40 Weeks = Due Date

I expected today to be rather anti-climatic so at least I'm not too disappointed that I still have no baby. We have friends coming over for dinner tonight so I am at least distracted.

The only real change is that the baby has dropped. He had dropped a little, but now he's dropped a lot. Jonathan and I went and played putt-putt golf at Main Event the other night and after we got home I felt a ton of pressure and I was extremely uncomfortable. The only way to get somewhat comfortable was in the bath tub so I got in for about an hour with a book while the baby burrowed his way further down. I have to pee way more often, which isn't that big a deal, but my back hurts all the time now and sleeping has become much more difficult.

I've tried almost every home remedy to get him here. I start again tomorrow with acupuncture and a doc. appt. and I'm hoping that I'm dilated enough for him to strip my membrane. I'm also hoping that I actually get to see my doctor tomorrow as I have some questions. If he is able to strip my membrane I may also try the dreaded castor oil, especially if he insists on inducing by 41 weeks. Desperate times call for desperate measures.


This Week:

• Much of the vernix has vanished but you will notice traces on her body.
• 15% of your child's body is fat. Since he hasn't learned to shiver yet, these fat stores will help regulate his temperature.
• Approximately 60 - 75 percent is water!
• Your baby's chest sticks out, almost as if he's ready to strut proudly over his accomplishment!
• His lungs will continue developing until birth. They are manufacturing large quantities of surfactant which works to keep the air sacs open.
• She continues to grow; her hair and nails longer as well. You may need to trim those fingernails soon after birth or protect her face from scratches with mittens.
• Small breast buds are present on both sexes.
• The baby now weighs 7.6 pounds (3462gm) and is 20.2 inches (51.2cm) long.
• Congratulations! Any day now you will be cradling your son!
  

time is creeping by

I swear someone slowed the clocks down. Everything seemed normal, whatever normal is, until this week. Now it's like it was at the beginning of the pregnancy, like the clocks have practically been stopped.

Don't get me wrong, I want the baby to be cooked when he gets here. I'm just ready to get my body back. I'm swollen everywhere, my feet, hands, and face are all bloated. I hardly recognize myself. And I think my ass has doubled in size since this whole process started. I can't walk any faster than a snail, and calling it walking is pushing it.

This trimester has been the easiest on me. During the first we didn't know if we were going to lose the baby and I was on and off bed rest. During the second trimester I was sick 3 times, still working, and had low iron levels that weren't treated. During this trimester I've been uncomfortable but I've had more energy and even if I don't sleep at night I can nap during the day.

Honestly, being uncomfortable isn't that big a deal. I went through 2 years of CONSTANT pain from when I broke my elbow and was having the surgeries. Compared to that, this is a walk in the park. It's the swelling, looking like shit, and not being able to do what I want to do because I'm so huge that is getting to me.

And I'm having virtually no signs of him coming any time soon. On Monday I had my dr's appointment where they checked me (nothing has changed), I had acupuncture to induce, got some herbs (that make me nauseous) to help things along, had sex, went for a walk, drank green tea, and the most I got were a few mild cramps. I've had some uterine awareness at times. I wouldn't go as far as to say contractions because I can't time them and I have no problem talking, walking, or sleeping while they're going on. They don't hurt at all and it could simply be because this baby is so big that his weight is making my uterus ache a little. They might be braxton hicks contractions, but even calling them that is pushing it.

We have 3 different social things planned this weekend, so at least I'll be distracted. On Monday I start again with acupuncture and a doc appointment. Hopefully I'll actually get to see the doctor this week. I haven't seen him in 2 weeks because he was on vacation and then last week he got called away to an emergency. Starting this week I'll have to go in every other day to get monitored because I'll be past my due date. That's gunna suck. They want to make sure that the baby is still doing fine in there and that the placenta isn't getting old. I suspect they'll start talking about incuding too. The main reason I don't want to be induced is because I don't want it to end in a c-section and inducing increases that risk. Just like getting an epidural increases the risk of having a c-section, so I'm planning on going without one. I've had enough surgeries to know that I don't want another one. My point is that I want this baby to come on his own. They can't induce without me giving consent, I'm just worried that my will is going to crack at some point.

