37 weeks! Full term!

Today I am full term!  YAY!  I'm very excited we have reached this very important milestone.  Brooke is now welcome to come out to join the outside world at any time :)

This morning my BP was even a little higher than yesterday (~143/86), so I'm a tad bit concerned, but not overly so.  I will keep an eye on it though and possibly talk to the midwife at next Tuesday's appointment about trying to stimulate labor maybe a little earlier.  We'll see how things go over the next few days.  I have been having Braxton Hicks contractions really often lately.  It seems like I get them constantly sometimes.  I really hope they are making me progress!

Yesterday I had a couple of emotional breakdowns early in the day, but the day ended really well, so that was wonderful!  I'm really trying to enjoy and focus on each day, but sometimes my emotions get the best of me.  I guess it's not surprising since my hormones are probably raging and I'm not getting as much sleep lately.  This morning I woke up at 5am and couldn't get back to sleep.  Not nearly as bad as Tuesday night, but it's still going to take a bit of a toll on me.  Unfortunately, Paul seems to be getting a sinus infection, so he really needs to rest and try to fight it off.  That would suck if he were sick when I go into labor!  Not to mention if he ends up getting me sick.  So let's hope he starts feeling better over the next few days.

So, we have at most 2 weeks left to go.  Not too bad, but I will be happier when it's only 1 week away :)  These days sure do go by slowly.  Unless Brooke comes earlier than my induction date, it will be a long wait. Believe me, it's not going to fly by.

Latest bump picture:

Doctor Appointment and Update on BP

Yesterday I had my weekly midwife appointment, plus I had a non-stress test to make sure Brooke is doing well.  They hooked me up to a heart rate monitor to check her heart rate for 20 minutes.  They were checking to make sure her heart rate doesn't dip down and also that it spikes a few times within the 20 minutes.  Brooke's heart rate was looking really good, which I wasn't surprised about.  Then they did an ultrasound to measure the amount of amniotic fluid around her.  The ultrasound machine they used wasn't the super good one, so it was hard to make out different body parts.  For some reason, I wasn't as excited to see her on the ultrasound this time, and I think it's because I see her so much from the outside that I feel like I get to see her every day, so the ultrasound didn't really provide me with a new experience.  The amniotic fluid measurement also came back normal.  So Brooke is all good!!  I wasn't worried though.  For some reason, I really don't think she's going to have any issues.  I think she's going to be just fine.

My blood pressure at my appointment was a little high (143/83), so they took it again after my appointment after I rested for a couple of minutes, and then it was a little better (126/90), but the systolic and diastolic pressures kind of swapped.  This has happened at home before, but I have no idea why.  My body is weird.  But they didn't seem too concerned as long as the non-stress test came back fine.  I think as long as my BP stays below 150/100, they won't get too concerned, so let's pray that it doesn't.

I have another non-stress test on Friday morning where they will just do the heart rate monitoring.  I then have 2 more next Tuesday and Friday to repeat the tests, as well as my usual weekly appointment on Tuesday.  I will have one last appointment on the Tuesday before I am induced and at that point they will see if there is something they can do to try to get labor started before my induction, since I would prefer not to get pitocin (or any kinds of drugs for that matter), which is what they use for inductions.  The midwife said that if I'm dilated enough, they will be able to sweep the membranes to try to get labor started.  I don't know all the details of what that entails, but it's supposed to get the cervix more ready for labor and hopefully get my body to start labor on its own.  Let's hope it works if we get that far!

I'm really hoping to go into labor by myself sometime next week, but I have no control over that, so we'll see :)  Of course, I really only want to go into labor if Brooke is big enough and doing well, so I'm okay with waiting if she's not ready.  Unfortunately, there's no way to tell!  15 days left at most.  It's not much time but it still seems like a while to me.  It's like counting down to a long-awaited vacation.  It never seems close enough even when it's just a day away.  So I'll just try my best to focus on one day at a time instead of the end date.  Hopefully that works!

I have noticed lately that my rings have been a little harder to get on and off, and I just had to take off my watch because it was digging into my wrist.  And this morning when I was putting lotion on my legs, I thought that the top of my right foot might look a tiny bit swollen, but it was hard to tell.  I know that swelling is a normal sign of late pregnancy, so I don't think that has a correlation with the blood pressure, but I will keep an eye on it just in case.  If it gets bad, it could indicate a problem.  My BP has been in the 130s/80s at home for the past 2 days, which is high for being at home, so it's possible that it could continue to go up.  We'll see.  I really hope it doesn't.

Bump pic and blood pressure

Here is my most recent bump picture (yes, I dyed my hair :)).  I think it looks like she is lower this week, but not by much.

Today my blood pressure was really high when I took it at home throughout the day.  It started off in the 130s this morning and then ended up at 153/93 by 2:00, so the midwife on call had me come in to get checked out.  I met with a nurse first to get my bp taken and a urine analysis done.  My bp was in the 140s, so not horrible, and my urine analysis was negative for protein, so that was good.  But the midwife wanted me to go up to labor and delivery to get monitored for a few hours just in case since it's Friday.

