The Jeremiah Project
Sorry things have been a little quite around here. We haven't had a ton of adventures to write about but somehow we have been incredibly busy. Time has been running away from us!
During the month of February, we were involved in the church's Pantomime, Chris on stage and me backstage. We didn't really realize what we were getting into when we agreed to be involved back in September (and I didn't realize how quickly I would tire out at 36 weeks pregnant!) but we had a ton of fun anyway! This year the show was Cinderella and Chris played the parts of Villager and Pumpkin. (The Pumpkin was a huge hit!) For the Americans reading this, a pantomime is a funny play based on a fairy tale where most of the leads are played by members of the opposite gender. In this case, Cinderella was played by a female and Prince Charming was a male but the Stepsisters were both men and Prince Charming's best guy friend was played by a woman. It was very enjoyable and a tradition we would love to bring back with us!
After Cinderella wrapped, we spent most of the rest of the month attending different childbirth/preparation classes. We learned a lot and feel much more confident about navigating a brand new medical system! Not only did we learn the signs of labor and the procedure for being admitted to this hospital for the birth, but also how to feed and bathe the baby. And how long the midwives will follow me after the birth (about 10-14 days and they will come to our house) as well as learning that a Health Visitor (nurse) will come to the house to check on the baby for the first 5 years of his/her life. (I did not ask if that benefit would continue no matter which continent our house was on….) We went to a class on how to do a water birth (super excited that this hospital has a midwife-led unit and all the rooms there are outfitted with tubs!) and how to work a TENS machine (but not while in the tub!!). We also learned that this health system seems to be less knife-happy than the American system. The midwives I asked about the C-section rate at the hospital didn't know the exact numbers but assured me they were around 1 in 5 births (as opposed to national figures I've seen from the US which are about 1 in 3 births). They also looked at me like I was insane when I asked what the episiotomy rate was as that is not a procedure they really do at all. (yay!)
Along with the classes, we have been attending more doctor's appointments. Unbelievably we have less than two weeks to go before the Baby Panda makes his or her appearance! At our last appointment, we learned that the baby is in a breech position with their bottom sitting on my pelvis. That news has changed our birth plan slightly but I'm happy that we still have options. On Monday, we go back to the hospital to have another scan and try to turn the baby with an ECV procedure. If that works, then we can still deliver in the midwife unit, in the water or on the ball or standing on my head (FYI not gonna happen!), or whatever position works the best for me! No one is chained to a bed over here!! However, if the ECV does not work, then a C-section will be scheduled for later next week. There is a 50% chance (maybe a little less since I'm a first time mom) that the ECV will work and the baby will turn and a 1 in 200 chance that doing the procedure will trigger labor (and therefore an immediate C-section). The midwife couldn't predict the exact chance of the ECV being successful because I'm a first time mom but said my chances are very good as the amniotic sac is full of fluid and the placenta is very high (in the front but high in the uterus) and the baby is about 7.5 lbs.
Since everything is happening so quickly, I am very glad that we have everything ready (at least for the first few days!) to welcome Baby Panda into this world. They have a carseat, safe place to sleep, diapers, and freshly washed clothes to wear. Something that would be nice, however, is prayers! Please pray that everything will go smoothly (however that might happen) and that the baby will arrive safely in God's time (whenever that might be).
So why is this post called The Jeremiah Project? Well one of the people in our congregation thinks we should name our child Jeremiah (being that it's a strong, Biblical name!) and everytime we talk, we get asked, "How's the Jeremiah project coming?". So we have also kind of adopted that phrase as our code name. I think it sounds better than The Baby Project. I also thought it tied in nicely with Jeremiah 1:5.
““Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.””
So Baby Panda, or Jeremiah or whomever you are, know that you are loved deeply, handmade by our God, and destined for great things!