39 Weeks (-1)

As usual nothing has changed. I'm uncomfortable and I think the baby has finally dropped a little. The fronts of my hips are more sore and I have to pee more. I can only imagine what the water bill is going to be like this month. I haven't noticed that I can breath any better so he hasn't dropped much.

I go to the doctor tomorrow but I suspect I'll be in the waiting room for a very long time because it's his first day back from vacation. Before pregnancy the wait was usually about 3 hours. If he wasn't such a good doctor I wouldn't put up with that but given that I've had 2 surgeries by him and have been seeing him since I was 18 I just plan for it. Now that I'm pregnant the wait is much shorter but last time I saw him it was still an hour. I plan on taking my lap top to distract me.

If there is anything to report I'll update here, but I suspect that nothing has changed... still.

Here is the picture I painted for the baby's room. I'm pleased with how it turned out.

This week:

• The lanugo has mostly disappeared, but you'll probably find a bit on his shoulders, arms and legs and in those protected little bodily creases. It will vanish completely on its own in time.
• His lungs are maturing and surfactant production is increasing and fully prepared to take on the outside world!
• Your baby doesn't have much room to move and certainly mom agrees! Did you imagine 8 months ago that this wee one would be able to hook a toe in your ribs while elbowing your bladder?
  
• His body continues laying on the fat stores that will help regulate his body temperature after birth. In addition to normal fat, he is accumulating a special "brown" fat in the nape of his neck, between his shoulders and around organs. Brown fat cells are important for thermogenesis (generating heat) during his first weeks.
• Your infant's weight is around 7.25 pounds (3288gm) and length is 19.9 inches (50.7cm).

38 Weeks (-2)

Not much is new, I'm just getting bigger. I'm actually so big that I can see him hiccuping. Waiting for this baby to arrive is like waiting for Christmas morning, only we don't know when Christmas is coming. The suspense is killing me.

My belly is getting so big that it's going square now and the skin is starting to hurt a bit. Thankfully I'm still sleeping okay and feeling okay.

Last week I went a little stir crazy because I didn't leave the house much. I'm trying to fill my social schedule this week so that doesn't happen. So far I have a few things going on so that will help.

We officially have his room finished. I finished the painting for the wall, we have everything hung, and all the furniture is nailed to the walls too. I even have all the little clothes washed and ready.

We went in today and had the baby monitored for about 1.5 hours. He looks perfect, apparently he just wanted to really sleep in. I have to be put back on the monitor on Tuesday at my appointment, I just hope it's for a shorter amount of time. It's difficult to get comfortable strapped to a table.

This Week:

• If he is the "average baby," he weights 6.8 pounds (3083gm)and is 19.6 inches (49.8cm) long.
• Have you noticed she hiccups a lot? Because there is no air around her, those breathing exercises cause amniotic fluid to get into her windpipe. The result? Hiccups!
• Your child's intestines are accumulating lots of meconium. Meconium takes on the role of being your baby's first bowel movement -- removing the waste that has accumulated.
• He may have a full head of hair now -- an inch or more long! Don't be surprised if it's an unexpected color. Some blond couples have dark haired babies; some dark haired couples have red-haired babies; some couples have babies with only peach fuzz! It may just persuade you to take a closer look at your family tree!
• Circumference of head and abdomen are about the same size for your baby. No wonder it's so hard to get a t-shirt over a newborn's head!

Eviction Notice!

I am issuing 30 day notice for EVICTION. Tenant will have 30 days in which he can either gather his belongings and promptly vacate the premises, or wait until the final day. After which, he will be physically removed from the property.

He's being evicted due to breech of contract and destruction of property. Expansions only to the FRONT of the house, within reasonable limits, were discussed. Not only have these limits been exceeded, but additions to the back and sides of the house were also made!

Remodeling and gutting of the home was never approved, nor was changing the initial layout and base structure. And due to property damage, there are now leaks in both the upper AND lower levels of the home. On top of which, the landlord has received numerous complaints about nightly disturbances.

