38 Weeks Feels Like Forever...

Welp...38 weeks.  This is officially the longest I have ever been pregnant.  This is also the pregnancy that has taken the most out of me physically...go figure.  I've officially stopped working..this is my second day off.  I took some time to get a much needed pedicure.  I figure that once Baby Girl gets here, there won't be any time for those anymore.

So Monday I was 37w 6d.  I had been up since about 2:30am contracting.  It felt like bad cramps and while they were highly irregular, they were also uncomfortable.  I got so excited thinking "this is it!  She's on her way!". I've never done this on my own before, so I really don't know what to expect.  I went to my ultrasound and everything looked and measured just fine. She's weighing in at 7lbs. 1oz.  That's how big I was.  I know there's some margin for error, but this will also be the BIGGEST baby I've ever had. :)

The ultrasound tech asked if I wanted to go across the parking lot to the doctor's office to get checked out since i was so uncomfortable.  We elected to do that, but the docs were all in a meeting so they told me to go across the street to OB Triage.  Still contracting, we went across the street.  The hooked me up to monitors and I seemed to be contracting pretty regularly, so they took me back to check me out.  After the nurse put me through an exam that made me WANT an epidural, she told me I was 4cm and they needed me to walk around for about an hour to see if I progressed. If I did, I could be admitted and we'd be having a baby.  If I didn't, we'd be sent packing.

We walked around for an hour, came back to the monitors and I got subjected to "the check" again.  OMG that hurt so damn bad...but no change.  Because I wasn't 39 weeks and the baby is doing just fine, there's nothing my doc could do. She said her hands were tied until 39 weeks.  Highly disappointed, we went home.  The contractions stopped around 2pm and haven't returned.  AT ALL.  This kid hates me.

I had my appointment today and there hasn't been much of a change.  She said I'm a little farther along, but not much really.  The good news is that I'll be 39 weeks on Tuesday and we have scheduled an induction for that day...unless she decides to come earlier.  Who knows with this kid.  The bad news?  We will have to be at the hospital at 4:30am. IN THE MORNING.  Also, she will be here two days before my birthday.  I'm selfish, so that's pushing it...but as long as it's not ON my day and my family still firmly realizes that I still get MY DAY all will be fine (love you honey!).

I'm so excited to see her.  I constantly wonder if she'll look like me or like Daddy or like a combination of the two.  I wonder if she'll look like her sister or like her brother or completely different.  I can't wait to meet her and hold her and smother her with kisses.  All in due time, I s'pose. 

Gestate Another Day...

Well, all of my blood work came back normal.  YAY that I don’t have a condition that could seriously harm my unborn child.  I’m ‘bout sick and tired of being pregnant, but as long as she’s doing well, I’ll make sure I do everything I can to keep her that way…even if it means holding her in a while longer.

She’s gonna be stubborn just like me…I can already tell.  I’m gonna love her just the same though.  Everything looks good.  She fell asleep during the NST this morning, so they had to buzz her (and piss her off) and I gave her a juice box.  We like juice boxes.  After all of that she moved the way she needed to and we were sent on our way.  I’ll have another ultrasound on Monday.  I like seeing my Thumper every week, but I don’t like shelling out the $20 to do it!  We’re all extremely excited to meet her, but as long as she’s okay, I guess she can chill a bit longer.  I’ll just stock  up on more Cortizone…

3 Weeks, 4 Days Left until the official due date!

Week 36: The Final Countdown?

Well...36 weeks is here! I'm tired, I'm more in pain than not and I'm ready for this epic journey to be over. Brie was born at 36 weeks...Alex was born at 37. As of a week ago, my wee one was 5lbs 3oz, her fluid was on the "low side of normal" (that's all too familiar), but everything else was looking great. Of course I will do whatever I need to do to make sure this baby is safe and healthy and keep her in as long as possible, but it may not be up to me.

Over the past few nights, I've been severely itchy all over my body. It started with my feet and I assumed it was because they were swollen at night. I'd be okay in the morning, so I'd pretty much forget about it until the next night when it started all over again. Well it spread to the rest of my body and last night was UNBEARABLE. I got absolutely no sleep. I was scratching with a hair brush! I tried a bath, baby oil and lotion and nothing helped. I finally took a Benadryl and that didn't really help either.

