Still on bed rest without much new to report. The medication has helped control the contractions, so I haven’t dilated significantly since last week. My doctor told me that we’ll discontinue the medication next week, though, so baby Claire may make her appearance relatively soon. She’s fairly small right now. She weighs less than six pounds, but if I can avoid going into labor for another week or two, she should gain another 1/2 to 1 pound, which will be good. My doctor says they won’t try to stop labor if it begins before then, but Claire would probably have to spend a couple of weeks in the hospital.

Apparently she still hasn’t developed her ability to suck which would prevent her from nursing very successfully–at least at first. I hope that breastfeeding won’t be as traumatic as it was with Sam. I had my hopes up that it would go smoother this time, but I’m starting to feel pessimistic about it. It’s supposed to be such a wonderful experience for mother and child, but it wasn’t at all for us. I’m going to try to think positive thoughts, though.

My parents came to the rescue this weekend and my mother has been cooking and cleaning up a storm. It’s such a relief to have them here!