After 30 days from this day that he doesn’t comply with the notice will result in immediate and forceful removal at my discretion. Vacating the premises is to take place on or before April 12th, 2009.

In other words, GET OUT!

Dr's apt.

Well, the good news is that my body is showing some sign that it's going to actually have to get this kid out at some point. I'm dilated 1/2 a centimeter. It isn't much, but it's progress.

I also made it very clear that I don't want a c-section and I would also really prefer to avoid being induced. So far he seems to think that both are possible. There's no point in really worrying about it until it's actually an issue. I know that they don't like to let the baby cook longer than 41 weeks, which is April 5th. I'm not exactly sure why, but again, I'm not going to worry until we get there.

I was in the waiting room for a friggin' hour today. It sucked. I can't sit in one position for nearly that long. My doc will be on vacation next week and the only good thing about it is that I'll be seeing a nurse practitioner and won't have to wait for long.

This evening we took a breast feeding class, and it was very good. We got some great tips about how to handle things at the hospital. One thing that we'll be doing is setting the alarm on one of our phones to go off every 2 to 2.5 hours during the day to remind us to feed. When the alarm goes off we'll ask any visitors to leave the room. I'm not necessarily again some people seeing me breast feed, but at the beginning we need to not be distracted and have time to figure things out. We don't mind visitors at the hospital but if you come, please don't be offended if we ask you to leave.

I also found out that the hospital has hand pumps (the ones that are $50 at We-Be-Babies) that you can request and get for free. Woo Hoo!

37 Weeks = Full Term (-3)

Baby is officially considered full term now. He could come at "any time" but I don't think he's in any hurry.

I've been a bit more tired this week. Sleeping at night is getting a little more difficult so a nap mid-day is usually needed.

I have another dr's apt on Monday. Last week after my apt I had contractions for a day-and-a-half from it. Nothing I could really time much but lots of cramping and aching. If it's doing something than I don't mind, if it's not doing anything I'll be a little annoyed.

On the plus side we got baby's room mostly ready today! I've been doing one thing a day in there, to at least make a little progress but with both of us (and Jonathan able to move furniture) we made big progress. It actually looks like it's ready for a baby!

This Week:

• This week, the average size is about 6.3 pounds (2859gm) now and 19.1 inches (48.6cm) length.
• He is official full term now but can still benefit from extra days in the womb.
• Your baby continues to practice breathing movements.
  
• Grasp is firm now. It won't be long until you'll feel that strong little fist confidently grasping your finger (or tightly clenching your hair)!
• A few weeks ago, your baby would move his eyes toward light. Now he turns towards light outside the uterus.
• As the uterine wall stretches and thins allowing more light to permeate, he develops definite daily activity cycles.
  

Locked up tight

I had my 36 week doctor's appointment today. Basically, everything is good and this baby isn't coming any time soon.

We had a sonogram. He's head down and he's living on my right side, which is why I feel so much movement on the left side where all of his limbs are. He has cute chubby little cheeks and is practicing breathing. They estimate he's weighing just under 6 lbs so will probably be high 7's at birth, if we make it to d-day. The good news is that doc says even a 9 lb baby would fit out of me so he's not at all worried about me being able to deliver this guy.

My cervix is locked up tight. Nothing is happening... at all. It doesn't necessarily mean anything, but the chances of him coming early aren't looking good. They even said they wouldn't be surprised if he's late but they don't like to let them go past 41 weeks which is April 5th. For the time being, I'm not going to worry about that, we'll deal with it when it comes.

I would prefer if he didn't come the week of the 15th - 21st because it's spring break and my doc will be out of town, so we're aiming for the following week. And I don't want the poor kid to be born on April 1st, that's just mean.

But while I wait I have plenty to do. And I'm going to start walking to see if we can move things along a bit.

36 Weeks (-4)

It's March!!! I'm just praying this baby comes by the end of the month. Not much has changed, I'm just getting bigger. I've had a little sciatica, which sucks, but it may be a sign that he's dropping further into my pelvis. I have yet to be able to breath any better so if he has dropped any, it isn't much.