Today I had my weekly ultrasound. Everything looked great, fluid was back up to higher levels and she did everything she was supposed to do in a matter of minutes (practice breathing, movement and muscle tone). The itching really bothered me, so I was able to get in and see the doc afterwards. It turns out it could be just a symptom of pregnancy, or it could be Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy (ICP). It's a liver condition that is no bueno. It causes you to itch all over with no rash and gets worse at night. My blood was drawn today so the test can be run to check for it. If it comes back normal, then it's just a "normal" symptom of my pregnancy. If my levels are high, that means I have it and we will need to go and have this baby. Early induction is what I'm used to...it's "going into labor on my own" that freaks me out because I have no idea what to expect.

The test is specialized, so I won't know the results until my doctor's appointment on Thursday. The itching is picking up as I type. My doc said I can take 2 Benadryl and 1 Zantac (of all things) to help. I can also use Cortizone cream. Hopefully these will provide some VERY NECESSARY relief. Who knows? Maybe this time next week I could be a mother of three!

On a side note, the medical profession is a RACKET. I'm of AMA (Advanced Maternal Age) so I'm being monitored twice a week...one ultrasound and one Non Stress Test (NST)/OB checkup. I have to pay a $20 copay weekly for the ultrasound. Ok, fine whatever. The OB checks are included in my prenatal care. Know what I found out today? The NST is not. Even though it's a part of the SAME OB appointment. So I have to pay $20 a week for that as well. That's $40 a week, for something the doctor says I have to do. If I have to do it, I feel it should be a part of my included prenatal care!

Week 30 - Turning a Corner

Well, I'm 30 weeks pregnant and baby Kennedy is about the size of a large cabbage.  It figures, as much gas as I have.  She is very active and always seems to be twisting and turning.  I have to admit, it's very comforting to know she's getting along all right in there.  Let's see, updates...

The 3-hour glucose tolerance test came back normal.  YAY no gestational diabetes!  I've never had an abnormal result for the 1-hour test, so needless to say it was a little frustrating.  That test made me SO sick though.  I swear I got every side effect possible.  I was nauseated, dizzy, overheated, over-tired, had an upset stomach AND got a mild headache.  I want to make a recommendation to my doctor's office.  They should have a few recliners in a quiet room for moms-to-be that have to go through that.  It really would make all the difference, I think.  Sitting in those uncomfortable waiting room chairs is NOT the hotness.

I'm starting to feel a little more prepared.  We have a stroller and car seat combo, a pack and play, and the crib has been put back together.  I got the cutest pink set!  It really looks nice in the brown room, but I think I need a bit more pink wall decoration in there to really tie it all together.  I just finished online pre-registration for the hospital, too.  Trying to feel like I have control over something, since it sure as hell ain't my body anymore!

The ankles are swelling now.  I have really narrow ankles to begin with, so I can definitely tell.  They aren't uncomfortable, so that's good.  You know what IS uncomfortable?  Getting up from a seated position, walking and trying re-position myself in bed at night.  I assume it's the relaxin working overtime on loosening ligaments and such, but I swear I feel like I'm being cut open sometimes...repeatedly.  I start my twice weekly appointments next Monday, so I'll be sure to bring it up.

Well, that's about it!  This little one should be putting on about a half of a pound a week now, so she's definitely getting ready for her debut.  There's so many people out here that want to meet her, but we can all wait until she's truly ready.

Body Image Is Everything...

...even when you don't want it to be.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I struggle with my body image.  I'm always trying to lose weight and "get in shape".  Unfortunately being 27 weeks pregnant doesn't change the imagery.  Yes, I am creating life.  Yes, carrying around a tiny human-in-the-making changes your body in ways you can't image.  No, the "I'm fat" feeling doesn't go away.

