Week 38

Lots of people have warned me about the last few weeks of pregnancy so I am just waiting to start feeling really horrible, but it's just not happening (and I'm not complaining about that!)!  : )  I am having lots of contractions and they seem to be stronger than before but I guess they are still just practice (Braxton Hicks) contractions since they don't hurt at all, they can just be a little uncomfortable at times.  The baby is acting a little crazy though... last night I almost called the doctor in the middle of the night because she was going nuts in there.  She was moving all over the place for over 2 hours and it felt like she was scraping her heels against my insides and it hurt!  I did ask the doctor once about her crazy activity level and she said that it's never a concern that she moves too much, only if she is not moving enough, so I decided to spare the doctor a phone call at 1am. 

We had our 38 week appointment this morning, and unfortunately not much to report!  She measured my belly at 37 cm this week and had measured me at 36 the two prior weeks, so the baby is growing a bit, but she said in terms of effacement and dilation it was pretty much the same as last week (50% and 1cm).  We were hoping for a little more progress, but I guess that's ok!  She reminded us that everyone is different in terms of how much progress they make before they actually go into labor, some women don't dilate past 1 cm until they go into labor.  We are just anxious for the baby to arrive at this point, and I am also afraid of how big she could be if she stays in there too long.  : )  It is just so hard not knowing when she will come and sitting around thinking about how I could go into labor at any time! 

I used a gift certificate I had from work for a Mother to Be Massage on Monday.... it was so nice!  They had a special pillow to lay on with an opening for the baby belly, it was strange to be on my stomach at first since I haven't been able to do that in many months.  It was really relaxing and I enjoyed the pool/spa area outside for awhile afterward, but I didn't actually swim (didn't really want to bare the giant belly) and I didn't bring any sunscreen so I didn't want to stay too long.  But it was a great way to relax and be pampered before the baby arrives.  I can't say I would have done it without the gift certificate as it is pretty expensive, but it was fabulous anyway! 

I finished reading the Babywise book this week (by Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam), it is a super quick and easy read and I thought it was a great book!  It has been recommended to me by many friends who have used it and it just seems to make so much sense!  I am hoping to follow it and have a baby that has healthy sleep habits and is able to sleep through the night (eventually) and fall asleep on her own, but we will see!  In the very early days/weeks they just recommend that you always try to make the baby take a full feeding to avoid the baby getting into the habit of snacking and eating a small amount very frequently which seems to make a lot of sense.  Then they are supposed to fall into a schedule of feeding every 2.5-3 hours, and the next most important thing you can do is make sure the order of their routine is feed, wake, sleep.  This avoids the common problem of a baby requiring a feeding to go to sleep, and also helps the baby to fall asleep on their own.  You are also to avoid always rocking the baby to sleep and sleeping with the baby in your bed for the same reason.  Anyway, to each their own on what philosophy you follow, but our plan is to  follow the Babywise program.  I will keep you posted on how it works out.  : )  Now onto the next baby books! 

Week 38 update from Babycenter.com:

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.)

Week 37

We just had our 37 week appointment and the doctor said the baby is now fully engaged (her head has dropped below the pelvic bone and she is no longer floating)!  She said I am 50% effaced and one centimeter dilated which is a great sign.  It's hard to say at this point though how quickly things will progress from here as everyone is different.  But we were excited about her progress!  She is still moving around a lot, which is kind of surprising considering how squished she must be in there at this point, but the doctor said the movement is a good thing so we are entertained watching my belly bounce all around.  I am still feeling good... sleeping is a little harder these days and I am definitely having to pee more, but I can't complain too much! I just keep waiting to start feeling terrible as I've heard it's pretty normal towards the home stretch, but so far so good. 

Not working is pretty much the best thing ever!  : )  I have to admit now that I have run most of the errands I am getting a little bored, but it is still so nice to be off and able to relax, exercise, read baby books, and get all of the last minute things done.  We got the crib and dresser all set up in our room and while it's not as ideal as having enough space to have a separate nursery, it's really not too bad!  We LOVE the sweet lambie bedding, however I think we are going to have to remove the adorable bumper for awhile as it can be a SIDS risk. 

Between gifts and my shopping (dangerous to not be working!) her dresser is pretty much full already!  I got the cutest swimsuit for her (not sure if it's realistic that she will use it late this summer or not, but I coudn't resist) and a cute cotton dress with a hoodie in case it's chilly to wear home from the hospital. 

Week 37 update from whattoexpect.com:
Congratulations! You've got what is officially considered a full-term baby, even with three weeks to go. That doesn't mean he's finished growing — in fact, he's still packing on about a half pound a week (at this age, the average fetus weighs about 6.5 pounds). That makes it a little crowded in your uterus, so he’s probably not kicking as much, though he’s probably stretching, rolling a bit, and wiggling (all of which you’ll be able to feel!). Right now, your little superstar is busy rehearsing for his big debut, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to get the lungs ready for that first breath), sucking his thumb (to prepare for that first suckle of milk), blinking, and turning from side to side.

Baby Shower!

We had the baby shower last weekend and it was fabulous!  It was so nice to see everyone and get together to celebrate the baby!  : )  Thank you to everyone who made it and to everyone who sent the wonderful gifts... the baby has a GREAT start to her wardrobe and necessities! 

