Well, no change since last week. 2 cm dilated. 70% effaced. Baby is pretty low.
The doctor said everything seemed fine and some people just reach a certain point and stay there until they go into labor. Could happen today...could be a couple weeks.
He did try to estimate the baby's size. He said around 7.5 pounds. And he said he's usually pretty good at figuring the size. We'll see.
Based on it being a "normal" size, there's no reason to induce early. I've got another appointment next Wednesday and, just in case, I've got an appointment scheduled for February 11 (the day after my due date). He said if I make that appointment then we'll discuss how long I want to wait before inducing. I don't really want to be induced, but I do want to have this baby, so I won't rule it out. Being somewhat dilated and effaced makes me "inducable." So it would probably be fine.
That's all the news for now. Just waiting and waiting and waiting.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
Waiting, waiting, waiting
OK...I know I'm not officially due for 2 more weeks...but I'm ready. Completely ready. Everything that can be done has been done. Well, except those "freezer meals" I keep reading about. I think we're just not a freezer meals sort of family. I do have 1 tupperware of chili in the freezer - enough to feed 2, but that's more because I happened to make a big pot of chili a couple months ago. Beyond that I'd have to decrease the amount of popsicles, ice cream, and Lean Pockets if I wanted to fit more real food into my freezer that is about a third occupied by an ice maker anyway. As far as what we'll eat after the baby is born, pretty much the same things we eat now - Italian delivery, pizza delivery, Chinese delivery, Middle Eastern delivery, diner delivery, pub delivery, Japanese delivery (I can finally have some sushi!)...
Without providing too much information, I'm getting more signs that labor is near, including an increase in Braxton Hicks contractions. But as I've just read, these signs could indicate that labor is days or weeks away, so I can't get my hopes up too much. I was hoping to go for some long walks this weekend to help the baby continue to drop, but frankly it is really freaking cold outside! So that didn't quite happen. But this baby feels really low to me anyway...how much lower could she actually get before labor starts?! I've given in and adopted the waddle style of walking.
We went to see Juno yesterday (yesterday being Sunday...as it's 3 a.m. it is officially Monday). Very cute movie. Highly recommend it to everyone. Sweet, witty, feel-good without being too sappy. I'm sure not everyone will cry at it (twice) like I did. But come on, how can a woman who is 8+ months pregnant not get sentimental and weepy when she sees a baby being born or a new mother bonding with a newborn? At least I expected it and was prepared with tissues. And in a dark theater, it's less embarassing than when I'm reading a book or hearing a touching song on my iPod on the subway. I don't really care for this soft, sentimental side that my hormones seems to be bringing out these days...like I said...bit embarassing. I guess I'll have to wait and see if it goes back into hiding post-baby-birth when my hormones adjust themselves back to normal. And by the way, the movie did make me laugh more times than it made me cry, so at least I haven't lost my dry sense of humor.
Without providing too much information, I'm getting more signs that labor is near, including an increase in Braxton Hicks contractions. But as I've just read, these signs could indicate that labor is days or weeks away, so I can't get my hopes up too much. I was hoping to go for some long walks this weekend to help the baby continue to drop, but frankly it is really freaking cold outside! So that didn't quite happen. But this baby feels really low to me anyway...how much lower could she actually get before labor starts?! I've given in and adopted the waddle style of walking.
We went to see Juno yesterday (yesterday being Sunday...as it's 3 a.m. it is officially Monday). Very cute movie. Highly recommend it to everyone. Sweet, witty, feel-good without being too sappy. I'm sure not everyone will cry at it (twice) like I did. But come on, how can a woman who is 8+ months pregnant not get sentimental and weepy when she sees a baby being born or a new mother bonding with a newborn? At least I expected it and was prepared with tissues. And in a dark theater, it's less embarassing than when I'm reading a book or hearing a touching song on my iPod on the subway. I don't really care for this soft, sentimental side that my hormones seems to be bringing out these days...like I said...bit embarassing. I guess I'll have to wait and see if it goes back into hiding post-baby-birth when my hormones adjust themselves back to normal. And by the way, the movie did make me laugh more times than it made me cry, so at least I haven't lost my dry sense of humor.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
37 week check-up
Doctor's appointment went fine today. We met Dr. Nath. She was very nice - spent some time discussing a few things with us and answering our questions. I'm now about 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. Definitely good news - progress since last week.
And she said being dilated is good - means that early labor is likely to be pretty quick and I'm likely to be at 4 cm or so by the time I go to the hospital - which is enough to be admitted.
