Happy V-Day!

I know-most of you are thinking I've really lost it since Valentine's Day was nearly 3 months ago.

This is a different V.

Viability.

Though a baby born at 23wks actually has a 17% chance of survival (which is a heck of a lot more than zero!), and the record for survival is 21wks and 5 days, most medical personnel will dismiss you before 24wks as "non-viable". You know, like the idiot I saw last time who told me that nothing we were discussing at that point even mattered because my baby was non-viable.

Not that I'm still irritated at her comments or anything. Or have conversations with her in my head telling her exactly what I think of her opinions and misinformation. Nope, not me.

Anyway, today marks 24 weeks of pregnancy. Wo0-hoo!

This is a big deal. 6 weeks ago we wondered if I'd even still be pregnant at this point. I am. My sweet little Sam is so very alive-I swear he dances in there just for fun-like he's mocking his diagnosis every minute that he can. Or at least just keeping me blissfully happy for every second that he's inside me. I am one of the fortunate ones. Sadly I have already met others who were in this same "wait and watch" boat with hydrocephalus who have not been so fortunate. It is heartbreaking.

And now, all you squeamish people-look away.

I warned you.

I'm one of those belly obsessed pregnant people. The fact that I've been measuring 4-6 weeks ahead for the past 10 weeks has given me a belly earlier than normal, and bigger than I usually have at this point. For those not familiar with this method of measurement-typically the height of the top of your uterus, measured from your pubic bone (yes, I actually just said pubic bone), roughly corresponds with the number of weeks pregnant you are. I was a little big in the beginning, but when I hit 16 weeks I was already measuring 22 weeks! Wow! For someone who has always measured dead on, and sometimes just a tad behind in the last weeks of pregnancy, this was a shock. As my midwife pointed out-we know now what I'd look like if were expecting twins. Curiosity satisfied. Apparently during pregnancies with hydrocephalus babies there are often fluid level issues, so if/when the amniotic fluid levels increase overall, I may see even more of a forward measurement in my own growth. Oy! I hope the belly is up for it. It's not failed me yet though, so I'll just trust in my body's ability to stretch repeatedly to freakish size and then return to normal.

Thank you body.

And now that you've have more than enough notice, here is the big old belly this morning at 24 weeks:

Brace yourselves now:

There it is!

I'll spare you the weekly pictures I take for my own obsession with my belly, but I can't promise I won't splash my belly up here again in the coming months. As much as it has always been a joyous novelty for me to have a pregnant belly, it is even more so now! Every week is a treat, and once I pass 28 weeks (the number that's been stuck in my head since the day of the diagnosis-not sure why), each week will just be icing on the cake!