I am one and a half days from my 38 week mark. This past week, and these upcoming days/weeks that I have left are going to be a doozie, I can already tell. I'm starting to get stretch marks above my belly button now (dang it!), and things are getting more and more challenging. My weight is still going up, and now my feet, ankles and legs are swelling (and it is unavoidable!). They look almost normal first thing in the morning, but if I can't keep them elevated, they immediately get huge. I went to my doctor's appointment on Friday, and she said I was 1 cm dilated and 30% effaced, which is exciting! However, she said that it could still be a 39, 40 or 41 week birth, so to get that in my head and try to hang in there. A few scares at my appointment:
-When they checked my blood pressure, it was higher than normal, though still in the normal range. It was a flag though, for possible preclampsia. So we have to keep an eye on it. There are a bunch of other side effects that accompany preclampsia that I have not experienced yet, so just keeping an eye on things is the suggestion for now. If it gets higher, I think they may induce.
-At the end of my appointment, I stood up from the table and noticed some wet marks on the paper where I was sitting. The doc thought maybe it was from the exam since she used lubricant to check my pelvis, or maybe seamen from intercourse the night before, but we did a fetal heart monitor and contraction monitor, as well as measuring fluid levels via ultrasound just to be sure. They didn't say much of anything (and I don't think they had any fluid levels to compare it to prior to the exam), so I am due back Monday for another checkup. Oh the joys...
I have been having contractions, but they are still very mild and not regular. When I was on the monitor at the doctors office, I could see them, which was neat. They were tiny and short, just like I have been feeling, but it was neat to know I wasn't crazy and was actually having some. I'm trying tricks for contractions/labor, hoping to encourage things to get going. Mostly just walking as the consistent one, but just started drinking raspberry leaf tea, and getting massages in the correct pressure points (or asking my hubby to massage a little for me), and trying to get some sex in (a challenge in itself). Hopefully I won't be pregnant much longer, this is getting ridiculous. I feel so huge, heavy and fat, lol. My stomach often feels like it is going to burst. I'm ready to stop getting up every single hour (though the night too) to pee. I would be happy to get up a few times during the night to feed my daughter, but it's just a nuisance to pee every hour! Ugh..
At least there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I gotta stay strong! One month from now, I will NOT be pregnant..I have to keep reminding myself of that :)
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Sunday, March 3, 2013
36 Weeks!
Well a few fun things have happened since we last "spoke". First off, our babymoon was AWESOME and so nice to have that time together with my husband, just the two of us. We stayed pretty local, went to a comedy show in town, went to The Royal Gorge, visited Cannon City, went to Cave of the Winds, gambled a little in Cripple Creek, and had tea at The Glen Eyrie Castle (that was awesome!). I was unfortunately hit by a spat of diarrhea on our trip, but God allowed it to be bearable enough, and the nurse told me it was OK to take Imodium, which helped. Apparently you are NOT allowed to take Pepto Bismol when pregnant, which was a surprise to us, but good to know. Anyway, it was a great time that my husband and I really enjoyed.
I know in my last post I mentioned that I started getting arthritis and migraines. Since that note, I haven't had any more problems with either of these, praise the Lord. Of course, now that I say that, I will have just jinxed myself, lol :) You certainly have good days and bad days. I often wonder how anyone willingly goes through this again, the whole 'pregnancy' thing. But I catch myself already forgetting the really bad days, and thinking about when we may be pregnant again! What on earth is this kind of amnesia?! I'm glad I have this blog to remind myself of how unpleasant it can be, but I think with the end result being soooooo worth it, it may just happen again (don't tell my husband I said that!).
We are starting to see signs of things that we were taught of in class happening, so I'm thinking the baby is coming early! We are at 36 weeks tomorrow, and the ideal 'early' birth starts at 37 weeks, when you are considered full term (but they still like to see you go to 40). However, she has already dropped, and is head down. I also lost my mucus plug (aka baby cork) on Saturday. These can be signs that she will come anywhere from NOW to a few weeks..but I don't think she is going to make it to April 1. The mucus plug came out when I was going to the bathroom, though I did notice an extra thick layer of something on my pantyliner when I first sat down. Then I felt something slide out. Looked in the toilet, and there it was. Mine was a thin, clearish looking thing (sometimes other people experience it with a slight coloration or tinged with blood). It kinda looked like a clear, used condom. Apparently they can regenerate and you can lose it again, but this is a sign of my cervix opening, which is exciting! Baby is being soooo active now a days, and I think she is trying to figure out how to be my little escape artist!
