I'm Finally Making Progress! December 2, 2006
Cramps getting progressively worse while out shopping with Mom. We hit Target, the grocery store and a baby store and they got sharper, although not very painful. I was still able to drive home. Had more eggplant parmesan for dinner and started to loosely time them. We walked out downtown for gelato and they were coming every 30 minutes, then 20 or so, then 15. When we got home they became sporadic. I tried going to sleep at midnight and they kept me up, so got out of bed and stayed up with John until 3 a.m. Timed them all over the place, about 15-20 minutes apart on average. They got longer and more painful and spread to my back. At 3 a.m. I tried sleeping again and got in about 6 hours, with interruptions.
December 3, 2006
The cat woke me up begging for food after he heard my parents in the kitchen. I woke up tired, cranky and still crampy. The cramps seemed to resume and increase in intensity. Had Mom’s buttermilk pancakes and coffee for breakfast and now I feel sick and nauseous. Don’t feel at all like walking, although it would probably help things progress. Maybe I’ll rest more and then try.
December 4, 2006
Walked yesterday afternoon and John and I did all we could to get things in motion that evening ;) We had a nice quiet evening at home while my parents were out visiting my aunt. I was pretty tired and fell asleep early and got a good night’s sleep. I woke up and felt rested, although still crampy. I was hopeful though, as a full moon was on tap for the evening and I had heard that could stir things up if my body was already geared up for labor. It sure felt like it was. My Dad and I walked around IKEA for about an hour, and then he set about trying to fix the leak in our toilet. That turned into a fiasco when the toilet fell over and broke! I mean, it literally cracked and broke into pieces, spilling water all over the bathroom floor. I freaked out, since that is the only toilet in the house and I’d just drank a large cup of red raspberry leaf tea. Then I realized my hormones were in overdrive and calmed down while my mother cleaned things up. Dad bought a new toilet, got it installed in record time, and all was well.
I got my worst cramps yet after that – again, not unbearable but stronger and longer than before. I tried timing and they were still sporadic, ranging from 6 to 10 minutes or so. Stopped timing and just decided to go about my business until things got more intense.
December 5, 2006
I’m beginning to get a little frustrated. I know I still have a full week to go before my due date (the OBs have it as 12/12 even though it was originally 12/11 – which buys me an extra day to go into labor naturally), but I’m getting constant cramps and I’m really uncomfortable. I shouldn’t complain, I’m sleeping well and it’s relatively minor pain and discomfort. I just hope there’s been some change in my cervix – a little dilation or effacement to show for all this cramping! I will find out at my appointment tomorrow. If I’m progressed enough I’m also going to go ahead and discuss getting my membranes swept to move things along, if they think it would be beneficial. I’m really trying not to freak out about a chemical induction, but I’d rather do anything than let it come to that.
December 6, 2006
I had another amazingly good night of sleep last night and woke up feeling more energized than I have in ages. I went to my appointments this afternoon and all is well. The Bean passed the non-stress test with flying colors yet again, and my amniotic fluid is 14 or so, down from 17 last week. But they said that’s completely normal. Then I had my internal – and there’s progress!! I’m 1 cm dilated and 70 percent effaced. Not huge, but I’ll take it! That means all this cramping has been doing something to my cervix. She was able to do a membrane sweep while she was checking, and it didn’t hurt. I was afraid it would be painful, but it was only a little uncomfortable. I’m hoping between that and my acupressure appointment tomorrow that I’ll go into labor soon. I’m spotting right now, for whatever that’s worth. She also told me they would probably let me go until the end of next week without a chemical induction, which is great news. I'll verify that with the high-risk doctors on Friday - if I make it that far.
I had a dream last night that one of the midwives in my OB practice told me I was going to have the baby within the next 2 days. I hope it comes true!
2006-12-01 (38 weeks)
Slowly Making Progress It's been a busy week. My parents arrived late Tuesday night after being delayed flying across the country due to weather. It worked out well though, and they are very happy with their accommodations in our remodeled attic.
I went for my 38-week appointments on Wednesday and all is well with me and the baby. Bean passed the non-stress test again, and I have plenty of amniotic fluid. I got my first internal exam too, and the results weren't as good as I thought they'd be, but I realize I have no control over that. I'm not dilated at all and the cervix is soft, but barely effaced. Baby is at zero station though, which means the Bean is sitting level with my pubic bone. That explains the huge amount of pressure I've been feeling down there! The doctor said that was good - head down in that position means the baby is getting ready to be born. So now we just have to wait. She said I'm not a good candidate for an induction right now, but that there could be some "wiggle room" with me having the baby a bit past my due date. That's great news to me as I've been hoping to avoid an induction all along. I've been walking a lot since my parents got here and we're having homemade eggplant parmesan tonight in hopes of getting things going. I also inquired about getting my membranes swept, possibly at next week's appointment. But I know that won't do any good unless my cervix and body are ready to go into labor anyway. So we'll see.
