Some of you have already read my facebook status from a couple days ago after my doctor's appointment. We still have no progress with the going into labor thing. I'm 38 weeks and 2 days at this point and have only a "fingertip" of dialation and nothing else. While it would be nice to have more going on down there, I also know that you could be walking around for weeks at 3cm and nothing happen or have nothing going on and go into labor the next day. So this is why I'm holding onto optimism. The other thing is, it does me no good to be anxious and worry about this. She is going to come when she's good and ready. So, about that appointment on Thursday. I mentioned to my OB that Tuesday through the night and for half the day on Wednesday Brooklyn had been very still. She didn't move AT ALL through the night Tuesday which is very abnormal for her and then in the wee hours of the morning (you know, 7:30am) I felt a couple of slight movements but they were very weak and nothing at all like what her normal kicking and dancing around is. Needless to say, I was getting a little worried. Brooklyn has been a very active baby and it doesn't take much to get her going so when my normal tactics of getting her moving around in there weren't working, I got a little concerned but tried to not let it consume my thoughts. I don't want to be one of those pregnant women who makes several trips to L&D before having her baby with all these worries that end up being nothing. Well by about lunch time on Wednesday, Brooklyn was moving as her usual self. So I stopped worrying. I still felt it was important enough to mention to my doc, just in case it happened again. My OB did get a little "funny" look on her face when I mentioned it like "that's really strange" and said if it happened again to just go to the hospital to L&D and let them monitor me. Better safe than sorry. Then she said she wanted me to go ahead and come in on Tuesday instead of a week from that appointment on Thursday to get another u/s and a biophysical scan. She wanted to check Brooklyn and make sure she has enough amniotic fluid and that she's practicing breathing and moving normally. I guess her little non-moving stunt concerned the doctor enough to want to have another look just to be sure she was ok. I'm totally fine with having another ultra sound - I always enjoy them. She didn't seem alarmed or anything so I'm actually staying very calm about the fact that my doctor wants to do a 6th ultra sound this pregnancy to make sure my baby is ok. Brooklyn's been moving and keeping me very uncomfortable like she usually does ever since Wednesday afternoon so I'm not concerned that there will be anything wrong with her. I am curious to see how much she has grown since my ultra sound at 35 weeks. This will be almost a month later so I should see a difference in her. So that was the "excitement" of my 38 week visit. Did it live up to your expectations? Are you relieved you finally got to read about it?? I bet you are. I feel better just writing about it.
On a side note, my cousin Andrea is due today on the 4th of July with her third baby, a little boy! She hasn't gone into labor yet (at least not as of last night). We're praying and hoping for her sake that she does go into labor here in the next few days and that it is a quick, easy labor. Her sister, Jen, is a doula and will be assisting in the delivery. I think that is very cool and am considering having Jen come down for my next baby and assisting in that. I've heard a lot about midwives and doulas since being a member of babycenter and while I probably wouldn't ever choose to have a home birth or anything, I do think it would be nice to have a doula. Jen explained to me everything they do for you and they're really there to be your encouragement and coach you through it. They do not deliver the baby but they assist in basically any way they can and keep you pumped up and encouraged throughout your delivery. I think that's a really great thing to do as I know a lot of husbands probably don't do a great job with that while their wives are pushing out a 6-10 lb baby and screaming and bleeding everywhere - especially not first time dads. I don't expect a lot from Waylon. I will be happy if he stays conscious and by my head holding my hand and not freaking out. :-) I know he will do great as long as he doesn't see what's going on down where the baby comes out. I definitely see him being COMPLETELY willing to be on gofer duty and willing to leave the room for any reason I need him to. LOL! I have requested that my mom be in the room as well for extra support and for taking pictures and if they need someone else to hold a leg for me (Waylon wouldn't be able to be down there doing that). She has agreed to do it for me but is a little worried that she might have a hard time being in there if I'm in a lot of pain or having any problems. I don't see there being any problems and I totally plan on getting the epidural (if everything goes to plan) so I think she'll be fine...at least I hope! I really want pictures of Brooklyn as soon as she's out and pictures of us getting to hold her for the first time and all that fun stuff. I may have our video camera set up in a corner in a "strategic" location so it doesn't get anything gruesome but does get all the important things like Brooklyn's arrival and us holding her (and crying) and cutting the chord and all that. We'll see if they allow that.
Well, I think I shall go lay down and try to sleep some more. I got up before 5:30 today b/c, a) I had to go pee, b) once I was up from that, I realized how hungry I was, and c) Waylon has to work at 6am on Saturdays so I wanted to fix him breakfast. (I know, I'm such a sweet wife, huh??) So up I got and have been up since. It is now 10 past 7 and I'm a little drowsy and sleepy so I think I can get another couple of hours of sleep before getting up for good. We will be going to Fudrucker's today with my parents and grandparents in celebration of the 4th of July. I definitely won't be going to see any fireworks tonight (I know, how lame) because I just can't bear the thought of being outside in the heat with mosquitoes and other flying debris from the fireworks. I have become a very lame pregnant woman. I don't want to do much these days. Oh well. I don't care. Right now, I just care about staying healthy for when I go into labor and that involves a lot of staying home and resting which is what I'll be doing today.
Oh, by the way...take a nice little gander at my spiffy "signature" I created this morning. I got it from http://mylivesignature.com/
You should definitely try it - it's free and they explain how to do everything on there. I still haven't figured out how to save it permanently to blogger so that it shows up on every post automatically but I will be working at that. If anyone else knows how to do that, please tell me!
Happy 4th of July!
6 comments:
I'm going to hold to optimism too Steph and hope you naturally go into labor this next week! However you look at it....it's getting very close now.
Yes, it IS getting close either way. That's very optimistic. If I've made it this far, I can wait 12 more days. I just don't want to!
At my 38 week appt with Garrett, I was not dilated at all, but the next week I was 3.5 cm, so you never know what the next appt holds for you.
What you said about Waylon in the delivery room made me laugh. When I had Garrett, Keith stayed by my head and my mom helped where she could with holding my leg (and even cut the cord because Keith didn't want to). But this time, Keith had to hold my leg because there was only my ob and one nurse in the room when Cooper was born so somebody had to hold the other leg. Heaven knows I couldn't because it was so numb! :) Keith was a trouper though and didn't complain once and has only mentioned once the "sight" he saw from that position. But he did his best not to look. A doula would have been nice to have with this delivery. That would be so cool if Jen was able to be with you for your next one!
I hope you go into labor soon too Steph! I know just how you feel about it all. Even though it's just two more weeks till your due date, that feels like forever when you are uncomfortable and ready to get on with things. I hope you start seeing some action soon as far as dilation goes. :) Keep us posted! I'm really excited for you!
I can't wait to see her!!!!!!!! I love you!!!!! I love her!!!! It is so crazy that we are all grown up all married with children and stuff!!!
Whenever you're concerned with her not moving has your doc said to lay on your left side? That's what my OB always told me. That is the best side for you to lay and she always told me if I was ever worried about lack of movement to lay on my left side for half an hour to see if that got her going. I think laying on that side gets more blood flowing or something. Not quite sure. In a few weeks you won't even remember what life is like w/o her. I feel like it's flown although I'm sure it feels a lot longer to you. I like your signature thing! I'll have to check that site out.
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