In labor and delivery, they monitored my bp, Brooke's heartbeat, and did some blood work.  My bp eventually stabilized in the 130s, which is a little high but not too bad.  Brooke's heart rate was good, and my blood work ended up coming back negative, so they let me go home.  However, the midwife did say that they want to keep a closer eye on me and Brooke now, so I have to go in twice a week to get ante-natal testing done, which involves monitoring Brooke's heart rate and measuring the fluid around her and possibly measuring her size to make sure the high bp isn't negatively affecting her.  The midwife told me to bring my hospital bag every time I come in just in case Brooke isn't doing well and they have to induce.  So I will be starting that next week.

She also said that they don't want me to go too far in my pregnancy just in case preeclampsia occurs, so they scheduled me for an induction on 9/1!  So now I have only 3 weeks at the most until Brooke is born!  It's really exciting to have a definite end date and it's great that it's a week ahead of my due date!  Our hope is that she decides to come sooner than my induction date on her own so that I don't have to be induced.  The midwife also checked my cervix since I was having contractions on Tuesday and she said I am still 1 cm dilated but I am 90% effaced!  That means my cervix has almost completely thinned out, which needs to happen before it can really dilate.  She also said that Brooke's head is right up against the cervix at -1 station (0 - +2 station is when you start pushing), so she is right there and ready!  That means that once real labor starts, it should be relatively easy.

She told me that I can now wait to contact them until I have real labor contractions, so I don't have to worry about these semi-strong sporadic contractions anymore, which is really nice.  Now that I know when I'm supposed to come into the hospital, I am excited to have more of those semi-strong contractions because I know that they are helping me get closer to going into labor.  As long as I make it to 37 weeks, which is next Thursday, I am super happy.  So hopefully I'll continue progressing slowly and then Brooke will come on her own before 39 weeks.  That would be the ideal situation.  And hopefully my bp doesn't continue to increase.

We are now starting to get excited and nervous about Brooke's arrival.  It's now beginning to feel more real, so it's really starting to hit home that we are about to have a baby!  Crazy, but exciting!  I can't wait!

36 weeks!

Today has been a MUCH better day.  Last night I went to Babies R Us and got the remaining critical items we need, so the only thing left to do is install the car seat properly.  I have an appointment with the police department to get them to help me tomorrow.  And today I felt much better about everything.  I swam in the morning, which was really nice, and I was fairly productive with work, which made me feel good.

The past couple of days I have been experiencing a little more lower back pain.  Even when I was swimming this morning it hurt a little bit if I twisted at all during a stroke.  So I need to be really careful.  I was going to try doing yoga last night, but I ended up focusing on getting other stuff done, so I'm going to do my prenatal yoga video tonight to see if that might help my back.  I'm going to be really careful though.

I haven't had anymore strong contractions since Tuesday night thankfully, but the Braxton Hicks contractions seem to be occurring more often now.  I feel like my uterus gets tight really often.  Thankfully, Brooke is still very active, so that keeps me confident that she is still doing well.  I'm very excited to reach 36 weeks.  I really feel like we are in the home stretch now.  If Brooke is born now, she is still considered pre-term, but she shouldn't have any issues.  I will feel even more excited next Thursday when I am 37 weeks because then I will be full term and at that point she really could come at any time!  So we are getting close!

I'll post my baby bump picture once Paul takes it for me.  I really feel like it looks like Brooke has dropped some, but we'll see once I compare pics.

Frustrated

Yesterday my contractions continued throughout the day and evening, but they were sporadic and didn't establish a pattern, which is good but annoying.  Last night I talked to the midwife on call because the contractions seemed to be picking up a little and I was having some cramping too, so I was getting a little edgy.  She reassured me that everything is fine and I might just contract like this for a while.  She said I should come in this week to get my cervix checked, so I called the nurse line this morning and they said I don't need to come in to get checked because my contractions stopped.  This is so frustrating.  I feel like I keep getting conflicting directions.  I wanted to go in to see if the contractions made any progress but I guess that won't be happening.  I have a regular appointment next Tuesday, but I have a feeling I won't get checked then either unless I start contracting again.

I just wish there was a clear sign regarding what's happening.  I don't know why but both times this has happened, it really messes with me emotionally.  So I'm praying that this doesn't happen again, at least not for a couple of weeks.  Once I'm full term, I think I'll be able to handle this false labor better because then I will know that I really just need to wait until I'm in labor to worry.  One midwife said that pre-term labor doesn't always act like real labor, so it can be misleading, which is probably why she wanted me to get checked.  Yet the nurses tell me what to look for regarding real labor, which I know what to look for!  Since I'm still pre-term, this false labor makes me a little worried because I don't know what it's doing.  Ugh, it really sucks not understanding what my body is doing.  I can't wait until next Thursday when I am 37 weeks and considered full term.  Until then, I'm praying this doesn't happen again.  I just can't handle it :(

More Contractions

Ugh, I was woken up at 2:20 this morning with contractions again.  I had about 12 in the first hour and about 10 in the second hour.  I paged the midwife on call and she told me to try taking a bath, but that didn't really help.  However, eventually they started to subside and I was able to briefly fall asleep around 7:00, only to be woken up by another one at 7:30!  Why do they insist on coming in the middle of the night?!?!  They are strong enough and often enough that I can't sleep through them, yet I know they are not labor.