Now that she has dropped, I can breathe so much easier! I am able to read books out loud without having to catch my breath. How lovely. However, my hips are hurting even more when I sleep (and I didn't even know that was possible), and I have to pee even more (once again, didn't even know that was possible), especially at night...which SUCKS for sleeping! I think I get up probably 8 times. 8 TIMES! I think my problem is that I am a tosser/turner, and I know you can only sleep on your side, so it takes a TON of effort to move this 30lb bowling ball from one side to the other. So when I do turn, it wakes me up. And when I wake up, I think "Oh, I better go to the bathroom, because otherwise I will wake up from having to pee, and I don't want to do that". Not like it would really make a difference. And I still wake up and have a slight case of insomnia, and cannot go back to sleep for a few hours. So I go downstairs and have a snack (usually a bowl of cereal or greek yogurt) and play on my phone, before returning and attempting to sleep again. I think I am TOTALLY ready to be up these late nights with my baby girl after she arrives...I have already been trained the past few months to do it anyway! And it's way more fun and adorable to have a purpose of a baby to be up, instead of a bladder or hungry tummy.
My mom came up today to hang out with me as our last "mother daughter" hurrah. She took me out to dinner (I got some delicious crab at Joe's Crab Shack), and she surprised me with a very sweet cross-stitched baby blanket for Ali. It is very sweet, and it took her a LONG time to make. Also one of her friends made Ali a baby hat, which is very adorable as well. I can't wait to take a picture of her in it!
A friend of mine who is a couple weeks ahead of me had posted on facebook "these are not my feet!" and I thought oh how unfortunate, she has swollen feet. So glad I'm not dealing with that. Oops, once again, I spoke too soon. My feet are HUGE. What the heck happened to them? And yes, I now have cankles (my husband thinks that is hilarious). They say 'keep your legs propped up", but they also tell you to "walk and get some exercise in", which makes the swelling worse. And my hands swell too. Today I took off my wedding ring (breaks my heart! But it would break more if we had to cut it off later). I put a larger sized ring on my finger to replace it. But later this evening, my hands stopped swelling and went back to normal (my feet did not), and the larger ring didn't fit and slid right off. So I'm thinking I need to be "ringless" and try not to care at judgemental stares.
Can I just say that Kaiser sucks? I know I have complained about our coverage before, but really, I feel gypped. I have been pregnant along with about 4 other friends, and they all are getting more attention and care than I am. In this last month, everyone is seeing their doctor once a week. I have a 36, 38, and possible 40 week appointment. My friend who I talk more in detail with had been checked for dilatation and effacement at her 36 week appointment. I just went to mine on Friday (a few days prior to our official 36 week date), and the doctor basically said "no", and that we would check that next time, and that I couldn't possibly be dilated yet (even though my friend was 2 cm dilated already at hers). I already had my pants off for the strep B test (which I basically had to convince her to do at this appointment instead of next time!), so why not just check? And apparently the doc was wrong since my mucus plug came out the next morning (which is a sign the cervix is opening!), so blah, whateverrrrrrr. I guess I should just be thankful for modern technology and education, and that if something actually were to happen that was really important, I can get the help I need. But I would appreciate some preventative measures and knowledge. Knowledge is power, right? And this is my first pregnancy, so it would be nice to know what is going on and how things are progressing. Ok, enough of that.
