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Stick to the Plan


Jess at 32 weeks

This journey hasn't been simple. One of the things we had to let go of immediately when we began all of this was our expectations. Before all of this we expected that around this time we would probably be setting up the baby’s room.  Decorating the walls, assembling the crib and filling drawers with tiny socks. As of right now we have a new housemate living in that room. Thankfully he has stepped in to look after our house in our absence. We even have some friends who are planning a baby shower for us. At a baby shower; normally the expectation is that you receive little gifts from people to prepare you for looking after a baby 24/7. However we have asked our friend to let everyone know that even though we appreciate the gesture, we wouldn’t have much use for most things because Riley will be in hospital for the first few months of her life and we aren't exactly sure what she's going to need.

Like I said, expectations change and you just have to go with it.
Today was almost another “just go with it” day. Jess had another check-up which occur every two weeks. We don’t live in fear of these appointments telling us bad news; in fact everything has been on track so well with Riley growth wise that we just see these as routine. However today was a little different. The Doctor seemed a bit more concerned today. Things that worried him was just how big Jess’ belly was getting for 32 weeks, after feeling the belly he thought there might be an excess of fluid which can be a cause for early labor (turns out its mostly just because the placenta is at the front and Riley is a big girl!) and most of all he was concerned that maybe we should be leaving sooner than 36 weeks for Brisbane. He even asked if Jess would be comfortable leaving in the next couple of weeks.
His reason for concern was that he believed there may be a chance that Riley could come early. He was just doing his duty and being extra cautious (he is a self confessed 'worry wart') which is the best thing we can ask for in our doctors! - but I must admit the thought of there being another thing to be concerned about didn’t exactly fill me with joy.
Of all the expectations we have had let go of, expecting to give birth around the due date is not one we want to slip away so easily. Namely because the longer Riley is in the womb, the more chance she has to grow and become stronger for all the surgeries that are to come. We just want to stick to the plan. Jess called the midwives at the Mater Hospital in Brisbane and thankfully they weren’t concerned and didn’t see the need to come to Brisbane any earlier than 36 weeks as long as things continue the way they are. They deal with these types of situations all the time, so if they aren’t breaking a sweat then neither should we.
Sorry Riley, you are grounded until January. No making a break for it any sooner than that. That’s the plan

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