Oops. My last one was at 35 weeks. Yikes!
According to Baby Center, at 36 weeks...
"Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) [again with these weird fruits and veggies] and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. [Sadie Mae was only 17.5 at full term... I wonder if this baby will be short too.] She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.
At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. [Yes, baby is head down...] But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," [Been there. Done that. Didn't work.] which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly."
January 2, 2013
36 weeks
(Week of January 2, 2013 - January 8, 2013)
How far along: 36 weeks
How big is baby: The size of a crenshaw melon... whatever the heck that is. But around 6 pounds.
Total weight gain: 37 pounds. Oy!
Starting weight: 125
Starting weight: 125
Current weight (as far as I know): 162
Maternity clothes? Yep... well, stretchy pants.
Sleep: It is pretty good actually. Just hard to roll over in the middle of the night. And I get hot in the middle of the night, which is weird for me. I have to sleep with no socks, and a tank top on.
Best moment this week: My baby shower! :)
Gender: Take a guess.
Movement: Heck yes. Baby is rolling around like crazy!
Labor Signs: I'm really never sure.
Belly Button in or out? Out. Majorly.
Stretch marks? Still that one...
What I miss: Getting up and down like I want.
What I am looking forward to: Meeting baby. I'm about done with this pregnancy.
Milestones: I now feel so much more prepared after the shower. Nursery is basically ready.
According to Baby Center, at 37 weeks...
"Your baby is now considered "full term," even though your due date is three weeks away. If you go into labor now, his lungs will likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. (Some babies need a bit more time, though. So if you're planning to have a repeat c-section, for example, your practitioner will schedule it for no earlier than 39 weeks unless there's a medical reason to intervene earlier.)
Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). [Unless that baby is Sadie Mae... :)] Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz." [I would LOVE to have a red-headed baby!!!]
January 9, 2013
37 weeks... FULL TERM!
Notice the drop?
(Week of: January 9, 2013 - January 15, 2013)
How far along: 37 weeks
How big is baby: Over 6 pounds.
Total weight gain: 37 pounds. Ugh!
Starting weight: 125
Starting weight: 125
Current weight (as far as I know): 162
Maternity clothes? stretchy pannnnnttttssssss!
Sleep: Not bad. Actually, pretty good.
Best moment this week: Took maternity pictures. My belly dropped. For sure. I woke up in the middle of the night to pee. And out of habit, I went to rub my belly. And there was NO belly above my belly button. I was all squishy and empty. So weird!
Gender: You've got a 50/50 shot. Go ahead and guess.
Movement: Yep. Lots and lots still.
Labor Signs: I've started having some contractions. Nothing painful. But they've started.
Belly Button in or out? Way out.
Stretch marks? Um, yeah. Because my belly dropped, I guess it stretched out my belly again. I'm not really happy about it. But I've got a few faint ones below my belly button. They make me want to throw up! :( Now, let's get this baby out before they get worse.
What I miss: My no stretch mark belly. :(
What I am looking forward to: Meeting baby. Let's do this!
Milestones: FULL TERM BABY!
According to Baby Center, at 38 weeks...
"Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.
Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes.)" [People ask me all the time what color Sadie Mae's eyes were. I always tell them brown just because that's what I would assume. But, since she never opened them, I really don't know what color they were. Whenever I read this week's update, it always makes me wonder.]
January 16, 2013
38 weeks
(Week of: January 16, 2013 - January 22, 2013)
How far along: 38 weeks
How big is baby: 6.8 pounds... size of a leek (????)
Total weight gain: 40 pounds! yuck! I was doing so well at the beginning! What happened?
Starting weight: 125
Starting weight: 125
Current weight (as far as I know): 165
Maternity clothes? Since my belly dropped, even maternity shirts are showing my belly.
Sleep: Pretty good. I'm thankful. I'm even getting naps most days.
Best moment this week: Dilated to a 4!!!! 40% effaced. I mean, that's half way there, right? Baby's heart rate was 158 at my appointment. And my blood pressure was 98/62.
Gender: What's your guess?
Movement: Yes. It's different now... but still lots of movement.
Labor Signs: Yep. Contractions have started. I'm getting nervous.
Belly Button in or out? WAAAAYYY out!
Stretch marks? Yes, and I'm bummed. I went almost 2 pregnancies with none on my belly. I don't know what happened. And I'm not seeing the beauty in them. They are totally grossing me out and making me want to throw up. What kind of bathing suit can I wear? Ugh!!! Maybe I'm being vain. But I'm just being honest. (Puke.)
What I miss: Not having stretch marks on my belly. Seriously.
What I am looking forward to: Meeting baby. Come on already!
Milestones: ...Contractions have started. And I passed my original due date (January 20th).