Joel, my mom, and Joel's mom were wonderful!  THANK YOU!  Joel was up half the night on Thursday and Friday night helping to get things ready and he carved the most adorable baby carriage watermelon which held the fruit salad.  : )  My mom and Joel's mom planned a few fun games, delicious food and cupcakes, and an adorable diaper cake!  They were great hostesses!  Although we STILL have not committed to a name for sure, as part of one of the games we had the guests vote on the baby's name, and Kiera was the big winner! 

Enjoy the photos! 

Week 36

Phew, what a week it has been!  I thought I would have all the time in the world once I stopped working but I have been staying busy getting things for the shower (I'll do a separate shower post, too much to talk about!) and then picking up lots of baby items that we felt like we should have in case she comes early.  We got the crib up this week and it looks great!  The bedroom is actually quite cozy with her furniture and doesn't feel as crowded as we thought it would.

So we had our ultrasound last Friday and the baby looks great, and big!  : )  The ultrasound was much different than the earlier ones because she is so large now that you can see very little of her in one shot (like just her mouth and nose) rather than the whole body like before.  They measured the diameter of her head and abdomen and the length of her leg and arm bones, then put those measurements into the computer which spits out an approximate weight... 6 lb 5 oz!  I included a couple of the ultrasound pictures below.  The first shows her head/face from the side and the second is just her nose and mouth (sideways).  We can' wait to meet her! 

We saw the doctor yesterday who informed us that this is still an estimate of her weight and that this she is in the 70% percentile for size, so she is definitely large, but not TOO large. It was also interesting that the doctor measured me at 36 cm this week, while the doctor at 34 weeks measured me at 37 cm... I guess it's not very exact since they are just holding a tape measure up to your belly and where they start and stop is up to them! ( I have been seeing different doctors to this point since you don't know who will deliver you out of the doctor group, but I will see the same doctor every week now.) The doctor also basically said there is no way to know whether you will be able to deliver the baby vaginally until delivery comes since there are so many factors... how much the baby's head molds, your pelvis, how strong your contractions are, etc. So I am just hoping to not go though labor to only have a c-section at the end, but I guess we will see what happens! The doctor also said the baby is not really engaged yet, she has started to drop and she could feel her head, but when she pushed on it it still appears to be floating rather than completely engaged in the pelvis.

Week 36 Update (babycenter.com):
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) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. 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. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," 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.

Week 35

We had our 34 week appointment last Wednesday and all is well... the baby's heartbeat was good and she is still in a head down position.  However, the measurement from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus is generally in line with the number of weeks you are and I was measuring 37 cm at 34 weeks!  Yikes!  I am really hoping that this does not mean the baby is huge as that really makes me scared of labor!  The doctor didn't seem concerned at all, they already ruled out gestational diabetes previously with a blood test, so most likely she is either just large, she will come early, or there could be a lot of amniotic fluid in there that's causing the larger measurement.  The doctor said we could do an ultrasound to check her growth if we wanted so we said we'd love to!  Not only would we love to see her again, but I do think it will make me feel better to know how big she really is and if there is any reason for concern.  I guess my biggest concern with her being large is that I would go through all the pain of laboring for hours, only to have her delivered by C-section if she doesn't fit through the birth canal.  If that were the case it would be nice to just know that going into it!  So we have an ultrasound scheduled for this Friday 4/9 and then my 36 week appointment is Tuesday 4/13 where we will discuss the findings with the doctor.  She will also perform my first internal exam at the appointment to see if I have started to dilate.  So the next week should be an exciting one! 

We had a great Easter weekend.  We played twilight golf on Friday, which I later decided might not be the best idea anymore as my back was killing me the rest of the night.  We had Joel's parents over for hamballs on Easter and the dinner was delicious.  Although we were interrupted from our cooking by a rather large (7.2!) earthquake!  The shaking started and we realized it was an earthquake and usually that's about it, but this time the shaking continued for 30 seconds or so and continued to get stronger.  This was the first earthquake where I was actually scared!  The shutters were shaking loudly and a picture frame fell upstairs in the loft and we decided to go outside (since we're on the top floor there's not really anything above us out there).  The shaking stopped and all was well, but it added some excitement to our Easter!  There were several aftershocks yesterday afternoon and a few that woke me up last night while we were sleeping, but nothing as long or strong as the original. 

We got the glider chair assembled last night and we have been enjoying rocking in it, even without the baby!  I can't wait for my shower on Saturday... it will be great to see everyone!  Tomorrow is my LAST day of work!  How crazy is that?!?  I am definitely looking forward to it and cannot believe it is finally here.  It is just a reminder that the baby will literally be here before we know it! 

Week 35 Update from whattoexpect.com:
Your baby is standing tall (so to speak) this week at about 20 inches and continues her steady weight gain to 5.5 pounds. While she won't get much longer, she will continue to pack on the pounds — including large amounts of baby fat — right up 'til delivery day. Something else that's moving at a mind-boggling pace these day: fetal brain development! There's a lot going on inside that tiny head, which is, by the way, still soft to allow an easier exit through the birth canal. And now that she's head-down in preparation for delivery, chances are your bladder is feeling the squeeze.