40 Weeks and 1 day!

So we had a Drs appointment today and it was more exciting than normal because I'm finally progressing a little bit. I'm dilated to a 2! I'm effaced 80% which is just a little more than before AND the baby has finally dropped! I'm so excited and Perry is so impatient. I have been feeling period crampy and you know having lots of contractions that may or may not be considered early labor. I can't really tell. Whatever, if they get harder sometime soon I will know its the real thing. Last night I had a lot of contractions and even while sitting and I usually don't have a lot while sitting. So that's the news. It's still a waiting game but I don't mind. Oh and the doc asked if I wanted to be induced and that we should probably be induced on Thursday. I said okay but then he said, OR we could wait and see and do ultrasounds twice a week. I told him that we had been doing those already for about 4 weeks now and we didn't mind doing them more. So we aren't doing the induction. However he did say we don't really have a choice after 2 weeks because the risks go way up. So for sure I will be induced by then.

39 Weeks and 6 days

So I'm not in labor yet... still waiting. I meant to post last night but I figured spending time with my hubby was more important, especially since it won't be just the two of us for long. I had a doctor's visit yesterday afternoon. They did another BPP ultrasound again and it was good as it always has been. Then I saw Dr. Allred. He is pretty much my favorite. I have seen him 3 times and I just think he cares a little more than the other practitioners. He checked me, which was quick and basically painless! So that was great. I was told by one of the nurses the appointment before that Dr. Allred really feels uncomfortable when his patients are in pain, and this was after I had Dr. Evans painfully check me. They say it is because he has such big hands. Anyway, so he checked me, I was the same as my last visit, barely dilated, not yet to a 1, 75% effaced, and baby is at station -3, however Dr. Allred was very hopeful compared to Dr. Evans. Dr. Evans said to us, "Don't sell your Jazz tickets just yet." meaning we weren't going into labor anytime to soon. But Dr. Allred said the baby is in a really good position for labor and the head is really low and he could feel the head really well when he checked me. And the cervix is moving forward like it should. Anyway, so he said that hopefully we won't have to do another BPP ultrasound because they can do it when the baby is born by just examining him. So he thinks we will deliver soon. Who really knows. He's funny and said, "What worked for my wife was strawberry cheesecake ice cream. I don't recommend just eating that but you can try it!" lol. He obviously meant do whatever you want to induce labor but who knows what really works. Anyway, so I'm just patiently/anxiously waiting to go into labor. Perry hopes its anytime but it would be ideal if it was Friday and then go home on Saturday with the baby. That way my mom will be settled in here, since she comes here on Thursday evening, and we still get to enjoy a nice President's day weekend. So anyway that would be ideal. Time will tell what actually happens. I'm trying to stay chill and not over anxious because I hear sometimes the mom's emotional state will delay labor.

Another Appointment

So these three pictures are of Perry and I wearing a shirt that every Stotts woman who has been pregnant has had a picture in it including Perry's mother. So I of course needed one as well. (And Perry lol) (That's a pillow under his shirt by the way)


So today I am 38 Weeks and 5 days. I had my most entertaining appointment yet, more so because we talked to the provider (nurse practitioner) longer than any other visit that I have ever had. So we had a Biophysical profile again on the ultrasound. He scored 8/8 which is good. Then we saw the NP. She was really nice. I liked her a lot. She asked if we had any questions and we usually don't but we don't really know what questions to ask. So she asked if we had been talked to about labor and we said no and so she did her labor schpeal. Then I told her that we hadn't had any questions because I don't think it would be effective to ask about specific things on my birth plan since the doctor is really only there to catch the baby and I don't even know which doctor it will be because they are all on call at different times. And it might not even be a doctor from this clinic if I deliver on the weekend because the clinics switch off being on call. So anyway she validated my concern and agreed with me that it wouldn't be effective and to just give my birth plan to the attending nurse when I check into the hospital, which is what I was planning on doing anyway. Then she asked if I wanted to get checked or if I had been checked ever and I told her I was checked about 2 weeks ago and nothing. Then she asked if I wanted to get checked, and I said yes. Then I asked about what exactly "stripping the membranes" was because I had heard from other people but never from the doctor. She said that it is just putting your finger into the cervix and swirling it around the edge of the cervix to stretch or widen it. This is supposed to agitate the cervix and cause it to dilate on its own soon. She said that she would do it if I wasn't dilated. She said doctors prefer women to be dilated a little by now or at least a 1. So she proceeded to check me and said I wasn't dilated but I wasn't completely not dilated. I am what she called a nubbin. She couldn't fit her whole finger in but just the tip so the cervix is opening a little but not to the point of making a hole. So anyway she continued to do the strip membranes thing and tried to get passed the cervix but couldn't but still she was able to agitate it a little and stretch what she could. I am 50% effaced and the cervix is soft and not hard, which is a good sign. She recommended, to get the cervix dilated: intercourse and nipple stimulation. So of course Perry is pleased with that prescription lol but anyway. I was a little surprised. I had read about stimulating labor by doing those things but never from a doctor. I thought it was more of a wives tale but she backs up the fact that semen has prostaglandin which naturally stimulates the cervix to dilate. So anyway.. I'm sure they will check me again on Saturday at my next BPP (biophysical profile ultrasound) and appointment. She also said the cervix is posterior so behind the babies head a little so not quite in place for labor (no big deal) and that the baby is at a -3 position. The scale ranges from -5 where the baby is still up and floating and not dropped at all and +5 where the baby is almost coming out of the mom. So I guess he has dropped slightly but not completely, which would be a 0 score right at the cervix. Oh and the baby has grown. He is roughly 6lbs. 9 oz (they say it is less accurate the farther along you are.) So he is around 6 lbs. So he is getting there. I was 6lbs 4 oz so he might have already by passed my birth weight. This makes me feel like he is doing just fine, and he is, but that he won't be super small but average. So that's good. However when they told us how many weeks he is measuring, he is at 36 weeks 2 days. So whatever. He's growing and that's what matters right?

