V-Day shenanigans

It's coming. And it's coming soon.  Viability day, or as the savvy women on The Bump call it, "V-day".  V-day happens on the day you hit 24 weeks in your pregnancy.  Basically, what it boils down to is, before this day if you were to happen to go into labor the doctors would not try to resuscitate the baby.  On or after this day, the doctors will try to resuscitate the baby and the NICU will do whatever they can to keep your baby alive. It's a good thing, right?

Of course it is.  Actually, I remember stepping into week 16 and 17 thinking, "I've made it this far, why wouldn't the doctors try to save my babies lives now, if something were to happen? It's not fair!"   Here's the thing, a lot happens in the second trimester - I started to feel more connected to the babies because I was starting to show, feel the babies move and even started making baby purchases.   That baby inside me, that is my baby.  And damn it, I'm already a protective mama bear.

 After my week long tantrum I began to think about it rationally again.  The reality is so much more than my emotional connection to these girls.  The babies are just not ready to be born.  Even at 24 weeks, the possibility that they would make it, and not have severe brain damage, breathing complications, etc are very slim.  Do some babies who are born at 24 weeks make it just fine? Sure.  But not the majority. Don't just take my word for it, the guys over at The American Pregnancy Association will give you all the nitty gritty on being born before 36 weeks.  It's not pretty.

So, with all of that being said - I have mixed feelings on V-Day.  Is it a really great milestone in a woman's pregnancy? Absolutely.  Is it cause for celebration? Well, I'm not convinced.  I'm excited to hit this milestone - to be 24 weeks along - but I'm not sure I'll be "relieved" when this day comes by any means.  I need these babies to hang on for at least 12 more weeks - 13-14 being prime.  But I by no means will be "okay" if they come the day after V-Day just b/c it means they can.

Stay in there ladies - and just keep doing your thing like nothing ever changed come Friday/V-Day...b/c as far as I'm concerned, nothing has.