34 Weeks

On Sunday, September 26th, Bubble Baby reached 34 weeks gestation. At one point, that was our ultimate goal while my wife was in the hospital on bed rest. If she had stayed pregnant that long, the doctors may very well have scheduled a "routine" c-section for today (Sep. 27th). Doctors had indicated to us that the risks might have outweighed the benefits of staying pregnant at that point. So it was a strange date to pass on our calendar.

It's hard to know what things would've been like if Bubble Baby had been born now instead of 3-1/2 weeks ago, but our NICU stay almost certainly would've been much, much shorter. When Bubble Baby was born her weight (3lbs., 2oz.) was pretty much average for a baby at her gestation (30-1/2 weeks). As of today she is up to 3lbs., 12oz., but the average weight for a fetus at 34 weeks gestation is 4lbs., 12oz. Her length at birth was also average at 15-3/4”, but she hasn’t grown any longer, and a fetus at 34 weeks is typically 17-3/4”. So she's behind on the growth chart, but that's normal for a preemie, and we know that it may take her years to catch up with her peers.

Bubble Mommy with Bubble Baby

Last week she had an elevated heart rate for a little while. We were told that "it's probably nothing,” and it seems to have stabilized now. But after all we have gone through, it's tough to deal with these ups and downs, because we know that sometimes things do happen.

But overall, we are happy with her progress. She is breathing on her own, and as of today she is no longer on caffeine. She is also able to regulate her own body temperature pretty well, and she may be moved to an open-air bassinet soon. The last major hurdle she needs to get over is learning to feed, which she is starting this week. We are hoping that she will be home before the original estimate of late October or early November that we were given when she was born.

Bubble Daddy holds Bubble Baby at 34 weeks gestation

But while Bubble Baby is doing well, our six-year-old is really having a tough time. Having Bubble Mommy at home has helped, but a lot of her behavioral issues still persist, and we’ve started her on therapy. We sense that she’s lost a lot of innocence these past few months. Each day is a struggle, but we trust that things will get easier eventually.

Video of Bubble Baby at 34 weeks gestation

When Bubble Baby comes home it won’t solve everything, but I’m sure it will help. And we’ll finally feel like the family of four that we are.