Day 81: One Week

Since Baby Boy has decided to extend his stay in utero for who knows how long, I have scheduled an induction for next Friday morning.  Of course, if labor starts because Baby decides to come on his own within the next week, we won't need the induction.  But, either way, by next week at this time, we should have a healthy and full-term baby boy in our arms.  We're looking forward to it.

Please note:  The photo below is of me holding B,  NOT current baby!

Getting prepared to hold Baby #2 by reminiscing about holding B for the first time the day after he was born (he was whisked away to the NICU the night he was born and I wasn't able to hold him until the next day.  Thankfully, that should not be the case with this boy).

Day 80: Nesting

I had a few contractions yesterday and took a mile walk to see if they'd keep up, but of course, they didn't.  I called to schedule my induction for the week after next, but I'm still waiting to hear back from the doctor's office about what day they can fit me in and see if that coincides with a day J won't be working.  I'm not about to schedule a delivery without J being by my side.  If the scheduling doesn't work out, I might just have to wait until I go into labor on my own, whenever that may be.  So while I play the waiting game, I've been "nesting."  It's funny how the preparation instinct kicks in before labor ensues.  In the last few days, I have organized closets and cupboards, cleaned out the fridge and freezer, made some more meals and desserts (banana bread today) to eat after the baby arrives, and cleaned every room in the house, and I think I'm finally running out of projects.  We put up Baby Boy's bed in our room, set up his changing station, and his clothes are washed and ready to wear, so we're pretty much as physically prepared for baby as we can be.  Now we just have to wait for Baby to arrive, whenever that might be. 

Day 79: 38 Week Pregnancy Survey

How far along: 38 weeks and 2 days  
Weight gain: Down a pound and a half this week (my legs are not as swollen, and I've been more active this week, so I lost a little weight, which is fine with me).
How big is baby: Baby Boy is hopefully closing in on the seven pound mark.
Move­ment: I feel mostly squirms and him shifting around these days, as he has less room to move around in my cramped uterus. I also see and feel his little bum, feet, or hands protrude from time to time.
Belly But­ton (in or out?): Still on its way out (Ew!)
Wed­ding Rings(on or off?): Still on
Maternity Clothes: I'm still wearing maternity clothes and feel huge in them.
How I’m Feeling: I'm uncomfortable when the inconsistent contractions kick in before stopping again. I am finding it very difficult to sleep these days. I'm also getting tired of being pregnant, especially after being told for weeks that he'd be early, but he'll be here soon enough.
Symptoms: I am still 75% effaced and dilated to a two. I'm having occasional contractions that can be pretty intense, but they're irregular, so no active labor yet. I'm also experiencing many of the other discomforts of pregnancy (some swelling/edema, back pain, pelvic pressure, etc.)
Sleep: I'm having difficulty finding a comfortable position to sleep in, and I wake up frequently. When you add bathroom trips to that, it's hard to get a restful night's sleep. By the late afternoon and early evening I'm pretty tired and irritable, but I'm trying to push through it. I guess I have to get used to sleepless night once Baby Boy is here, so I might as well start now!?!
Cravings:  I'm still craving fried and fatty foods like French fries, but I'm staying away from them.
Food Aversions: Nothing really.
What I Miss: I miss sleeping comfortably and being able to bend down and do other things that are difficult now that I'm nine months pregnant.
Hardships this week: Having inconsistent contractions that haven't done anything to change my cervix and bring on labor has been annoying. The fact that they're intense for a little while and then stop and then start again is getting old. Feeling tired all the time has also been a hardship this week, as has waiting for Baby. After months of being told for months that he was coming early, these last few days have seemed long. So I'm trying to keep busy to pass the time and remember that the longer Baby stays put, the better for all of us.
Highlights this week: Finding out that I can be induced the week after next was a highlight, as I never thought I'd go this long. I've enjoyed nesting this week too.  My house is really clean and organized.
What I'm looking forward to: Having a healthy baby ANYTIME now.