I'm officially allowed to exercise some now. Before now I would either have some spotting or contractions but at this point if it causes labor to start it's totally fine. Today we took the dogs to the dog park and hiked around for a bit. We came home, ate, and then went to the gym to float in the pool. I'm exhausted but I feel good.

And Jonathan finished the bathroom counter! It's very exciting to have a functioning bathroom again. It looks great. I can't wait for the floor to get installed, it's going to look amazing.

This Week:

• Your baby is almost ready and most likely, so are you! The only organ still to mature is the lungs. While certainly you are both growing anxious to meet, remember that each day (up to 42 weeks), that your little one stays within your womb will multiply his chances to breathe on his own.
• If he hasn't already, this week your baby may drop into the birth canal. While breathing for mom becomes easier, walking may be the exact opposite! If he's not your first baby, this "lightening" may not occur until right before labor.
• Fat is dimpling your baby's elbows and knees, and forming creases in the neck and wrists.
• His skin is growing smooth and, shall we say it, "baby" soft.
• His gums are very rigid. It won't be many months before you'll see his teeth.
• She has a fully developed pair of kidneys and her liver has begun processing some waste products.
• Your child's average size is now 18.66 inches (47.4cm) and 5.78 pounds (2622 g). Between now and birth she will gain about an ounce a day!

35 weeks (-5) and some random things

Have you noticed the widget on the side with the baby floating in it? It now says 33 days! 33. I look at it every day and though that floating baby is inaccurate as mine is squished with very little room left, the days are numbered. Technically as of March 8th he will be full term and could come any time, that's less than 2 weeks away. And we are no where near ready. The bathroom is still a disaster zone and I haven't even begun to deal with his room. Not to mention the painting I haven't finished or the curtains I need to alter. I've been slowly working on things but I move so slow that it takes forever to finish anything.

I keep reminding myself that he's easier to take care of where he's at. And I take advantage of sleeping in if my body and baby let me because those days are numbered too. It's also really weird to think that a fully formed person will be coming out of me soon. And it's going to live here, in my house. The whole thing is weird.

Saturday evening we had a baby shower. I hesitate to use the word "shower" because it was more of a party with good food, alcohol, friends, and some presents. It was great fun and a wonderful evening. One of the thing we got was a book about dogs. It's basically a lot of dog sounds and Jonathan read it to the baby when we got home. Baxter went nuts with Jonathan making all of these noises. Baxter is our silent dog, I can count on one hand the amount of times I've heard him bark in his life and I think that number has now doubled from that book. Very funny.

This Week:

• The average baby weighs almost five and a half pounds now.
• Most babies born now will survive and without many long-term problems.
• Fat accumulations plumps up the arms and legs this week. These layers of fat will help him regulate his body temperature. They also provide those cute little dimples on elbows and knees!
• Her hearing is fully developed, so be sure to talk to your daughter. Do you find yourself speaking in a high-pitched tone? That's okay since some studies show babies respond better to higher pitches.
• It's getting crowded! Your baby is now taking up most of the uterus and you may even feel like your chest has run out of room! Soon enough though, baby will move down and you'll be able to breathe easily again (just not walk so easily! Ha!).
• Your baby is 18.2 inches (46.2cm) long and weighs 5.3 pounds (2383gm).
• The testes have completed their descent in males.

34 Weeks (-6)

It's hard to imagine that the baby would need very little assistance if he were born now. The twins I used to take care of were born at 32 weeks. It seems very weird to me. I'm uncomfortable, it's just the way it's going to be. I waddle, you do what ya gotta do. And I always have to pee.

Right now the next thing I'm looking forward to is him dropping. I know this will require even more trips to the bathroom, which is hard to imagine, but it's so hard to breath that I keep having dreams that I'm suffocating. My ribs ache from all the pressure.

We had a great time in San Antonio over the weekend and as of today I'm not allowed to travel more than an hour from home. Which actually works out, sitting in the car for much more than that is next to impossible plus we have to stop every 30 min for me to pee so it's more of a pain than anything.

