36 & 37 Week Updates

I'm still here and still pregnant, just in case you were wondering. I don't have a picture off hand. Sorry! I am seriously side-tracked lately! I owe you one, or two...

How far along?
I am 37 weeks and 6 days. Olive is full term and I have 15 days until my due date. Or do I?


You see, I have had two doctor's appointments since you have heard from me last. At my last one we officially set an induction date of September 7th! Yay! So, if I make it that far, I only have 9 more days! I go in on the evening of the 6th to start with a treatment (the name escapes me; it starts with a 'C') to thin my cervix. Then, we start Pitocin on the morning of the 7th. So, I feel kind of like I only have 8 days before we get this show on the road! :) I wouldn't be opposed to going into labor naturally though, even sooner...


Baby is the size of...
Dr. B mentioned again at the last appointment that she was "big." Every time she says that it scares me a bit. I sure hope she isn't too big and I can have her naturally, without really hurting myself! :{ I had a dream earlier this week that I had her naturally and she was 9 lbs 9 oz! We will see...I swear with all of this emphasis on size, she is going to be like 7 lbs or something completely average! haha.

Well, according to BabyCenter.com, she is the size of a "stalk of swiss chard" - whatever the heck that is! She is supposed to be still gaining an ounce a day and approximately half a pound each week. An average 37 week baby is 19 inches long and between 6 lbs and 7 lbs 10 oz.

Symptoms:
I have been feeling odd lately. The last two days I've just felt different. I wish that it meant labor was near; but, when you are this pregnant "near" has different meanings. You can have a sign that labor may begin soon, go into labor right away, or still have two weeks. The "signs" are never really that telling. So, I continue to wait. In fact, I'm kind of obsessing at this point. Although I kind of complained about Heath having classes and running around all the time, at least it kept my mind busy! Now, I just sit and wait and anticipate, and am SO READY already...

Things that I've been experiencing that could possibly be signs that labor is near (but could also mean nothing....ugh):

-  Several, several Braxton-Hicks contractions - they are getting pretty painful at times too.
-  Nausea
-  Frequent, loose bowel movements
-  Dizziness/Light headed-ness
-  Exhaustion
-  Lightening (my doctor said she had dropped; she feels like a bowling ball between my legs!)

All of those have other explanations and I haven't had any totally obvious signs yet. I am still waiting.

Anything new?
I've kind of gone over all the new stuff already. But, I wanted to add that at my last two checks I had no progress. I am not dilated at all and I am not effaced. So, in layman's terms that means that my cervix hasn't stretched, thinned, or widened...boo. My doctor did say, in an encouraging tone, "You are soft though and the head is definitely down!" I guess I can celebrate the little victories then.

My next doctor's appointment is this Thursday; so, I will let you know if there is any more progress. Almost 38 weeks!

New with Heath?
He has been playing super dad the last few weeks. He has really allowed me the rest that I need. I am so appreciative. He and Lucy, who are usually pretty inseparable, have been even more so lately. I seriously anticipate some jealousy issues when Olive arrives, particularly with daddy. Everyone else? Meh...

The other night, Lucy ended up in our bed again to sleep. Heath laid on his pillow, facing the outside of the bed. I told Lucy to roll over and close her eyes. She rolled over on Heath's pillow, sharing it with him, facing the same direction, and swung her arm around him. It was adorable. But, there I was, with Olive...left to do my own thing. Foreshadowing? I think so.

New with Lucy?
She goes into Olive's room a lot. In fact, we sometimes shut the door, or block it off with a baby gate. She plays with her stuff, or she will take Olive's stuff out of her room and put it in her own. I feel like I am constantly picking up after her; so, it's easier to just block it off for now.

She also won't stop playing with Olive's swing. I imagine that we will have to tell her not to assist the swing by pushing. She gets a little too excited and carried away. But, overall, I'm excited that she is so interested in babies and the baby items.

Also, she told DayCare the other day that her tummy hurt. Then, she proceeded to pull up her shirt, point at her belly, and say, "Olive kickin'." :) She also tells us the same thing, "Sister kickin'." :)

Anything else?
Well, as some of you have seen on Facebook, two ladies that were due around the same time as me had their babies already. I am jealous. One of them, who said she was also having a "big" baby had a 7 lb, 6 oz baby. I thought that was funny. I tell you Olive is probably going to be little after all! haha. The other woman, who is a reader of this very blog, :) had a 10 lb 13 oz baby. Now, that, I would consider big! :)

Last thing - my sister-in-law had a dream that I had the baby too. She said that Heath emailed everyone to let them know. Haha. It made me laugh. She told Heath, "Don't do that, okay?" Haha. Well, if this is like my last pregnancy, you can watch Facebook for updates. Heath posted statuses the whole time! Keep an eye on his account for breaking news! :)

Talk to you soon. Happy hump day!