I have decided not to go into the hospital or to see a midwife since they are subsiding and the only thing they can really do is check my cervix to see if I have dilated more.  But even if I have dilated more, it doesn't mean I'm in labor, so it really doesn't provide any benefit and I really don't feel like going in.  So I'll just chill and hope that they go away completely like they did last time.  I'm sure they will.

I really wish this was an indicator that I will go into labor before my due date, but unfortunately it isn't.  I can have all kinds of false labor and still go into labor late!  It's so frustrating.  Oh well, at least she hasn't come too early yet.  The wait continues...

35 weeks

On Thursday I was 35 weeks along, so I'm slowly getting closer to my due date.  I say slowly because this isn't flying by for me, but it probably is for all of you, and for Paul as well :)  I asked Paul if he felt like these last 5 weeks are going to fly by for him and he said yes, so I guess I'm all by myself in feeling like they are going to drag by.  That's not really a surprise since I'm the one who has to carry her around and be uncomfortable.  Oh well, hopefully it will go by more quickly than I expect.

This week was really productive.  Sunday and Monday nights we spent organizing and cleaning up the house.  It was so nice to get all our stuff unpacked and set up for Brooke's arrival.  We still have some stuff left to get, but we have most of the big stuff, which is really nice.  Thanks to all my friends and family for helping us out so much!  Today we plan on finishing up the nursery - we only have a few more things to organize - and setting up the video monitor.  Then we are going to make a cheat sheet for our labor techniques from the Bradley method, just so we have them handy when the time comes :)  There's no way we are going to remember everything.

On Tuesday I had my regular OB check-up.  I met with a midwife to see if I wanted to transfer to the midwifery practice, which is a practice associated with UNC.  There are 6 midwives and they practice and perform deliveries at UNC in the same place that the doctors practice, so if something goes wrong during labor, the doctors are right there to take over.  I really liked the midwife I met with and felt that their theories and practices for the labor and delivery process match exactly what Paul and I want.  They are very focused on making the birth experience what we want and helping us figure out methods for dealing with pain and other situations without medicine.  But at the same time, they don't hesitate to give medicine if I want it or if the situation requires it.  They will also try to stay with me throughout the entire delivery unless they have other patients at the same time, but that's much better than being delivered by a doctor who doesn't show up until you are pushing.

At my appointment she just measured my belly, which measured perfectly, and listened for Brooke's heartbeat.  I thought she might check my cervix since I am already dilated 1 cm, but she said there is no reason to check my cervix unless I am having contractions because it shouldn't be making any progress without contractions.  She also said that checking the cervix can stimulate it some, so they don't want to do it unnecessarily.  So the next time she will check it is at 39 weeks unless I have contractions again.  She also said they don't need to see me more often, so my next appointment is 2 weeks from Tuesday.  I was hoping to go again this upcoming week, but I guess there is no need.  After next Tuesday's appointment I will begin seeing them on a weekly basis because at that point I will be 36.5 weeks along.

On Wednesday night, there was a "Meet the Midwives" session at UNC where we could meet 3 of the 6 midwives.  Paul and I went so that he could hear their practices since he wasn't able to go to my appointment on Tuesday and so that we could meet 3 of the midwives since I probably don't have enough appointments left before I give birth to meet all 6 of them.  Paul felt very good about what they had to say and we both were happy with their personalities, so we are very happy to transfer my care to them.  From now on, I will see a different midwife at each appointment until I give birth to try to meet as many of them as possible, since we won't know which one will perform the delivery.

The past couple of weeks I have started waking up more often, sometimes as often as 4-5 times per night, so I'm not getting as much sleep anymore.  I typically need to go to the bathroom when I wake up and I always have to roll over to my other side, so it's a bit of a process.  I have been trying to drink more water lately because I feel more dehydrated lately and dehydration can cause contractions, so I want to avoid that.  This past week, each night I have woken up at some point with a numb right hand, which is really weird.  I called the nurse on Thursday to find out what could be causing it and she said it sounds like I have carpel tunnel!  Apparently that is common in pregnancy and can happen during the day or at night or both.  She said I can wear wrist braces if it gets annoying, but that seems like more of an annoyance so I'm going to hold off on doing anything unless it gets really bad.  Early this morning I woke up and both hands were numb but it went away quickly and didn't come back.  What fun :)

My coworker suggested that I take belly pics of my belly without a shirt over it so I can really get a feel for what it looks like, so that's how I'm going to take my belly pics from now on.  Even though I still seem to be carrying Brooke kind of high, I feel like I can kind of tell that she has dropped some from the outside, and I can definitely tell she has dropped some from the inside.  It's much harder now to sit or bend forward, especially with my legs together :)