Keep your head down and aim toward August 8!

Well, we think we have successfully passed the hurdle of turning the baby. This morning we had another "controle" - a checkup - but this time with our regular doctor at the clinic where Sarah is due to deliver. We would have had this checkup anyway, regardless of our situation, but our doctor was especially anxious to confirm that Baby has remained in the new position with its head down.

After last Thursday's procedure, we took off for a weekend away in the Alps. Yesterday, Sarah says Baby was moving a lot. She was getting very anxious and nervous that it was moving back to its former upright position.

Before we saw the doctor this morning, the nurse/midwife hooked Sarah up to the machine to monitor Baby's heartbeat and her uterus for contractions, which took about a half hour. The midwife felt Sarah's abdomen and said she felt like Baby's head was down. When the doctor came, she did an ultrasound, which confirmed that, indeed, Baby is still standing on its head. It appears that all of Baby's movements yesterday was merely rotating itself (it basically moved its body to the other side but kept its head down). The doctor said this rotation is normal (again, we have a baby that has its parents' dancing genes; it is now learning more advanced moves) and that it's in the "perfect" position for birth.

So, now that we've made it through that stage, we turn our eyes toward August 8, the original due date. We're relieved that the risk we took in trying this procedure worked and paid off. From here on out, as far as we know, things should proceed as planned. We have another check-up - exactly the same type as today's - next Monday and again on the due date.

Sarah's ultimate goal is to try to have the baby naturally - trying to avoid a C-section. But a secondary goal - one more selfish of Mommy and Daddy - is to have the baby at the clinic, as opposed to the cantonal (state) hospital, where the turning procedure was done last week. Although the hospital is perfectly fine (and as advanced medically as any other place), the clinic is a slight step up in terms of comfort. But in both places, I have also been offered tea and coffee along with Sarah, so they do take care of both Mommy and Daddy well at these places.

All eyes toward August 8! Let the countdown begin!