Olive's Nursery

I don't have all the pictures of her nursery yet. I know that is what you were expecting. Sorry. I think I will wait until after she arrives and it is more "lived in." Nonetheless, I do have some nursery-prep pictures to share. We have hung Olive's name on the wall and Lucy helped me paint, as I mentioned in a previous post.

Some of the pictures are a little blurry. She wouldn't sit still for a picture and she blinks! I decided just to click and move on...

We had fun; although, it tested Lucy's ears and mommy's patience. Here is the finished product after we got daddy involved to hang it, and used his measuring skills. :)

 

More nursery pictures to come. Although, I wouldn't believe me. I often promise pictures and don't deliver. :{ I'll try really hard this time!

Birth Plan #2

I finished my second birth plan. I had shared my original birth plan that I made with Lucy a couple of years ago. But, I thought I would share my new one, with some edits, now that I have experienced labor and delivery once.

Also, I get a lot of moms who tell me that they "didn't need a birth plan." Or, that they just "winged-it." That is good for them. To each their own. However, I was encouraged by my nurses and doctor to do one. Also, it is and was really comforting going through the plan with my doctor. It helps me prepare mentally and feel less anxiety. My doctor then knows what I expect, and she sends a copy to the nurses for my file. Then, I don't have to repeat myself ten times, or if something were to go unplanned, they all know what I prefer without having to ask me.

 

I posted on Facebook that I had finished my plan (a relief for me!). I had a mom, who is also pregnant, comment, "You must have written it down..Mine is done mentally..."

That's it. No more. No less. And, she never comments on my stuff.

I don't know if it's the hormones or just my surly demeanor, but that rubbed me the wrong way. Well, thanks for that comment. It achieved nothing more than pissing me off. I wonder if that is what she intended. Or, if I made her feel inferior, because she doesn't have a plan. If so, muah-ha-ha-ha. Good for you and your "mental plan;" good luck getting the doctors and nurses to read that!

Rant aside...here is my written plan! :) I added some notes too, just for my readers. What is in blue was not in the plan I gave to my doctor.
 

Cori [Last Name]’s Birth Plan
Due Date: September 14^th, 2012

Supporters:  My husband, Heath [Last Name] and my sister [First & Last Name]
*Please be aware that my husband has high anxiety about hospitals, needles, and above all, surgery. 

(I'm so glad that I included this. My doctor said that she had forgotten that Heath and I were "squeamish." Heath more so than I.)

Basics:  This is our second baby. (I've heard this is important to let the nurses know. They won't be so "in your face.")

However, we are still open to any and all information that your staff would like to share with us about the labor and post labor processes. We trust the judgment of our doctor and the nursing staff to make decisions that are in the best interest of our baby and for me.  We understand that this plan is not set in stone and could change at moment’s notice.  However, we have decided to share with you what we hope to achieve with the birthing experience.

I feel as though I should share my own anxiety about the IV and an epidural.  I do not like to be talked through these processes.  I would rather look away and only be told when the procedure is completed. – Thank you

Induction:  We are open to the idea of an induction, if it is recommended by our doctor.  Otherwise, I would like to go into labor naturally. (No such luck. This was before I knew about Olive being big.)

Pain Relief:

• I plan to request an epidural; however, I will not know when the proper time is for this.  Please suggest it, when appropriate.
• As for other pain relievers, please suggest them if the situation seems appropriate. (Last time they did, and I took them! I don't even remember what it was. But, it made that additional hour before the epidural a tiny bit more bearable.)

During the Delivery:

• I hope to be sitting up during delivery.
• At this time, I do not want to use a mirror. 
• I’d only like an episiotomy, if there is a medical emergency.  Otherwise, please allow time for the perineum to stretch naturally.

Immediate Post Delivery:

• My husband does not want to catch the baby; but, he does want to cut the umbilical cord.  He will inform you, if he changes his mind. 
• As routine, I would like to hold the baby immediately after the birth. (As in she plops her onto my chest right away. haha. I was not prepared for that with Lucy!)
• My husband and I do not wish to see the placenta after birth. (I really don't care to see it; but, the Xanax had Heath feeling so good last time he asked to see it. It was gross. I don't need to see it again.) 
• If for some reason the baby needs to be taken from the room, I would like my husband to escort her when possible.