I have another nurses visit this week but it's nothing exciting, but at 36 weeks we'll get a final sonogram to estimate his weight and check his position. I do know that he's head down, I feel the hiccups really low and I get jabbed in the ribs by little feet, which is good.

And I can't believe how much bigger my belly looks. I know that he's about 4 1/2 lbs now, it's just amazing how quickly I'm growing. The main thing he's doing now is packing on the fat. How in the world and I going to grow for 6 more weeks?


This week:

• Your baby acts completely like a newborn, with her eyes opened when awake and closed when sleeping. You may also find her settling into more of a routine for sleeping & awake times.
• She has learned to blink. She can also see more clearly when there is a bright light on your stomach and probably has the outline of all your organs memorized!
• Antibodies from your blood are being transferred to him. These immunities continue to build until birth. Then breast milk will add even more protection against disease.
• Your baby may have already turned to a head-down position in preparation for birth. If he is your first baby, he may be settling into the pelvis with his head pressing against your cervix.
• Fingernails have reached the end of the fingertips now. She may scratch her face even before she is born!
• Your little one's length is 17.7 inches (45cm) and weight is 4.7 pounds (2146 g).

33 weeks (-7)

Pregnancy symptoms are about the same. It's gotten more difficult to sleep. This is the thing that will get me in the end. I've only been sleeping 4 or 5 hours a night. Thank God I can nap a little, but more sleep at night would be better. Most people start sleeping in a recliner at this point but we don't have one and aren't buying one for 7 weeks.

This kid is also so high that he feels like he's attached to my right lung. The back and hip pain isn't too bad. It's there, but I'm managing.

I've been told that I'm not allowed to exercise. I tried last week and would have ended up at the hospital had I called them. I didn't want to go so I didn't call. I had lots of braxton hicks contractions for several hours after. They said that after I get to 36 weeks I can exercise a little so only 3 more weeks to go. Until then I'll simply enjoy swimming.

This Week:

• Amniotic fluid is at its highest level during your pregnancy.
• Your baby's head size has increased 3/8ths of an inch due to rapid brain growth.
• Neurons and synapses are developing in huge numbers -- forming connections in your baby's brain will give him the skills he needs to thrive as a newborn. This week, he may be able to coordinate sucking and swallowing with breathing.
• While most of his bones are hardening, his skull is quite pliable and not completely joined. The bones will be able to move slightly to make birthing easier.
• You baby takes intermittent deep breaths -- of water! That's okay, though since she gets oxygen from the placenta. This breathing exercises muscles and encourages her lung cells to produce more surfactant (a protein essential for healthy lung development).
• If your baby is a boy, his testicles will be descending from his abdomen into his scrotum. Sometimes one or both testicles won't move into position until after birth.
• Your infant is now 17.2 inches (43.7cm) long and weighs 4.23 pounds (1918gm).

32 Weeks (-8)

I had a nurses visit on Thursday that went really well. There's not a lot to report, just that everything is on track. They said that if baby is head down by 32 weeks they usually stay that way, so yay. I was very very slightly anemic, by 2 points. As long as I take my iron supplements it should be fine. All of my other tests looked great.

My next appointment is at 34 weeks (almost 35) then at 36 weeks they start checking for progress and do the last sonogram to approximate baby's weight and check his position.

It would be nice if this baby would drop soon so that I could breath. Often times I find that I have to lay down and stretch out just to catch my breath. It's annoying. And my ribs hurt.

This week:

• Your baby is up to 3.75 pounds (1702gm) now and is 16.7 inches (42.4cm) long.
• You might notice she's not moving around as much now. Don't worry! She is fine -- just running short on room. She still has plenty of growing to do though, believe it or not!
• All five senses are working. Your little one is fascinated and practicing testing these out as much as possible!
• Toenails are completely formed even though she may not be quite ready for a French manicure.
• Hair on your infant's head continues to grow in. Will he have dad's black hair or your red hair?
• Brain scans have shown that babies have periods of dream sleep (REM) starting around the eight month. What do you suppose your son is dreaming about?

