Hey Sweetie –
Good morning! It’s Saturday, February 19. We learned more about your upcoming arrival this week – let me fill you in. First, as you know, you have been hanging out right side up (which technically is upside down with respect to being born in the safest possible way), so your Daddy & I have been doing ALLLL kinds of things to hel p you turn – the Gospel choir has been praying for you, Toussaint plays the drums a little louder for you, St Margaret Mary’s has had you on their prayer chain, I started acupuncture and doing a bunch of strange looking exercises, and your Daddy and I have being doing moxibustion!! Want a funny visual image? Moxibution involves burning an herb wrapped like a cigarette near pressure points on the outsides of my pinky toes WHILE I lie upside down on a board and hold ice on the top of my uterus!!!
A traditional Chinese medical practice that involves the burning of herbs to stimulate acupuncture points (moxibustion) is found to be effective in stimulating fetal movement and in correcting breech presentation, according to an article in “The Journal of the American Medical Association” (JAMA).
What a funny site to see! Daddy & I did this at 5:30am and 10pm every day – the heat and burning frequency were supposed to help you turn, upside down to help you come out of my pelvis, and the ice to help you to go the other way. However, as we have learned, you knew better than to turn…
This Tuesday we learned that you have your umbilical cord wrapped around your little neck (which is actually quite common), and it is not really safe for you to turn upside down. Look how smart you are already!! And strong! Good job! So we now know that we will have a c-section to bring you into the world. The cool thing is we get to pick your birthday (unless I go into labor before then – let’s try to hold off, okay?). We chose Friday, March 4 for many reasons:
1. Your birthday will be 3/4/05… How cool is that?!?
2. Technically your due date of 3/7 was 5 days premature based on your first measurements, so technically 3/4 marks the beginning of your 39th week of growing in me (which, they think, is the ideal time for delivery by c-section).
3. Daddy has a very important test to take on 3/1, and once you arrive he will have a MUCH harder time concentrating. You and I already know that he will do a FABULOUS job!
Anyway, so we are now planning a little pre-birthday party for you for 3/3. I can’t eat after midnight that night (in preparation for the surgery), and your Auntie Amy will be in town, so we thought we would have a feast! Again, more celebrating of the miracle God is making called You!!
(If any of Little Raz’s local friends have some time Thursday night, 3/3, and would like to join us for dinner the night before the surgery for a little pre-Birthday celebration and to meet my sister Amy, please do!! We will have dinner [AND DESSERT 😉 ] at Pomodoro’s [Pomodoro’s -1290 University Avenue, Rochester, NY 585.271.5000] at 7:30pm. We would love for you to join us… Just add your numbers to the reservation for “Tatemann.”)
Well, Sweeite, lots to do before you arrive. Keep growing beautiful and strong, and we’ll see you VERY SOON!!
All our love,
Your Mommy & Daddy