Post Delivery:

• If the baby surprises us and is a boy, then we would like a circumcision. 
• I plan on trying to breastfeed; I have done it before. However, please advise me on when is a good time to do so. I can’t remember how much time passed post-delivery before I fed my first daughter. (I wanted them to know that it isn't my first time, so a nurse wasn't bothering me about how to do it.)
• I will accept guests before and after the baby has been breastfed and not during. (This was nice; this way the nurses knew that I didn't want them, or guests, coming and going while I was breastfeeding. I just don't feel comfortable doing it around people.) 
• We are open to giving the baby its first bath; however, the nurses are welcome to do this in the nursery-area as well. (We gave Lucy her first sponge bath; but, we were also new parents. So, this time, either way is alright.) 
• We do plan for the baby to sleep in the nursery overnight and to be brought into my room during feeding times. (We tried to have Lucy sleep in my room the whole time. No way. It didn't work. So, this time we will be sending Olive to the nursery to get some sleep; because when you get home, there is no nurse to relieve you in the middle of the night!) 
• We plan to have the baby in my room during the entire day, throughout our stay.

Caesarean Option: 

• I hope to avoid a c-section, if at all possible.

If one is necessary:

• I would like my husband and my sister to be present in the surgery room. 
• Please keep discussion with me minimal.  Considering my husband’s and my own anxieties, I do not wish to know what you are doing (making an incision, etc.). 
• Once she is born, we do wish to see her.
• Also, please inform us of the steps you are taking with the baby (she is being weighed, checked, etc.). 
• Although I realize there will be moments of separation, we would like to stay with the baby as much as possible.  If I cannot go with the baby, please let my husband know if he is welcome to be with her.

 Notes:

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

Ahhh...feels good to have it done. I feel so prepared! :) Now, to get that hospital bag packed. :[ 

35 Week Update

I thought that I should probably get this out ASAP, since I am again behind on the update.

Poor Heath. I am a beast in comparison to him! Can you say Jack Sprat?

How far along?
I am 36 weeks. So, a 35 week update was overdue! I can officially be called "9 months" pregnant. I have 28 days until her due date and 7 days before she is considered full-term.

Baby is the size of a...
According to BabyCenter.com, she is approximately the size of a honeydew. She would be about 18.5 inches and 6-ish pounds.

Clarification:
Yes - this is a new section. See, I need to clarify both of the above answers based on new information from my doctor's visit last week. First of all, my amniotic fluid levels are normal. Whew! Heath and I must have been wrong about seeing the measurements....or, were we?

You see, Olive is big. I mean really big. So, I have come to the conclusion that the measurements we were seeing were of her! Dr. B said that she measured in the 90th percentile overall. Her abdomen measured in the 97th percentile! She said that a large abdomen like that indicates that Olive will be a large baby. At my ultrasound, which took place at about 33.5 weeks, she estimated that Olive was approximately 6 to 6.5 pounds already! So, when the ultrasound tech said 5 lbs 12 oz, give or take a pound, she meant 'give' more than 'take.'  Then, when Dr. B measured my stomach she said that I was pretty much at 40 weeks already.

All I could do was shake my head. I had told Heath that I felt like she was big and so strong! Also, it made me feel a little better. Thank goodness there is a reason that I am so huge! Olive is huge too! So, now what do we do with this new information?

Dr. B said that she will definitely want to induce a week early, which sounded just fine for me. She said that we didn't want to chance that the baby's lungs weren't developed, even by a few days, so we wouldn't want to do it any sooner than a week early. So, she said let's set a tentative induction date of Friday, September 7th. She did mention a few times, "unless something changes." I am not sure what that means; but, I guess I will let you know if anything changes.

Symptoms:
My hips have been hurting pretty bad again. The last two nights haven't been as bad - thank goodness. It is just a toss up. At least I am sleeping in bed and not the recliner! :) I've been having some headaches; however, I think they are from being sleepy and stressed out from work. The swelling in my feet and ankles is getting worse. I barely walk around and my feet are puffing out the sides of my sandals. I won't miss this at all. Oh, and I am officially waddling. It is really bad, side-to-side, ridiculous waddling.

Anything new?
I am going to again compare myself to Gilbert Grape's mother. If the waddling weren't enough, I am just so big. When we went to a football scrimmage the other night, Heath sat us in the middle of the stands. I had a bleacher seat and I'm already gi-gan-tor next to Heath. I felt like "the fat woman" on display; everybody was staring at me as I ate nachos. Bah...I seriously don't care to go out in public anymore because of all the stares. I'm pregnant and very, very large...yes. Stop staring!

I don't know if anything else is new, besides the doctors appointment. I have another this week. We will see if "anything changes." Otherwise, I am pretty excited about getting a week taken off of this long wait! I am not too thrilled about an induction, which could lead to a c-section. However, if Olive is as huge as anticipated, then I would probably end up with a c-section anyway. So, I'll take my chances. Now, watch, Olive will be this teeny, tiny 6 lb baby. haha.