I've been feeling lots of cramps in my lower uterus and back, but nothing strong enough to call a contraction. They've been getting progressively more uncomfortable though, so I guess that's a good thing. For now, I guess I just play the waiting game. It's not easy - I'm ready to meet the Bean! I did schedule another prenatal massage for next Thursday though. At my last appointment, the masseuse said she knows accupressure that is supposed to put me in labor, so I figure by Thursday we'll be close enough to my due date that we can give that a try. I'm really hoping I don't make it that long though!
2006-11-26 (37 weeks)
38 Weeks - This Could Happen Any Time! I'm a day early again, but tomorrow marks 38 weeks of pregnancy. I've had lots of cramping and "cervical twinges," but nothing I would call a real contraction. It does seem like my body is gearing up for the main event though, and I'm excited for the birth. I'm definitely ready, but I know the bean will come when he/she is good and ready!
We had a nice Thanksgiving weekend and got plenty done in preparation for my parents' visit. We didn't get everything marked off the list, but the house is basically presentable, and their guest area is set up in the attic. I just have to do some final clearing and cleaning tomorrow and Tuesday. They arrive Tuesday evening at 9 p.m. and John and I will pick them up at the airport, which is only about a 40 minute drive. John is taking the day off tomorrow and he was off on Friday too, so that has been very helpful.
I had my weekly non-stress test, ultrasound and prenatal exam on Wednesday. All is well, in fact the Bean got an A+ and was very active for the test. Bean is head down and seems to be sideways (not posterior, so in good position for birth). The doctor also thinks Bean has dropped, although couldn't tell us if Bean is engaged yet. I'll get an internal exam at this Wednesday's appointment and should be able to find out more about how far along I am in terms of dilation, effacement, and engagement. My guess is that I'm slightly dilated based on what I've been feeling and my own little exam, but who knows?
Thursday we went to John's sister's house for Thanksgiving and it was a calm, relatively quiet day, which was nice for me. I successfully made a pumpkin cheesecake Wednesday night and it was GOOD. The last three days have been spent cleaning and organizing. We got the changing table John's Mom got for us set up in the kitchen, and brought home a bunch of hand-me-down clothes too, which I'm laundering now. Last night I was CRAVING beef so we went out to an awesome BBQ place and I got a filet mignon and french fries, as well as a salad with blue cheese dressing. It was SO good.
I've done more cleaning and laundry today and am going to spend the rest of the day just taking it easy. Once this Bean arrives there won't be much time for that! I'm looking forward to my parents arrival too. John thinks I'm somehow holding back my body from giving birth until they arrive. I don't think so, but it's only a couple of more days at this point anyway. Once they get here I do plan to ramp up the walking and my Mom is going to make an eggplant parmesan dish that is supposed to be effective for bringing on labor. We'll see!
2006-11-19 (36 weeks)
37 Weeks Tomorrow I figured I'd make an entry a day early since a lot has been going on and I'm actually sitting down with my feet up at the moment. The feet are probably the biggest change going on with my body right now, they're SO puffy. The doctors say it's normal at this stage, but it's happened so suddenly and just seems so weird. I'm drinking tons of water and red raspberry leaf tea so I guess that's all I can do. Other symptoms have basically stayed the same - intermittent cramping, especially at night, and a lot of pressure down low in my pelvis. I got confirmation from my old coworkers and my parents that the baby seems to have dropped - I don't look quite as big as I did even a couple of weeks ago. Weird! I also measured at 32 cm Wednesday at my prenatal, whereas I have been measuring on or ahead throughout the entire pregnancy.
My visits to the rheumatologist and the OB this week went well. The best news is that I'm negative for Group B Strep. Yay! That means no IV or heplock during labor unless I have some sort of complication or become dehydrated. I passed my non-stress test just fine and the short ultrasound showed I have plenty of amniotic fluid. I go again on this Wednesday and meet yet another doctor in the practice. They'll hold off on checking me for dilation and effacement until my 38 week appointment. Then they'll talk about induction at my 39 week appointment if I'm not making any progress by then. I have a feeling I will be though, just a gut instinct. I've also been walking a lot and we just had some fresh pineapple. John and I will do all we can naturally to try to go labor started over the next few weeks!
We got a lot checked off our lists this week, so I'm feeling good about that. The apartment is about halfway clean - I have to do serious cleaning of the kitchen and bathroom this week. Our cars are both serviced and running well, and we're taking the Jeep to get new tires tomorrow. Childbirth classes are finally done, and we both feel pretty good about what to expect and how to deal with it. Although I know things rarely go according to plan, I honestly feel like I'm prepared for whatever gets thrown at me. I've been cutting back on the freelance job, and will finish that up this week. I should hopefully be able to pick it back up in the new year, once I'm settled in and in some sort of routine with the Bean.
This will be a short week, and I'm making a pumpkin-orange cheesecake to bring to John's sister's house for Thanksgiving. The weekend will be busy with finishing cleaning and finalizing a few things before my parents arrive next Tuesday. Then time should really start speeding by!