False Alarm:
Well, baby didn't come on Sadie Mae's birthday, like I thought it would. I think I really got my hopes up. And I was totally disappointed.
Last week, all week, I didn't feel good. And I was completely exhausted. I was having some contractions, and downloaded a contraction app timer on my phone. The contractions were not painful at all. But were somewhat regular. I say somewhat because if I averaged them all out, they would have been about 5 minutes apart. I would have 3-4 in a row, less than 2 minutes apart. Then, maybe I wouldn't have another one for 15-30 minutes. But I would have 3-4 more in a row again less than 2 minutes apart. I figured labor was getting close.
Saturday, they continued. Still, they weren't painful; but just continued. A couple even woke me up out of my sleep that night.
By Sunday, TJ was pretty sure that was going to be the day (my original due date; January 20). We stayed home from church, and just relaxed all day. And yet, the contractions continued. (Yes, they were as consistent as I mentioned above for almost a week. But still not painful.)
I napped for awhile. And overall felt pretty crappy... which I've heard is a sign of impending labor.
I spoke with my doula, who mentioned that by the time she realized she was in labor, and her contractions were really regular and painful... that it was almost too late.
So she thought it would be a good idea to go the hospital and get checked out.
I wasn't in disagreement as I was so nervous that I would be in labor without realizing it (my labor with Sadie Mae went so fast... and I'm not ready to have this baby here at home). I really wanted to go and just get some peace of mind, if I wasn't in labor.
Although part of me wanted to me. Another part of me was terrified.
I took my sweet time fixing my hair, putting on my make up and finishing packing my bag.
Around 7:00, we headed to the hospital.
Our nurse recognized us from 2 years ago when I had Sadie Mae. She said she remembered everything about that birth. (Amazing, huh?)
She hooked me up to the monitor... and for 15 minutes, I never had not one contraction. Well, a few tiny ones were showing up... but nothing that I could feel, or would have "counted" as a contraction.
Finally, I told TJ to pray over my belly, and when he did, I had a few in a row. Thank the Lord something showed up. They were registering in the 40's. (I'm not really sure exactly what that means... but the higher the number, and closer to 100, the better.)
After 30 minutes, the nurse checked me.
She said she disagreed with my doctor that I was a 4. She said she would count me more as a 3-4. (Close enough, right?)
And she said my cervix was still thick. (Which the doctor had said I was thinning, on Wednesday... 40% effaced.) I think the doctor has a "glass half full" outlook, and the nurse a "glass half empty."
But whatever.
I got approved to walk for an hour to see if anything changed.
We ended up walking about 2.5 miles.
And I felt like baby was about to FALL out!!!
After an hour, I was hooked back up to the monitor, where my contractions were measuring up to about 75, continuously. And not really going back down. They were registering around 30-75, 30 being the lowest they were falling.
And they continued for about 20 minutes. And then they dropped back down again... to about what they were before we started walking.
After being on the monitor for 30 minutes, the nurse came back in and checked me again. She said I was still too thick to admit, and that she was sending me home.
She also told me that since I was wanting to go natural, to wait until I was dilated to an 8 to come back. (How will I know, seriously?)
When I told her I was scared I my labor was going to progress too quickly (I mean, I'm already at a 4, once my labor "picks up" it will be close to time... and that's what I'm scared of.) she responded with, "that's what ambulances and EMT's are for."
:/
I mean, I sort of agree with her with waiting as long as I can to go to the hospital. But I really felt like the ambulance comment was taking things a little too far.
If I happen to get to the hospital, just in time... that's fine. I'll be happy with that.
However, I refuse to wait at home until it's almost too late.
I want to deliver in the hospital... not at home, or in an ambulance.
TJ would not be of any help at all if I were to accidentally deliver at home.
And I'm not willing to risk it.
My contractions got stronger yesterday, but they were further apart.
Several of them woke me up in the middle of the night last night.
But, I've only had a few today.
What's up with that?
I think I've just gotten my hopes up. I just have to get my head back on straight, realize that I'm still one week away from my due date... and take a deep breath.
I know baby will come when it's ready. But I'm so anxious right now. (If only I just knew WHEN it would come... I would feel much better.)
I accidentally missed my doctor appointment yesterday. (I thought it was today.)
So, I might have another update later. Maybe there will be great change. Maybe there won't be any.
But what will the doctor do if I'm even more dilated... but still not having regular contractions? I mean there has to be a limit as to how far dilated I can be, and still left to wander on the streets, right? :)
Anyways, say a prayer for me. Pray that I can just enjoy this last bit of pregnancy, without worrying about when this baby will come.
But baby... just so you know. We are so ready for you... so come on if you feel like it. :)
You look adorable:) Praying for a safe delivery!
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