24 Weeks

Every Tuesday is the day Elspeth turns another week. Tuesdays have become a dreaded day because I want so much for this process to slow down in many ways. This week I have been thinking a lot about the "age of viability" for babies. 24 weeks has been the traditional time when 50-70% of babies can be delivered and are able to survive with a lot of medical support. I think that for most pregnant women, this would be a sigh of relief to get this far in a pregnancy. It's been on my mind this week because I know that no matter how big or old Elspeth gets, there's no possible way any medical professional can save her.



On another note, this week Ryan has been trying desperately to feel Elsepth's movements from the outside. Her movements feel so obvious to me, but it's still a little difficult for him to detect. We are really looking forward to the day were he can participate and feel a little of what I am experiencing.



We met with the hospice social worker this last week. Her name is Kate and she works for Carousel Peri-Natal Hospice which is a division of Kansas City Hospice. She came to our home and met with us for about an hour. She provided us with a lot of information to think about including an outline for typical birth plan for a peri-natal hospice baby.

Some things covered on the birth plan are:



We want/do not want our baby's heartbeat monitored during labor.



If there is a loss of heartbeat prior to delivery, we do/do not wish to be informed.



We request that a ceremony (blessing, baptism, etc.) be performed in accordance with our religious beliefs by __________________________.



It goes on for about two pages with several different things to think about as we go into this birth. Almost every detail is covered. I am really thankful for this list because as a woman who has never given birth, I have never thought about what I would want during the delivery process regardless if it was a healthy baby or not.



Kate also left us with a book called "Empty cradle, Broken Heart: Surviving the death of Your Baby," by Deborah L. Davis, Ph.D. I have only just begun to read it but I am finding the content helpful. It covers everything from what to expect with your emotions to what to do to stop your milk supply from coming in. All good information for me to know and I am finding myself more and more grateful for resources to help us through this time.

More to come next week, thanks for reading, your prayers and support.