Day 78: No Change

I went to the doctor today, and was a little surprised that there has been no real change since last week, despite the contractions I've reported.  I am dilated to "slightly" more than a 2 and am still 75% effaced and haven't really had many contractions today.  Now that I'm 38 weeks along, I'm ready for this baby to come whenever he's ready, and was hoping that I'd made some progress so that this baby would come sooner rather than later.  J works five days a week starting next week at his new job, my mom is coming to help with the baby, and our insurance changes next week, so we'd like Baby Boy to come before things get more complicated schedule-wise and insurance-wise and while my mom is in town.  But we don't have a lot of control over the matter.  I am not going to go crazy with the home-induction techniques and herbal remedies which can actually do more harm than good, but I'm not against walking a few miles this weekend or trying some exercise positions to maybe convince this kid he wants to come.  I started wearing breast shells to help prepare my flat nipples for nursing, and the pressure from the shells can sometimes bring on contractions, but hasn't done so for me so far.  I've been doing a lot of walking, lifting, and cleaning in the last few days to prepare for labor, but the activity doesn't do a whole lot either.  I guess if Baby Boy is not ready, he's not ready and we just have to wait him out.  Next week I can schedule an induction for the following week, but we have to figure out when J is working that week and when my doctor is available if we go that route.  We're hoping that labor just naturally occurs. . . this weekend, preferably, but we shall see how it goes.      

 

No real change this week

Day 77: Ready When He Is (38 Weeks)

We're at 38 weeks. This boy is welcome to come any time now. I've been having inconsistent contractions for the last few days,but am still not in labor yet. Whenever Baby Boy does decide the time is right, we're ready when he is.

 

Highlights of Week Thirty-Eight (36 week fetal age)  *Photo shows a baby at 38 weeks, but is not our baby.

Baby is close to seven pounds and is about 18-20 inches long, and he doesn't have much room to maneuver now.

Baby is head down in pelvis to prepare for delivery.  The head diameter is over 3.5 inches.

Most of Baby's basic physical development and systems are now complete - he'll spend the two weeks putting on weight and accumulating more body fat, at the rate of about an ounce a day, to help him keep his temperature and blood sugar stable.   

Although lungs are one of the last organs to mature, they should be basically developed by now and are now secreting surfactant which will keep them from sticking together and help Baby breathe outside the womb.  I figure since Baby Boy got the steroid shots for his lungs months ago, his breathing should be fine once he's born.

Could have a full head of hair, of an inch or longer.

Brain is continuing to develop and mature.

He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair (lanugo) that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that has  covered and protected his skin during so far.  Baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

Baby’s digestive system is putting on its finishing touches in preparation to take baby’s first meal in a few weeks’ time.  

Day 76: Just a Pain

I've been having contractions since last night and they are getting increasingly more uncomfortable, but they are still not regular (so they're not increasing in frequency and intensity and aren't getting closer and closer together).  I'll have contractions lasting about a minute each that are three minutes apart for about an hour and then I won't have any for an hour and a half and then they'll be twelve minutes apart before starting again a few hours later.  The contractions make for restless and uncomfortable nights, and they hurt during the day too, but they're not as frequent as they are at night.  They're more annoying than anything because they're not consistent and aren't really bringing on labor, and they make it difficult to sleep.    Of course, they could be doing a little to dilate and efface my cervix, but I won't know until my doctor's appointment on Tuesday.  

Active labor and delivery of Baby Boy could still be days (or weeks) away.  I will be 38 weeks along tomorrow, and I'm not even going to think about going overdue at this point, thank you very much.  My mom is planning to come on the 12th (because we all thought Baby Boy would be here by now) and he better come before she leaves a week later.  But knowing the unpredictability of pregnancy and with my luck, he'll go 10 days past his due date and I'll have to be induced.  I'm getting more and more uncomfortable and would like to see this boy come sooner rather than later, but at the same time, I know every day Baby Boy stays put is a blessing (at least until he's full term, and then he just needs to come).

Day 75: A March Birthday

B and I attended a Dr. Seuss birthday party at our local Lakeshore Learning store, and it made me realize that now that we're out of February, this baby will be born in March (even if I go past my due date, which is something I would really rather not do).  Had you told me a few weeks ago that we would have made it to March, I would not have believed you.  I think the wait for this little one's arrival seems even longer than it really is because I was told for so long that this baby was coming early, and now he's decided to stay put.  I'm glad we got this far, but now I'm ready for this baby to come any time now.

B had a lot of fun making the Dr. Seuss crafts and he got a dinosaur excavation kit from the store.  He dug at the block of clay and then brushed away the dust for almost three hours.  The pieces came out slowly, one at a time, and he worked on it patiently.  Then he put the pieces together to assemble his dinosaur.  Seeing B go to all that work and be patient made me think of this pregnancy and how I've gone through a lot of work (with more to come -- labor and delivery) and how I just need to be patient because the end result is so worth it.  Hopefully we'll have a healthy baby boy soon (rather than later).  Baby Boy will get here when he gets here, and man, will we be glad.