38 weeks

You know the worst thing you can say to a pregnant lady while your hand is up her tooter--who is almost due? "You've made no changes!!" That is what I heard today on my 38 weeks visit. She did say that my cervix is soft, but still no dilation. It's frustrating. Especially since I feel like I walked a marathon this past week. BUT--the baby and I are completely healthy, and that is more than I could ask for! So my midwife said that next Monday (Dec. 3rd) when I go in for my 39 week visit, we will go ahead and schedule my induction for the following week. So since her due date is Dec. 10th....I'm going to push for Dec 11th as my induction date :) We will see! And there is still a chance that she will come on her own in the next 2 weeks. From what she said--some women dilate to a 3 by 37 weeks, but make no progress after that. And some are closed until labor begins, and dilate fast. Every woman is different. So although i haven't dilated doesn't mean I cannot go into labor--say--tonight!! For now I am resting. I am tired. Its raining...and thats a perfect combination for a nap.

Thanksgiving

Pedro and I with Aunt Lynnie :)

On monday I went back to the doctor for my weekly visit. The news?! I have a dimple in my cervix, yes a dimple. I was hoping they would tell me I was at least 3 cm dilated!! Oh well, everything is wonderful with Isabella so I cannot complain one bit. Now heres where it gets fun......Tuesday Pedro and I were at the soccer fields. He was flying one if his airplanes (for those who don't know--Pedro builds and flies gas engine airplanes) and he is very good at it!! I decided instead of sitting there I would walk around the field. So knowing that by swinging your hips back and forth helps the baby descend and become engaged, I get in my stance ready to speed walk. Feet a little bigger than shoulder width apart and swinging my hips as much as I could while walking. Well....come the second time around the field I feel a gush. So i yank my pants down (no there was No-one else but us on the fields!!) and sure enough my undergarments are wet. So I freak, in a very good way. That had to be my water breaking! What else could it be?! So I can barely talk but managed to call the doctors and talk with a nurse who tells me to come in right away to get checked. Well I ride in the car with my pants half off sitting on paper towels!!! We get there and the nurse does all the regular things, blood pressure, weight, pee in the cup...then we get to see the doctor!! I am laying there with my feet in stirrups, specula in place and uncomfortable, when she tells me the test says there is no amniotic fluid. what?! Then what could it be? She tells me that as I was walking the babies head could have descended and pressed on my bladder very hard causing...you guessed it, a gush of pee to come out. So at 24 years old, I wet my pants.

So no baby for Thanksgiving but with my due date only 2 1/2 weeks aways I still have plenty of time to walk and eat spicy food to get my uterus dilated!!

November 13th

Today we (pedro and I) went in for my weekly checkup. I am 36 weeks and 1 day today, with less than 4 weeks until her due date- December 10th. The doctor did an internal exam and said I have started effacing, thinning of the cervix, and she says I am about 50% effaced....but no dilation- My cervix is still closed. The good thing is that the process has started. And as much as I would love to have her here NOW, a few more weeks is not that bad--and I will be able to still hit all the day after thanksgiving sales :) I'll just be waddling a little more than usual!


SO last night as I was cooking dinner Pedro looks at me and says, 'Thank you.' Then says, 'Before I met you I was alone and now I have a wonderful family.'
He melts my heart sometimes.......

"Babies of pregnant exercisers tend to sleep through the night sooner, are less prone to colic, and are better able to soothe themselves. Scientists attribute this to these babies being stimulated by their moms through changes in heart rate and oxygen levels, as well as the sounds and vibrations they experience in the womb during workouts."

35 weeks

35 weeks and 2 days....When I was weighed at the doctors today I was told I have put on a total of 20 pounds, I now weigh 141. Which seems like a HUGE number for me, but 20 lbs. is actually better than perfect. Most women gain around 40, so my good eating habits and exercise are really benefiting me and the baby while I have been pregnant. Not that I eat good all the time....but at least most of the time!! :) I was also told my uterus measures 34 cm. Your uterus should measure right around how many weeks you are pregnant so since I am 35 weeks that is a great measurement for me. I also signed my release for the delivery of the baby, whether by c-section or vaginally. And next weeks doctors appointment will be a long awaited one! They will give me an internal exam to see if I have started to efface (thinning of the cervix) or dilate (opening of the cervix). And to do a pelvic exam to determine the size and position of the baby and to make sure she will be able to pass through my pelvis. I am extrememly excited to see if I have started to dilate b/c that means my body is starting the process of labor!

37 weeks is considered term in pregnancy, so the baby can come anywhere between 37-42 weeks, with you estimated due date at 40 weeks. So if she comes at 37 weeks then she will be here in less than 2 weeks!! In preparation for labor I have started drinking red raspberry leaf tea. The tea is proven to help the uterus contract during labor and after (so it can shrink back to its original size). The tea also has great minerals and anti-oxidants. And pedro has mastered the art of how to time contractions and when we need to go to the hospital!! A lot of people have been asking me if I am nervous--I don't think I am that nervous. I am anxious and excited. I am excited to start a family with Pedro. And I am excited about the motivation and inspiration she will provide for me. And I am happy with how many positive changes she has helped me make and she is not even here yet. Children really are miracle life savers :)

35 weeks

Its noon here, and as I just walked outside to pick up the mail I realized something....I am very happy. I mean really, truly, extremely happy. I awoke this morning quite early and was able to run many errands and have breakfast with my mom. Then I stopped to pick up a couple Christmas presents and some lunch for Pedro and myself. As we sat there eating we laughed and joked and talked about what a blessing our little girl is. Then we get up to go outside and the look on his face along with the breeze and the wind and all the signs that fall is very much here--I am very much in love with him. He runs across the street with the dog and talks with the little boys that are our neighbors and decides to take them to the park to fly his airplanes. I know it sounds so cheesy, but standing there looking around and knowing what great people I have in my life and what a wonderful little girl I'm about to bring into the world with the man I love...It makes me very very happy.

I am 35 weeks and 1 day today!! I'm starting to feel a little like a beached whale but am still loving pregnancy. The only thing I will love more is holding her in my arms!! Yesterday we found out we were accepted into the pediatricians team of doctors I had hoped for. Dr. Richard Baldwin will be her primary pediatrician. For me this means a lot, I grew up with 'Dr. Dick' as my dr and can remember drawing pictures and hanging them on his office walls. So now my little girl will be able to experience his positive personality and the wonderful way he does his job.

We also received the good news that Alexis will be coming into town for new years!!