Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Lillian's Birth - Day

When does life ever go as planned?  By the 3rd trimester, most babies are head down, ready to go.  But Lillian's head is still squeezed, uncomfortably, right up top, under my rib cage.  Her poor head is football shaped (which Casey and I take as a sign that she's going to love football like we do!!!).  I feel her trying desperately to "flip" upside down but she just can't make it for some reason.  Mike and I have researched breech babies till our eyes get tired and we've tried every wives tale there is!  And let me tell you, people try some desperate things, and I've followed in their footsteps!  I've tried:
  • Crouching down on my knees with my arms laid out in front of me
  • Rocking side to side on my hands and knees
  • Laying on the floor with pillows stacked under my rear end (tilting me up)
  • Laying on an ironing board propped up on the couch with my feet up in the air and my head on a pillow below (yes this is very uncomfortable at 38 weeks pregnant!!!)
  • Burning Chinese Moxi Sticks at my bare toes (we did this in the house one cold night but after we woke up and our house smelled like pot we decided to burn them outside no matter how cold it was that night!)
  • Holding a flashlight at the base of  my belly while Mike talks to her and tries to draw her down.
  • Holding a bag of frozen vegetables at the top of my belly trying to make her uncomfortable enough to flip over.
  • And finally, we tried External Cephalic Version, a hospital procedure where the doctor tries to twist her downward.  The doctor got her head down, but she flipped right back up - 3 TIMES! 
Unfortunately, Lily's just plain stuck this way.  Like I said, I feel her head jutting out on my far right side,  pushing downward and I feel her foot, lodged down in my pelvis, pulling upward, almost daily.  She's really trying to do what nature intends her to do, but apparently, God has other plans for her!  So, Lillian Kerschen will come into this world quite peacefully, via Cesarean next Monday, May 9th - the same day her brothers entered so peacefully exactly one year ago.  Karma?  A gift from God?  A gentle reminder of how precious life is?  Or just plain perfect, Mike and I couldn't be happpier to be her parents.  We can't wait to meet you, Lily-Bird.

2 comments:

  1. Ah, Court, I teared up reading this post! How sweet. I am so excited to meet Lillian very soon!!

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  2. It is very special that Lily will be arriving the same day her brothers left, like they are giving her a sweet sendoff and sending her to you. I am beyond excited to meet this lucky little lady who already had the best parents ever!

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