Week 39 Appointment

I had my 39-week check-up this morning. Things are progressing nicely! I have had several contractions each day since this weekend, so it was no surprise that I am now dialted to 2-3 cm. I am approximately 40% effaced, and was told that the head is "ready to go." (Station -1-0???) My BP was 136/76, and I have held steady at my current weight for the last 2 weeks. Doctor still says it could be any day.....well, duh! :)

I am still quite comfortable. Clumsy for sure, but feeling pretty darn great. The heartburn is ridiculous, but to be expected. I pee at least every hour, am sleeping pretty decent, and seem to have everything ready to go! I am content to keep dialating at this rate, and keep telling myself the more I do at home, the less I have to do in the hospital! I am certainly not wishing to go into labor yet, but am ready when the timing is right!

Names

As of today, February 11, 2008, Josh and I have decided on the names for our little Peanut, whether it be boy or girl. Good thing, because I have had several contractions the last 2 days. There is definitely some "action" going on down there! And now when baby arrives, it won't have to be called it!!!

38-Week Appointment

I had my 38-Weeker this week. Things are progressing right along! My BP was perfect at 126/76, I had lost a pound since my last visit (stress) to make my total weight gain 20 pounds. My cervix is dialated to 1 cm, is 30% effaced, and the baby's head is at station -2. The heart rate is consistently 150, and I measured 37 1/2 weeks! All in all, a great visit. I am told it could be any day.....

I am feeling really good, with minor aches and pains, and appreciate a good night's sleep. The heartburn is getting a bit ridiculous, but the end is definitely in sight!

Thanks for all of your support, blog friends!

38 Weeks. Long time.....No Blog. My Bad.

It has been a long time since I have updated my blog. Many reasons come to mind, but the best of which is we have been frantically preparing for our arrival. I am now 38 weeks along, which in my mind means I have about 4 weeks (Emma came late) until Peanut arrives, but as many of my prego friends and Dr. have pointed out, IT.COULD.BE.ANY.DAY.

I will start with Sarah--a fellow Pregnant Posse Member. Yeah, she and I were supposed to be roommates at Woodwinds, considering our due dates were a mere 4 days apart. Well, she decided to have her baby last Friday. CONGRATULATIONS Aaron and Sarah, and Welcome, Natalie Ann. We are so happy to be a part of your life. However, this realization, along with 2 other friends that were due right around the time that I am due had their babies this weekend too, leaves me feeling PANICed.

So, that is what we have been doing--frantically preparing for our arrival. I am still not ready, but if it happened today, I would be okay with it! I am finding how much more complicated it is having another babe at home. Thankfully, our wonderful Nanny, Naomi, is ready at moment's notice to come sweep up our precious Cupcake, and take care of her until Gma and Gpa Ruckman arrive from Milwaukee. We located the car seat this weekend, made a final Target run, emptied the camera of pictures from Emma's 2nd birthday to make room for birth-day, semi-packed a bag for Momma at the hospital, bought tiny diapers, some nursing bras, rearranged the furniture to get Emma into a big girl bed and the crib and changing table in our room, etc., etc. We are semi-ready.

But did I mention that we are so excited to see what gender of baby God has decided to bless us with? I have lost all sense of whether it is a boy or girl. I thought all along boy, but had my one and only dream last week about the sex, and it was a girl! I am just so excited to meet the little bundle..... And in GOD'S TIME, we will do just that!

Can You Believe It?

I have approximately one month to go..... OH MY GOSH. Panic.

It's Official.

So what do most people want to be doing at 3 am? Sleeping, of course.

Wanna know what I wanted to do at 3 am this morning? Clean a closet. Yes, you heard me.

I fell asleep at 9 pm on the couch last night, only to wake up wide-awake at midnight, and finally drifted back to sleep around 4 am (after staring at the clock for HOURS, followed by endless tears at 3 am because I.WAS.SO.FRUSTRATED.), followed by my alarm at 5 am. That's right, I got 4 hours of sleep. I wanted nothing more than to clean a closet.

It's official. I'm nesting.

34 Week Check-Up

Let's start off with the good news. I only gained 2 pounds since my last visit 4 weeks ago--and Christmas was in the middle of all of that! Hooray!

Now, on to the rest. Many frustrations surmounted in this visit. The first, my PI-HTN has returned. Surprisingly, it has taken 34 weeks to have a high reading. It is still considered "normal" at 138/80, but with my pregnancy-induced hypertension history, my doctor is concerned. He wanted to start me on medication, but I refused with this being my first high reading. I will utilize my interns to keep a daily check on things..... My urinalysis showed no proteins, so I do not feel that there is much to be concerned about.

Also, my doctor seemed hurried today and did not check my cervix. With as many contractions as I have been having, and with as quickly as I started dialating with Emma, I am certain that I have begun, but won't know until my next appointment IN THREE WEEKS. Yeah, my doctor will be enjoying the Hawaiian sun for 10 days, and I could not get in to him again for three weeks. This leaves me feeling a bit apprehensive, considering when I see him again I will be well into the week of being considered full-term. I could theoretically have this baby before I am able to see my doctor again, and know what my cervix is doing. Ah, the frustrations.

I did ask him to check the baby's position today, and from what he could determine externally, which is not nearly as reliable as internally, he thinks the baby is head-down. I do too, but with Emma being breech until the very end, I would have liked to know for sure today so that I could put my chiropractic and acupuncture techniques in full-force, if need be, to flip the babe.

Hopefully just using my blog as a source for venting will calm me down a bit, but I left feeling very uneasy.

Did I mention that I have been peeing every hour, on the hour? I never experienced this with Emma, so I am trying to get used to it, but IT IS VERY ANNOYING. The more I am on my feet (pretty much all day at work!), the more I have to pee. Urgh.

Oh well, I have less than 6 weeks to go.....