the technology to confirm this. The good news is that the baby behaved perfectly during it's Non-Stress Test this afternoon. Its heart rate was good, it moved a lot, and it responded well to some contractions I had. The kid looks great, even upside-down. So don't worry family and friends! Don't panic Grandma! While it was shocking at first, I trust that this baby knows what its doing in there. It must have a reason for completely flipping over at 40 weeks! And only about 3% of babies are situated in the breech position, so our kid is already a unique little individual. In anycase, please keep the little one in your thoughts and prayers until we actually have him/her in our arms. In the meantime... I'll be the large pregnant lady sewing like a madwoman...