Even though I'm pregnant, sometimes I can't shake the feeling that I don't "look the way I should" or I'm not "carrying it right".  I know that this pregnancy is different from my first two because I am able to shop for maternity clothes in my actual size and I haven't gone up in size at all and I feel like that's something.  A few weeks ago my doc was worried about my weight gain because I had already put on 20lbs.  I backed off of the carbs but didn't get any more activity in (or any activity at all, for that matter).  She hasn't said anything about it the past two appointments so that leads me to believe that I'm going in the right direction.  It's just so EASY for me to gain weight and so hard for me to lose it.

With my first two, I gained 58 and 56 pounds, respectively.  I managed to lose all of it both times, but seeing as how I was overweight to begin with I was never truly happy with that fact.  I wish that there was something in my brain that would just switch on and say "hey, you're pregnant.  it's totally okay for your body to change and you should embrace every bit of it", but there isn't.  I still feel like "I'm too big" or "I don't look pregnant 'the right way'"...not that either of those things should matter either.

I'm a work in process...especially since this work is creating a masterpiece of her own.  Deep (DEEP) down I know that.  I just wish it would come more to the surface.

Week 27: My Beautiful (Cauli)Flower

Yep, she's as big as a head of cauliflower.

It’s been so long since I’ve written anything!  I’ve had the time, I guess I just haven’t had the motivation.  Everything is going really well.  Just had my 27 week check-up (yikes!) and my little Thumper is growing beautifully.  Right now she is the perfect average size (not too big – not to small) and she is projected to be about 2lbs. 4oz.  I have a history of smaller-than-usual babies, so we’ll be keeping an eye out.

I can’t believe we’re in the home stretch!  I have my next appointment in 3 weeks.  Two weeks after that I’ll be looked after twice a week: once for an ultrasound and once for fetal monitoring and a physical check-up.  Because I’m of “advanced maternal age” (i.e. old) these are necessary precautions. I’m not complaining, I get to see my baby once a week!

The fatigue is setting back in and I cry over stupid stuff, but everything is chugging along.  She’s thumping away in my belly as I type…she probably knows I’m talking about her!  The kids are still really excited, they’ve both had a chance to feel her movement.  It’s cute to see their faces light up when she moves or kicks.  This one is definitely going to be another Daddy’s Girl though…she goes insane when she hears his voice.  That’s definitely a good problem to have, though.

I think I’ve entered the nesting phase of the process.  I’m starting to feel concern* about the fact that I feel unprepared for her arrival.  We have the major stuff…crib and changing table/dresser, but that’s basically it.  I also need to start thinking about a hospital bag.  Lots to do, lots to do!

*nice way of saying “freak out”

Week 12 - Just "Plum" Excited!

Well, I’m in week 12 and my little JuJuBee is the size of a plum…

Soooo super cute!  12 weeks and is already looking like a tiny little human!  I got this from our 1^st Trimester NT screening to check for any indications of chromosomal defects.  Looks perfect to me!  In fact, I just got the call that all results are NORMAL!  That totally made my day.  We also got to hear the heartbeat!  151 beats per minute of horse-galloping goodness!

I’m still tired all of the time.  Some nights I’m in bed before my kids!  The nausea has pretty much subsided though, so that’s a plus.  I’m starting to feel my waistline expand too…I’m doing the ol’ “hair tie through the belt loop” trick to get some more wear out of my clothes.  I’m right on track though, I think.  The IBS is definitely helping on that front.  Still no constant cravings, although I have been wanting a chili dog.  Nothing fancy, just a hot dog with Hormel Chili (I know, random).  I read that I can have hot dogs as long as they are cooked to steaming hot and Kenny is the only one I trust to be able to do that, so maybe we can burn some on the grill this weekend.

I’ve got my monthly check-up on Tuesday.  I’ll have to talk to the doc about this random pain I’ve been having right where my thigh meets my pelvis. It was actually painful to sit down for any period of time a couple of days ago.  My bones have been hurting too, but Kenny says that’s because JuJuBee is sucking all of the calcium out of them.  Might be true, which is why I got Kenny to buy me some Nesquick.  It even has “Authentic Latin Flavor”.  WHAT!?!?  You can’t make that up.  Turns out they added cinnamon to it.  Learn something new every day.

I can’t wait to hear the heartbeat again. That sound is like music to my ears!  I’m almost out of the 1^st trimester, so I’m hoping some energy returns along with it!