Oh I guess I should describe what it felt like for Ali to drop. I woke up one morning, feeling like maybe she had dropped, but then I assumed I was crazy, because I didn't think she would drop while I was sleeping, since gravity wasn't really helping her at that point. I felt like I really should stop using my maternity belt because I was afraid that was kind of 'blocking' her and holding her up so she couldn't drop, even though the doctor assured me that it shouldn't interfere with that. But I took it upon myself anyway to stop wearing it. And I was motivated to go for a walk. The next day, I felt her drop in the morning, while I was sitting at my work desk. It was just a small muscle sensation at the base of my pelvis, no pain or anything, just different and weird. I stood up, walked around a bit, tried to relax my abdomen, and even squatted a bit. I felt that muscle sensation a couple more times through the next few days. Everyone says they can see that she has dropped, and it is much more comfortable (at least during the day). She is easier to carry around, and I haven't needed to use the belt since. So there is that.
Oh yes, another thing: the paranoia of thinking your water broke. I'm not a small girl. The last few weeks I have noticed my underwear getting wet. Sometimes more than others. If it is a lot, I'm nervous that my water broke. But so far, it has just been sweat. It is hard to tell though! People say it can be a pop and a gush, or just a trickle, and you will 'soak your panties' eventually. I feel like my panties are partially soaked, but it is from the sweat. Not sure why I am sweating up there as much as I am, but whatever. As I was looking for ways to tell, the best tips I found were: the smell. Sweat smells like sweat. I guess your water can smell a little sweeter, and not like sweat. And some people say it can be urine that you are leaking too. Also another test is to put fresh panties on and lay down on your side for about 30 minutes. If you stand up after that and your panties get immediately wet, it's your water. So maybe that will help someone. Who knows.
Alright, I think that about wraps it up for me at this point! Ali may be here in a few days, or still have a few weeks to go, but the excitement is prominent!
I know in my last post I mentioned that I started getting arthritis and migraines. Since that note, I haven't had any more problems with either of these, praise the Lord. Of course, now that I say that, I will have just jinxed myself, lol :) You certainly have good days and bad days. I often wonder how anyone willingly goes through this again, the whole 'pregnancy' thing. But I catch myself already forgetting the really bad days, and thinking about when we may be pregnant again! What on earth is this kind of amnesia?! I'm glad I have this blog to remind myself of how unpleasant it can be, but I think with the end result being soooooo worth it, it may just happen again (don't tell my husband I said that!).
We are starting to see signs of things that we were taught of in class happening, so I'm thinking the baby is coming early! We are at 36 weeks tomorrow, and the ideal 'early' birth starts at 37 weeks, when you are considered full term (but they still like to see you go to 40). However, she has already dropped, and is head down. I also lost my mucus plug (aka baby cork) on Saturday. These can be signs that she will come anywhere from NOW to a few weeks..but I don't think she is going to make it to April 1. The mucus plug came out when I was going to the bathroom, though I did notice an extra thick layer of something on my pantyliner when I first sat down. Then I felt something slide out. Looked in the toilet, and there it was. Mine was a thin, clearish looking thing (sometimes other people experience it with a slight coloration or tinged with blood). It kinda looked like a clear, used condom. Apparently they can regenerate and you can lose it again, but this is a sign of my cervix opening, which is exciting! Baby is being soooo active now a days, and I think she is trying to figure out how to be my little escape artist!
Now that she has dropped, I can breathe so much easier! I am able to read books out loud without having to catch my breath. How lovely. However, my hips are hurting even more when I sleep (and I didn't even know that was possible), and I have to pee even more (once again, didn't even know that was possible), especially at night...which SUCKS for sleeping! I think I get up probably 8 times. 8 TIMES! I think my problem is that I am a tosser/turner, and I know you can only sleep on your side, so it takes a TON of effort to move this 30lb bowling ball from one side to the other. So when I do turn, it wakes me up. And when I wake up, I think "Oh, I better go to the bathroom, because otherwise I will wake up from having to pee, and I don't want to do that". Not like it would really make a difference. And I still wake up and have a slight case of insomnia, and cannot go back to sleep for a few hours. So I go downstairs and have a snack (usually a bowl of cereal or greek yogurt) and play on my phone, before returning and attempting to sleep again. I think I am TOTALLY ready to be up these late nights with my baby girl after she arrives...I have already been trained the past few months to do it anyway! And it's way more fun and adorable to have a purpose of a baby to be up, instead of a bladder or hungry tummy.
