Here we go again...

WARNING: THIS POST WILL CONTAIN DETAILS ABOUT WOMANLY STUFF SO IF YOU ARE A SQUEAMISH MALE, YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ ON!!!!

Altough this is very personal, I know I have a lot of dear friends wondering exactly what is going on and praying, so I am taking a risk and spilling it all while my mom and aunt are grabbing some dinner!

I had a feeling I would find myself in the hospital today. Enough so that I packed up my lap top and phone charger to bring with me, but hopeful enough that I didn't pack a bag!

I have an incompetent cervix which means my cervix is unable to support the pressure and weight of our growing baby. Instead of staying strong as it should, it in essence buckles under the pressure and shortens and weakens.

I have had good reports and not so good ones in regards to my cervix since 21 weeks. Last week my cervix had shortened to a 2.5 and had begun to funnel, or open up. As this had happened before at week 24 we were hopeful it would just be another "bad week."

However, at my appointment today, I measured in at .88 and all that is basically holding the baby in is a pocket of fluid that somehow got through my cervix to the outer side. So I find myself in the hospital again, only this time, its a much better situation!!

Baby Red is currently at 28 weeks and 3 days. After measuring him this morning his estimated weight is 3.2 pounds which is about a pound more than the average at this point in a pregnancy. Another blessing, a bigger baby means better chances outside of the womb. At 28 weeks the survival rate is around 75% which is good, but also still risky. I am not having any contractions, which is also great! They have also begun steroid treatments (a shot with a big needle!) that will help mature Baby Red's lungs as well as help in a few other problem areas to prepare him for an early birth.

Baby Red could be born any time, but we're hoping to hold out for at least another few weeks. Ideally, we'd love to make it to 34 weeks which is the middle of July. Right now I am stable but there are still many unknowns. Tomorrow will be a big day for us as they are running some tests as well as experimenting--hopefully this experiment will take some of the pressure off of my cervix and allow it to hold out longer. As they will be doing a lot of internal things tomorrow, it is a worry that it will start preterm labor or irritate my cervix. For this reason, we are asking for no visitors until things are a little more settled down. We'll definitely let you know!

We're in the midst of a waiting game with a lot of unknowns, yet we do know God is in control and we trust in his perfect plan. With his strength we will survive this crazy time, and Baby Red will have a glorious testimony from birth illustrating God's love and power. Thanks for praying with us. I will update here as we figure more things out.