Baby Update

After my last two doctor's appointments I was feeling pretty confidant that this pregnancy could actually make as far as 36 weeks. My sonogram this morning pretty much burst my bubble. Recently, my doctor has been checking for dilation and effacement at every appointment, as well as doing a Fetal Fibronectin (FFN) test every 2 weeks. An FFN is a test for the presence of specific cells in your cervix which can indicate impending labor and delivery. A negative test means that I have less than .03% chance of having the baby in the next two weeks. A positive test means I have a 30% chance of having the baby in the next two weeks. So far I have not been dilated or effaced at all and all my FFN's have come back negative, thus my confidence in a nearly full-term delivery. However, this morning my sonogram showed that my cervix is weakening and shortening quite a bit, and under any pressure, i.e. Braxton Hicks contractions, it shortens even more. My doctor has been pretty great and is doing everything she can to keep this baby inside as long as possible, without having me on bed rest orders (which I GREATLY appreciate). As of this morning my doctor's orders are to stay off my feet as much as possible, no heavy lifting (she specifically said no picking up Grace!), no stress, and I have to stay close to home/hospital. I go in Monday and Tuesday to get steroid shots which will speed up the development of the baby's lungs just in case she does decide to arrive in the next couple of weeks. I guess I'll be spending my weekend relaxing with my feet up! At least it gets me out of cooking and cleaning...