My mom came up today to hang out with me as our last "mother daughter" hurrah. She took me out to dinner (I got some delicious crab at Joe's Crab Shack), and she surprised me with a very sweet cross-stitched baby blanket for Ali. It is very sweet, and it took her a LONG time to make. Also one of her friends made Ali a baby hat, which is very adorable as well. I can't wait to take a picture of her in it!
A friend of mine who is a couple weeks ahead of me had posted on facebook "these are not my feet!" and I thought oh how unfortunate, she has swollen feet. So glad I'm not dealing with that. Oops, once again, I spoke too soon. My feet are HUGE. What the heck happened to them? And yes, I now have cankles (my husband thinks that is hilarious). They say 'keep your legs propped up", but they also tell you to "walk and get some exercise in", which makes the swelling worse. And my hands swell too. Today I took off my wedding ring (breaks my heart! But it would break more if we had to cut it off later). I put a larger sized ring on my finger to replace it. But later this evening, my hands stopped swelling and went back to normal (my feet did not), and the larger ring didn't fit and slid right off. So I'm thinking I need to be "ringless" and try not to care at judgemental stares.
Can I just say that Kaiser sucks? I know I have complained about our coverage before, but really, I feel gypped. I have been pregnant along with about 4 other friends, and they all are getting more attention and care than I am. In this last month, everyone is seeing their doctor once a week. I have a 36, 38, and possible 40 week appointment. My friend who I talk more in detail with had been checked for dilatation and effacement at her 36 week appointment. I just went to mine on Friday (a few days prior to our official 36 week date), and the doctor basically said "no", and that we would check that next time, and that I couldn't possibly be dilated yet (even though my friend was 2 cm dilated already at hers). I already had my pants off for the strep B test (which I basically had to convince her to do at this appointment instead of next time!), so why not just check? And apparently the doc was wrong since my mucus plug came out the next morning (which is a sign the cervix is opening!), so blah, whateverrrrrrr. I guess I should just be thankful for modern technology and education, and that if something actually were to happen that was really important, I can get the help I need. But I would appreciate some preventative measures and knowledge. Knowledge is power, right? And this is my first pregnancy, so it would be nice to know what is going on and how things are progressing. Ok, enough of that.
Oh I guess I should describe what it felt like for Ali to drop. I woke up one morning, feeling like maybe she had dropped, but then I assumed I was crazy, because I didn't think she would drop while I was sleeping, since gravity wasn't really helping her at that point. I felt like I really should stop using my maternity belt because I was afraid that was kind of 'blocking' her and holding her up so she couldn't drop, even though the doctor assured me that it shouldn't interfere with that. But I took it upon myself anyway to stop wearing it. And I was motivated to go for a walk. The next day, I felt her drop in the morning, while I was sitting at my work desk. It was just a small muscle sensation at the base of my pelvis, no pain or anything, just different and weird. I stood up, walked around a bit, tried to relax my abdomen, and even squatted a bit. I felt that muscle sensation a couple more times through the next few days. Everyone says they can see that she has dropped, and it is much more comfortable (at least during the day). She is easier to carry around, and I haven't needed to use the belt since. So there is that.
Oh yes, another thing: the paranoia of thinking your water broke. I'm not a small girl. The last few weeks I have noticed my underwear getting wet. Sometimes more than others. If it is a lot, I'm nervous that my water broke. But so far, it has just been sweat. It is hard to tell though! People say it can be a pop and a gush, or just a trickle, and you will 'soak your panties' eventually. I feel like my panties are partially soaked, but it is from the sweat. Not sure why I am sweating up there as much as I am, but whatever. As I was looking for ways to tell, the best tips I found were: the smell. Sweat smells like sweat. I guess your water can smell a little sweeter, and not like sweat. And some people say it can be urine that you are leaking too. Also another test is to put fresh panties on and lay down on your side for about 30 minutes. If you stand up after that and your panties get immediately wet, it's your water. So maybe that will help someone. Who knows.
Alright, I think that about wraps it up for me at this point! Ali may be here in a few days, or still have a few weeks to go, but the excitement is prominent!
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