37 Weeks

I have SO much to talk about this week! It's been awhile since I've updated so I'll start with my last doctors appointment which was on the 21st (I was still 36 weeks). Everything was fine with both the baby and me. My GBS test was negative so I don't have to have an IV when I go into labor. Her heartrate was 150 and my fundal measurement was "right on" (finally, the baby has dropped). The np did a weight estimate on her and guessed she was around 6lbs. She also checked me and I was still thinning but not dialated. She said she could fit her fingertip in my cervix though, so I'm assuming I was a tiny bit dialated.

I had my baby shower on Friday the 22nd and it went AMAZING! I am SO blessed! It was absolutely beautiful. A couple of the gifts made me cry... one was from my aunt, who told me that my grandma had given her money to put towards a gift for me (she passed away in January). The other was from one of my brothers old nurses, who used his trach ties on a hand made baptismal gown for my daughter (he passed away in 2003 at the age of 15). They served really good food and my cake was so cute! I'll post pictures soon :) After the shower I ordered everything else she needs. I'm waiting on two more packages and then we will have everything (except a playmat, which needs to come back in stock).

Yesterday I was feeling pretty sick (flu like symptoms, mostly nausea) so I decided to go into the ER (not thinking much of it). I got there about 5pm and was told that since I'm 37 weeks I had to go directly up to labor & delivery. One of the first things I did when I got up there was throw up. They hooked me up to the fetal monitor as well as a contraction monitor and I was having contractions! I couldn't even feel them at first. The nurse asked me a bunch of questions, mostly about medical history and then went to get the doctor. I was checked (which hurt SO bad) and found out that I was 2cm dialated, 60% effaced, and the baby was at -2 station. However, he said he could feel her head. He told me that 37 weeks is pretty early to induce so if I went into labor it would pretty much have to be on my own. After he left I sat around for a bit then decided I wanted/needed to walk. I was hopng it would help push me into full on labor. I walked for a little over 2 hours and was having some pretty good contractions. I could still talk through them but they were painful. Finally around 9pm the nurse came back in to get me back in bed and hooked up again. She told me that the doctor was going to check me again and then they would decide what they were going to do with me. He had to help deliver 2 babies before I could be checked so I had to wait (insert screaming pain here, as well as when I first arrived). In the meantime I threw up again. When he finally came in to check me I had made no progress :( I was pretty bummed about that. Going through 5 hours of contractions and having nothing change kind of sucked to hear. They gave me something for my nausea and then told me I could be hooked up to an IV for fluids and stay as long as I wanted (into the morning if I wanted). The doctor told me that if I wasn't having nausea they would just send me home so I decided to just go home and labor there. I figured if it was real labor it wouldn't stop, I could do it at home, then come back when I needed to. Plus, Jake was there with me and he didn't want to stay (even though he said it was my call, I could tell) but I wanted to be in my own bed and didn't see much of a point in staying. I was feeling fine nausea wise and my contractions were leveling off. We got dischargerd around 12am. I got into bed around 1:30am and was woken up by 3am with painful contractions. I didn't get back to bed until after 4. I woke up a couple more times into the morning with contractions but they never lasted. Bummer. I went about my day with almost no pain at all and LOTS of energy, I guess all I got out of it was a real energy boost.

Tonight I started having painful contractions again. They only lasted for a couple hours though. I am having pretty bad pressure and cramping. I hope this means good things are to come, soon!

I have a doctors appointment in the morning so we'll see if anything has changed! I'll update then :)

36 Weeks

I was supposed to have a doctors appointment today but it was cancelled because she was "out" ...maybe delivering someones baby! I rescheduled for Thursday so I will update on that then.

Everything is going well. I'm having more braxton hicks contractions so I'm *hoping* something is going on down there (maybe a little dialation?!) Probably not... I'll be so excited when things finally get rolling and she is offically on her way!

I'm feeling pretty good with only minor pain. It still hurts to get up at night to pee, roll and get out of bed in the morning but I'm sure that is 100% normal. I haven't had any crazy cravings, only small ones. I eat what I want once and it goes away so that's nice haha.

Jake wants to take one last trip to Missouri before she is born. He said he would wait to see what the doctor says on Thursday and then decide but I don't think she is going to come this weekend so I'm sure he will be taking his trip. I get lonely when he's not around but I understand why he wants to go. His friend is coming home from the army for the weekend and if he can't see him now he probably won't see him again for a long time. The baby clearly comes first though so if there is even a slight chance that she could come, he won't go. It's bittersweet, I want so bad to be dialted and labor to start but I want Jake to be able to see his friend again before he leaves for Iraq or something crazy like that. I wish I could travel still, haha...

The baby shower is Friday and I'm so excited for it!

35 Weeks *Update*

Everything is going great! I'm so excited to be this far along and I can't wait to meet my little princess!

