In the interest in not needing to catch up on updates after the baby is born, I will do weekly posts until he comes. Today is the last day of week 37 according to my original due date. Tomorrow I will have officially made it further than I did with Daniel. Of course, according to the Dr.'s due date of August 12, I will be 37 weeks in two days.
37 Weeks
*Baby has the worst waking schedule! Awake at bedtime, throughout the night, and the boys' naptimes! We'll need to get this sorted out ASAP when he is born.
*at my weekly appt I was measuring 1.5 cm but my cervix was towards the back, behind baby's head. The Dr said it needs to move towards the front and continue thinning out, but since this is my third that can happen quickly.
*contractions are much more painful now. I don't feel like "painful" is the right adjective though. But definitely unpleasant. When they come, they last for a few hours and are regular, but then will stop. So I'm a little worried it will be like Daniel where we're not positive I'm in labor and barely make it to the hospital.
*big time nesting- vacuumed out my car and decided to sweep out the garage because all the spiderwebs and leaves on the ground were really bothering me. Then I shampooed the carpet in the living room. It is so much cleaner now, so definitely worth it, but all the work made my body tired.
*reinstalled all the car seats so we're ready to go. I'll miss that extra space on the back bench seat, but its new cargo is much better!
*noticed my linea nigra has darkened just slightly. It never fully faded after Daniel, but hasn't darkened at all this pregnancy until now.
*having labor and birthing dreams. All with weird twists though: like I lose my plug, but it's a rubber bath tub plug.
*felt icky this week. Just a compilation of Preggo ills: slight nausea, low appetite, but still hungry! Neck pain, hip pain. Pile that on top of feeling exhausted from Daniel not sleeping through the night. Whenever I have pains though, I just remind myself that it's going to get so much worse!
*more heartburn. Laying in my right side helps (thanks google), but being full term means I want to flip sides for comfort every time I wake at night and several times as I try to fall asleep. When I flip to my left side the acidic taste rises in my throat again so I quickly flip back over.
*Been practicing baby making, massaging my own Achilles' tendon, and bounced on my medicine ball to try to speed up labor. Trying to stay active, but I get so worn out with the boys that I am sitting or lying a lot. I have been taking naps when the boys do because I need the recharge. So I would like to speed up labor, but know I need rest too.
*weekly appt at 37w6d: heartbeat in 120s. Mentioned to Dr that I thought baby felt small so he felt around to check baby's length- thinks baby will be on the smaller side but not too small. Dilated to a definite 2, maybe 3. 50% effaced. Dr. could feel the baby's head so he's right there waiting. Gained 23 lbs- have been holding steady at that number for the past month or so.
*possibly having prodomal labor: real labor contractions that occur frequently and regularly at the same time of day but then stop and start back up at the same time the next day. My night time contractions have definitely felt like early labor contractions and have hindered sleep, but they haven't increased in intensity and then have stopped. These are real labor contractions and not BH since those stop with movement or hydration etc. I am very hydrated to help with my headaches and I move around between contractions. Generally this means I will have a shorter active labor once it starts- very similar to when I had Daniel. We'll see!
*Nikki Is a new babysitter I met at PWOC. She came over last week to chat and meet the boys and then watched them for my Dr. appt. She is so sweet and doesn't currently have a job so is available 24/7 for when the baby comes. This is such a relief since our other sitters, Alyssa and Shelby, both have part time jobs! I am so thankful to have found her so I can rest at ease that whenever the baby comes she is available.
I'm really not overly worried or stressed, but a part of me can't help but worry a little about all that could go wrong during birth. There are so many possibilities. Personally knowing people who have had still born babies or have almost died themselves during delivery has increased my awareness of possibly complications. In normal preparation for labor I have been reading about drug options and what to do if we don't make it to the hospital. I have had two pretty perfect birth stories so it seems unfair that number three will be just a perfect! Like I said, I do not have too much worry or stress about this and I do trust God to provide for the baby and me, but there is that slight "what if" that I'm having trouble shaking. I am so thankful for my last experiences so I know how wonderful birth can be. I keep drawing on that and the hope of holding my newborn soon. I just pray that all goes well and baby and I are safe and happy.
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