29 Week Comparison / Delayed Cord Clamping / Stress

29 Week Comparison

Holy cow.  Literally.  I'm 29.5 weeks pregnant... and my belly measures 42 weeks!  When I went to my appointment last time, the midwife said I measured 36 weeks at 27.5 wks pregnant.  I didn't put it on my blog b/c I thought she must have surely measured me wrong.  Nope. 

Me @ 29 weeks with lil man...

29 weeks - 1st pregnancy

Me @ 29 weeks with Thing 1 and Thing 2 ...

29 weeks - Twins

Delayed Cord Clamping

One of the many things I've discussed with my midwife is the issue of wanting delayed cord clamping.  I never really thought about it until sometime after lil man was born when my husband opened my eyes to it. 

Luckily, the midwife I saw today is very pro-delayed cord clamping.  She reiterated several facts I already knew.  

(Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor, but this is the info that I've gathered via my research and my midwife.)

  

-Most doctors / nurses / midwives are taught to cut the baby's cord immediately. It's more of a medical convenience than a health issue.

-In the last 5 years or so, they have started researching and/or recognizing the benefits of having the cord clamped at least 1-3 minutes after birth.  

-WHY?? When the baby is born, a significant portion of its blood is still in the umbilical cord.  Right after birth, the cord is thick and pulsating.  (blood flowing through it from the placenta)  Typically a few minutes after birth, the cord has flattened and is no longer pulsating.  (blood has gone into the baby)  

     

*POSITIVE IMPLICATIONS:  There are many!  A few are less jaundice, less anemia, and less brain bleeding (due to vitamin K "deficiency", making the vitamin K shot less necessary).  

Stress

The last couple weeks have been a bit stressful.  

(Side note:  I've known my husband's family since I was in 5th grade.  I was friends w/ his sister and spent the night with her countless times growing up.  My family also spent many holidays with their family since we lived so far from mine.)  

The Saturday after my last appointment, my husband's grandfather passed away.  He had a couple heart attacks, open heart surgery, complications from medicine, then a stroke.  He went from running around in the yard chasing my lil man to going downhill very quickly in 2 months.  He was such a sweet man, but I'm so thankful that he knew Jesus and is no longer in pain.  

One week after my hubby's grandpa passed away, his dad had a massive heart attack and also passed.  He was my husband's best friend and needless to say, it's been really really tough.  I seriously could not have asked for a better father-in-law.  He is already dearly missed.  One of the hardest parts?  .... Explaining to a 2.5 year old why he can't see or call his papa.  Lil man called him just about every day.  He "knows" that Papa now lives w/ Poppy and Jesus in Heaven... but still thinks he will see him soon. ... Leaning on God's strength.

Poppy and lil man 

Papa and lil man

(Kinda ironic that both of these pics were taken inside in the same chair when both men LOVED being outside as much as possible.)

Lastly, my heart has been so heavy this week as I think of a sweet friend and her husband at my church whose first baby went to Heaven at only a few days old.  I cannot even imagine what they are going through, but I think about them and pray for them several times throughout the day.