31 weeks (-9)

It was an interesting week. My last day of work and a weekend away. Jonathan did a 12 hour adventure race with some friends. I'll do a whole other post just on that, with some fun pictures and everything. I went along to support them and cook them food. So Friday I was on my feet most of the day cooking and Saturday I was on my feet a lot heating things up and walking between the camper and the transition area. This is how my feet looked Friday night.
And Saturday they were worse. I didn't sleep well Friday night, between the bed, Sam (Jonathan's dad) and Jonathan snoring, and the dog chewing on a bone, I think I slept about 5 hours. And my back and hips were super sore. I took Tylenol all day and that still didn't help so I left Saturday night so I could sleep in my own bed. Luckily today they are getting better. I'll go float in the pool tomorrow and hopefully that will help too. I enjoyed being out there, but it was challenging.

This Week:

• The rate of physical growth slows down just a bit, but even though she doesn't get much longer, she will gain a lot of weight the rest of the pregnancy.
• Fat continues accumulating. This layer of fat turns her skin from red to the rosy pink she will have as a newborn.
• Calcium, phosphorus and iron are being stored and his bones are growing and hardening.
• Your baby is 16.2 inches (41.1cm) long and weighs 3.3 pounds (1502gm)
• His brain enters another period of rapid growth, producing hundreds of billions of new nerve cells! Amazing!
• She may move to the rhythm of music. Studies with heart rates show that she also prefers some types of music to others -- already!
• Lungs are the only major organ left to complete development. Remember, that while you may be anxious to meet your little one that these last few weeks can be vital - with each day increasing your baby's ability to breathe on her own.

30 Weeks (-10)

Only 10 more weeks to go. I'm very much ready to be done working, but 2 weeks to go.

I have noticed that my belly has gotten heavier. My belly button is also threatening to become an outie. It hasn't popped yet but I suspect it will in the next few weeks.

The baby gets the hiccups on occasion now. It's very cute, as long as it's not at 4 AM, and it makes me giggle. And I could sit and watch it move for hours. If I can't even stop staring at my belly I'm not going to be able to take my eyes off the kid once he gets here.

I'll try and get a belly shot this week. In the mean time, here is a picture of where all of my organs have re-located to:

This Week:

• Did you know your baby is nearly three pounds now?
• His head is getting larger to accommodate a period of rapid brain growth. Don't forget to continue to "teach" your baby in the womb by exposing to music, literature, and simply talking to him.
• A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him. As he grows and fills your uterus, the amount of amniotic fluid will decrease. Funny, you certainly won't feel any lighter!
• He spends more and more time practicing opening and closing eyelids. His eyes can move from side to side, following a light source. He may even reach out to touch the light.
• Early lanugo is beginning to disappear that served to protect your baby's skin from the water in the womb. Your little one's own hair may begin to appear.
• Toenails are entering their final growth stage.
• Bone marrow is now in charge of red blood cell production. These red blood cells will continue to service your child's body by transporting oxygen and removing the wastes (carbon monoxide and other gases).
• Your baby has the capability now to produce tears -- yes, within the womb.
• By the end of this week, your baby is now 15.7 inches (39.9cm) long and weighs 2.91 pounds (1319gm)

new found relief

I've been debating about getting a swim suit for a while. Who wants to spend money on a swim suit that's going to be worn for 10 weeks? It seems wasteful. However I had some store credit and they had maternity suits on sale so I splurged.

I actually enjoyed trying them on. Mostly because I knew I was going to look fat either way, but at least I look pregnant too. It's much better to be fat and pregnant than just fat. (I'm not looking forward to swim suit season this year.) But it was entertaining trying to find something that would fit my boobs and my butt.

So today I went to the gym and swam for a bit then soaked in the hot tub. It was the most wonderful thing ever. Floating took all the weight off my hips and lower back. It was finally the relief I've been looking for. And now I'm going to take a nap.

So if you can't find me for the next 10 weeks it's because I'm in the pool at the gym.