Ultrasounds of the pregnancy

So I hadn't put up any of my ultrasounds because I didn't know how to get the scanned image to show up on the blog. But my sister had a simple bright idea that was genius. She said to take a picture of the ultrasounds with my camera. So I did! Here is the order and roughly how far along I was during each ultrasound:This is the most recent ultrasound. It was funny because the ultrasound tech just said, so there is the gender. And then continued the ultrasound and then kept passing over his manhood and saying, "oooh thats a good picture. These are great! Do you want a picture of it?" We said yeah because we didn't get a picture of it, just a video of the whole ultrasound when we found out he was a boy.
It's really hard to tell but this is a profile picture. It' s a little fuzzy because his hand is curled up at his face. I also think his other hand is to the left under his chin.
This picture was taken a week from Tuesday I think, and it is most definitely a picture of his chin, mouth, and nose. It's so precious! His nose looks big but I think its just a pretty good close up. He opened and closed his mouth a bunch when the tech was trying to take a picture. He also put his hand in front of the camera right before we had like the perfect picture.. this is second best but still sweet.
These next two were done when I was 22 weeks pregnant and found out he was a boy.
And they are profile pics. HOPEfully you can tell.
This one was done at 10 weeks or so. He is really cute and he wiggled back and forth a lot kind of like he was dancing. So cute!
This is the first picture we took of the baby, well the second, but the first time he was microscopic and we didn't see anything on the machine. So the bubble in the middle is the yolk sac that soon became the placenta. The smudgy whiteness right above it is actually the baby.

So those are the pics. Pretty exciting! By the way, I'm feeling much better but I don't really want to work out this week. I'm finally feeling like I waddle or close to it. It just isn't comfortable to move around and get up and down and walk a lot. So yeah...

Feeling sick

So I'm home. Trying to organize and clean and motivate myself to do homework due tomorrow. I feel nauseous and fatigued. I don't know why. I did read that one of the pre labor symptoms could be this. Bleh. I don't feel like eating anything but I some what feel that that may help me feel a little better. I don't know. I'll try some toast.

Biophysical Profile

So I had my appointment today. All is well. He grew a little bit more and he has enough amniotic fluid, good muscle tone, good heart rate, and the umbilical cord looks good. So yes I'm relieved. The tech was having a hard time getting measurements because he was moving so much. At the end she showed me a picture of his face and he opened and closed his mouth. It was so cute. She took a picture. Unfortunately I can't post it because I don't know how. Last time I tried to post an ultrasound it didn't work. To give you an idea of how much he grew.. he was 2400 grams last time and this time he is 2500 grams since Saturday. He is still head down and facing the left side. He is floating as they would say so not dropped yet. So I doubt I'm dilating at all.

As far as life news, today I had a bit of a scare. It was snowing and I was going 35 on a 45 taking a slight curve in the road and my car spun one way and then the other and I ended up in a ditch with a big log fence to catch the impact from the rear. My car is a little dented on the trunk, not even where I hit. Weird. The steering wheel didn't touch my belly, luckily since my belly is so small compared to other women right now. I was just shaky. The girl with me was really calm about the whole thing. Some people driving by helped us get out of the ditch. I just feel bad someone was in the car with me. I have never gotten in an accident where I was the driver before. Anyway, so I have a slight backache and I know it is because of the pregnancy, however, my mind keeps saying that it could have been from that. Anyway, all is well but it wasn't something I was expecting to happen on this fine Tuesday morning!

37 Weeks and 2 days... MORE news than usual!

Hey Everyone, So we had our weekly visit today. It was with Dr. Barton. He is a cool old guy with a funny sense of humor. Anyway. Baby's heartbeat is good, urine sample good, negative Group B strep test.. which means I won't need antibodies injected during labor, and measuring my uterus good. The interesting part came when I asked if he could tell how much the baby weighs about. Then he says that I am actually measuring smaller than I'm supposed but nothing to concern myself with. But he immediately ordered an ultrasound, which is interesting because they don't have an ultrasound tech around on Saturdays ever but I guess they did today. So we were excited not expecting to have any ultrasound at all since our last one at 20 weeks. So we had the ultrasound. The baby weighs 2400 grams or in other words 5 lbs 4 oz. We are 37 weeks and 2 days but the baby is measuring 34 weeks and 2 days, so he is 3 weeks smaller than the average baby. Also I asked if the baby was facing forwards or backwards and she said he is actually facing the left, so no wonder I feel something big poking my right side and then pressure on my left hip for him pushing there. We went to talk to the doctor about the ultrasound and he said it could mean one of two things. Either he is just small for his gestational age or he has a condition called fetal growth retardation. This doesn't mean there is something wrong with him necessarily but that the uterus or placenta doesn't have enough fluid to allow the baby to grow so it is like he is restricted even though he would grow normal if there was enough room to allow him to. So anyway, the doctor decided to do something called a Biophysical Profile which means we will be coming in this next week on Tuesday and Saturday for ultrasounds and doctor's appointments to measure the growth of the baby between the days. So if he is growing at a good rate then the baby will just be considered normal and small. But if not the doctor will need to deliver him early. So most likely induced or something like that. So that's the news. I half would want him to come early but I will probably want an epidural for sure but I guess I will have to see. I know that when you are induced the really painful contractions come right away instead of progressing slowly. So that is why but if he comes naturally then I will try without medication.