Everything went well with my doctors appointment. I was really nervous to be there without Jake but the GBS test wasn't bad at all... it was just a swab around the outside areas, not internal at all. Needless to say, I was stressed out for nothing. Her heart rate was 140 and my fundal measurement was 37cm. I'm not dialated at all and my cervix is soft but still thick. I hope that changes soon! Total weight gain so far is 22 pounds. I'm hoping to not go over 30 and it's looking really good right now.

I'm still having pains and it's still hard to get out of bed to pee and get up in the morning. I feel like I have to be rolled around when I turn over in my sleep, it is horrible but as always, worth it. I'm having braxton hicks contractions and a new sharp pain in my lower left side. I'm not sure if I have had a "real" contraction yet. I know I have had pains but they never felt like bad cramping or anything like that so I'm not sure, I guess I will find out soon enough!

Next Friday I will start natural inducement. Not only will I be full term but I have my baby shower that day too! I'm really excited for it.

Tomorrow I am ironing all of her onesies and organizing her room. It's by no means unorganized but I'm really feeling the need to make everything perfect, hello nesting stage!

35 weeks

TODAY!!! That means only 35 days left until my due date and 14 until I'm full term! I'm not updating until Wednesday when I see my doctor, I just had to say that! Yay!

34 weeks

I've been sick, again! I threw up 4 times yesterday and have had the worst pains in my stomach. I think it's just the flu bug but it's defiantly worse being this far along and dealing with pregnancy pains too.

We went in for my doctors appointment yesterday. Everything still looks great with the baby. Her heart rate was 140 and my fundal measurement was 36/37cm. I asked the npc why it's so high when I'm only 34 weeks and she told me it's because the baby is REALLY high and assured me it's not because she is huge, thank God! I wasn't crazy about yesterdays appointment. I felt violated but I won't go into that, Jake knows what I mean. It's all worth it as long as I know the baby is ok though. My next appointment is May 13th and I will have my group strep b test done. Exciting... haha.

I've been having more and more braxton hicks contractions and my boobs have been "leaking". It's exciting knowing that means she's getting ready to meet us in person!

Her room is complete (for the most part). We just need a few finishing touches and we will be 100% ready for her! My baby shower is the 22nd. I will be exactly 37 weeks (full term!!) It's kind of a late shower but that's ok as long as she doesn't come before that, haha.

Our maternity pictures should be here by Friday! I can't wait to see the final product!!

33 weeks

I can't believe I only have 26 days until she is full term and 47 until my actual due date, I don't know where the time is going! I have mixed feelings about getting further along and knowing that she's coming soon. Sometimes I want to hold her in me forever and sometimes I feel like I'm ready for her to just be out here in the world with Jake and me.

We had our maternity pictures taken last Thursday. I'm excited and nervous to see them... haha. We should be able to see them by next week sometime, fingers crossed that they turned out nice :)

Our birth class was yesterday. I enjoyed it but Jake... pretty much went for me, which was really nice of him. I love him <3 I think he secretly took a little something out of it though (like what to do when I'm in labor!), don't tell him of course. We went over EVERYTHING including stagtes of labor, the actual birth (with and without medication), newborn characteristics and hospital stay, relaxation and breathing, cesarean births, postpartum cares and concerns, and baby care (bathing, temp taking, infanft safety, and infant feeding). I don't think I would take the class again but I'm really glad that we did it once. I think both jake and I are a little more prepared for labor and having our daughter.

We are getting her dresser tonight. My brother is bring it up from the Twin Cities so I'm really excited for that. It's a little rainy so I hope it doesn't get wet! After it's here, her room will be DONE!

Everything as far as I go is still the same. The pressure is gettting worse every day. It's so worth it though <3

32 weeks

I had a doctors appointment yesterday which went well. The scale said I've gained 25 pounds and my bp was good. The baby's heartbeat was in the 140s and she's still head down (which I already knew because I feel her in my ribs all the time). My fundal measurement was 35cm. I hope that doesn't mean that she's a big baby... hopefully it just means that my original due date was more accurate, if anything at all. I asked my doctor about getting a membrane sweep and when she will do one. She told me I can get one done at 39 weeks. I was hoping more along the lines of 37-38 weeks but oh well. Hopefully she will come sooner than 39 weeks on her own. I know the day she's full term I'm going to start doing everything to naturally induce myself (no, not crazy stuff like drinking castor oil). I have one more 2 week appointment then I start going every week! That is so exciting to think about!

Symptoms are still pretty much the same with the exception of my ribs, which are hurting a lot more and it's getting harder to move. I have a new love of ice pops and red grapes. I could eat them all day :)

We are getting our maternity pictures taken on Thursday. I'm really excited, it should be a blast! We are hoping for outdoor pictures since it's supposed to be 70 and sunny. We'll see what happens :)

We ordered her dresser and paid to get it shipped up from the store in the Twin Cities but my brother is going down this weekend so he will just pick it up for me, which saves us a lot of money. I'm really excited to get it in her room because my mom washed all her little clothes, now all the baby needs is that dresser!