New with Heath?
Thank you to everyone who congratulated him on being done with his MBA. He will walk in December; we'll have to really celebrate then! Now that he is done, it has been awesome. He is present again. We have tackled  the "things to do before Olive gets here" list. It is almost completely done. We decided a few things can wait until her arrival. Her room is ready though! The house is clean, for the most part. I still need to do some dusting in the living room. Boo...otherwise, we are prepped!

New with Lucy?
I bought a book for her this last weekend.

 

We have started to fill it out. It is so much fun. It has places for her to draw and put stickers. It is really interactive and I'm excited that I purchased it. Lucy and Olive will cherish it. One of the questions was, "What do you think the baby is doing in mommy's belly right now?" I thought for sure she would say "sleepin'" or "cryin'," which are her usual phrases. This time she said, "Umm, playin'. Playin' with toys." haha. Her answers were all funny like that. I am glad to have them written down. (The author is the same as 'The Belly Book' and 'The Baby Book.')

Anything else?

Not really. I should probably end this post though before I lose you, if I haven't already done so.

33 & 34 Week Update

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where did the time go? Here I am again, still pregnant, still large.

How far along?
35 weeks and 2 days. I am late posting again. I have 34 days left and only 13 days until she is full-term.

Baby is the size of...
a cantaloupe! I type the exclamation point, because, Nikki, I actually have a cantaloupe in the fridge at this very moment. Remind me to take a photo with it!!!!

At our third trimester ultrasound (I'll explain later), she measured approximately 5 lbs and 12 oz. That was a week and a half ago (uh-oh!). The tech said that the measurement could be off, give or take a pound. Take? Okay...Give? Um, that is even scarier. But, honestly, if the baby is supposed to gain a 1/2 pound a week, then it would put her right around 8 lbs, 12 oz. That is only 3 oz more than Lucy. It could be pretty accurate!

BabyCenter.com says that she should be approximately 18 inches long and 5 lbs.

Symptoms:
I am pretty tired. My lower back has started hurting on and off too. I think it is Olive pushing on me, or her position; because, it literally comes and goes, with no specific activity. I have also had a few headaches again. Perhaps I am not drinking enough water...

I have been able to avoid swelling for the most part. It hasn't been too bad; but, I am noticing that it is getting worse. I anticipate only getting more and more swollen as my due date approaches. Yay for puffy face!

Oh, and Braxton-Hicks. Yuck. All the time!

Anything New?
Well, at my last doctor's appointment my doctor asked me if I would be up for another ultrasound. She wanted to check my amniotic fluid level. She wasn't too concerned; but, thought that I looked big and wanted to make sure. When we asked more about the possibility of a high level of amniotic fluid, she brought up some scary possibilities - like Olive not being able to swallow, which indicates developmental issues, or when my water broke the possibility of the umbilical cord going into the birth canal first, which could cause it to become pinched. She tried to make it seem like no big deal though, not yet anyway. We were "just checking it out" for now.

By the way, don't Google high levels of amniotic fluid. It's scary.

So, we had the ultrasound over a week ago (33 weeks). The good news was that Olive had fluid in her bladder and kidneys! It indicated that she could and was swallowing! Whew!

That was a relief. Now, I just worried about the measurements. I had Googled and saw that if the four areas between my uterus and the baby were over 25 cm total, that I was high. So, I told Heath to keep an eye on the measurements. We both tried. I saw one measurement of 18 and one of 15....not so good. Heath claimed he thought he saw a 13 cm! Hopefully we were really off and didn't know what we were looking at.

I tried to get some information from the Tech. She wouldn't give me any...which kind of bothered me. It made me think that I do have too much fluid. So, I have a doctor's appointment TODAY, when I can talk over the results with my doctor. I am anxious.

New with Heath?
He finished classes!!! Yay! Everyone should hop over to his Facebook page and congratulate him. He worked so hard. Now he is present again in our house, physically and emotionally (and mentally)!  He finished just in time to celebrate our anniversary. :) He also finished just in time to assist me with my "Things to Do Before Olive Arrives" list. He has been really great about helping me nest. :)

New with Lucy?
She went on the potty at DayCare! Then, that night, she went on the potty at home! Both were without bribe or fights! I hope this means that our path is promising and she is finally coming around to the idea.

Otherwise, she is growing like a weed and saying "the darndest things." She has been playing a lot with her baby dolls and understanding the relationship between babies and Olive. :)

Anything else?
Not really. I have been thinking a lot about that ultrasound and the results. I will be happy when I can talk to Dr. B about it. I will be sure to let you know how it goes!