betcha 20:1

so susan had her amnio today. she had read up on it and spoken with other women who have had one- but typically an amnio is done ~16 weeks to check for genetic problems. It's a bit different doing it this late in the game. but less risky- the main concern is preterm labor, and she is already at term. so then it's just labor.

basically the OB did an ultrasound to check the placement of the placenta and our son's precious toes. then he applied the force of a mack truck on the upper abdomen, right under the ribs, to advance the needle through the skin and then pop it into the uterus. this was all visualized on the monitor, so while susan couldn't see, hue made certain that the only tissue obtained was fluid.

it lasted for about 35 seconds, and was admittedly quite painful. it's just good prep for birthing. the fluid was sent for a lecithin to sphingomyelin ratio, which should be back this evening. this will let us know if the lungs are truly 'mature' or at term, and if this sunday is a definite go for induction. a FISH was also sent, which is an expedited test to assess for chromosomal abnormalities. CDH is not associated with any known genetic defect, but we wanted to make sure we know everything about this pregancy. we should get these results by early next week.

again we pressed our doc for some hopeful news. the baby still looks quite small on the ultrasound (34 wks?) but susan measures at 36 wks and has gained 22 lbs total. this is on target for the 38th wk of pregnancy. and finally we got what we were looking for: our OB said he would put money down that our baby will be fine. not that his prediction can fortell everything, but for a guy that is pretty darn serious all the time, we're ecstatic at his confidence.

- update -

it's a go! the lungs are mature (although still hypoplastic) so we're all set for induction tomorrow.