She didn't really say much about the size of the baby - said it seems normal - not too big, not too small. So that would means she's 6 pounds something.
I asked about some pains I've been having - all normal. I mentioned that the baby has been getting hiccups a lot - 3 times yesterday. She said that's fine - and it means that she'll probably be a hiccupy baby after birth too.
And no predictions from the doc as to when I'll go into labor. Said it could be days or could still be weeks away. And she said that because I'm already dilated, if my water breaks, I will definitely know it. I guess that's a good thing - as it's dangerous not to know - but I certainly hope I don't have a big gush while sitting on the couch or something.
Anyway, definitely continuing to feel more and more uncomfortable - walking is tougher, getting up is tougher, sleeping is still not going so well. So today was my last day in the office. I packed up what I need at home, and some personal items that I wouldn't want getting lost in the move. The office is moving across town around the end of February. I'll still be working up until I go into labor - but no more commuting.
Meanwhile, my coworker Alison, who is due this Sunday, went into labor today. Last I heard she was in the hospital this afternoon with the epidural in. Hopefully I'll get to talk to her in a few days and hear how it went and if she has any advice.
And she said being dilated is good - means that early labor is likely to be pretty quick and I'm likely to be at 4 cm or so by the time I go to the hospital - which is enough to be admitted.
She didn't really say much about the size of the baby - said it seems normal - not too big, not too small. So that would means she's 6 pounds something.
I asked about some pains I've been having - all normal. I mentioned that the baby has been getting hiccups a lot - 3 times yesterday. She said that's fine - and it means that she'll probably be a hiccupy baby after birth too.
And no predictions from the doc as to when I'll go into labor. Said it could be days or could still be weeks away. And she said that because I'm already dilated, if my water breaks, I will definitely know it. I guess that's a good thing - as it's dangerous not to know - but I certainly hope I don't have a big gush while sitting on the couch or something.
Anyway, definitely continuing to feel more and more uncomfortable - walking is tougher, getting up is tougher, sleeping is still not going so well. So today was my last day in the office. I packed up what I need at home, and some personal items that I wouldn't want getting lost in the move. The office is moving across town around the end of February. I'll still be working up until I go into labor - but no more commuting.
Meanwhile, my coworker Alison, who is due this Sunday, went into labor today. Last I heard she was in the hospital this afternoon with the epidural in. Hopefully I'll get to talk to her in a few days and hear how it went and if she has any advice.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Almost ready!
After last week's doctor's appointment I said we need to finish getting everything ready this weekend. And I'm pretty sure we'll accomplish that goal.
I finished the thank-you notes from the shower and other gifts. I packed my hospital bag. And I packed the diaper bag - although I still need to add a change of clothes for the baby - but I'll wait and see how big she is before I do that.
We hung the shelf that matches the bedding set. Bit of a comedy of errors there, but it covers the extra pair of holes that we drilled just a tad too far apart. And we hung the mesh cubbies from a hook we put in the ceiling. Another trying incident...as we lost the first one in the ceiling and had to go buy a 2nd hook - which luckily we were able to put into the same hole we had already drilled. We never claimed to be handy - but we got the job done.
We picked up the Bugaboo yesterday. It's awesome! We do need to go through the various peices that came with it and make sure we know how to use them when needed - including the adapter for attaching the car seat.
Remaining items for today - I'm printing the addresses on the envelopes that the birth announcements will go in - and I'm decorating the wall above the changing table. I have everything I need - just gotta' dive in now.
And then - come on baby - any time you're ready - we're ready to meet you.
I finished the thank-you notes from the shower and other gifts. I packed my hospital bag. And I packed the diaper bag - although I still need to add a change of clothes for the baby - but I'll wait and see how big she is before I do that.
We hung the shelf that matches the bedding set. Bit of a comedy of errors there, but it covers the extra pair of holes that we drilled just a tad too far apart. And we hung the mesh cubbies from a hook we put in the ceiling. Another trying incident...as we lost the first one in the ceiling and had to go buy a 2nd hook - which luckily we were able to put into the same hole we had already drilled. We never claimed to be handy - but we got the job done.
We picked up the Bugaboo yesterday. It's awesome! We do need to go through the various peices that came with it and make sure we know how to use them when needed - including the adapter for attaching the car seat.
Remaining items for today - I'm printing the addresses on the envelopes that the birth announcements will go in - and I'm decorating the wall above the changing table. I have everything I need - just gotta' dive in now.
And then - come on baby - any time you're ready - we're ready to meet you.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
36 week check-up
We saw Dr. Markoff today for my 36 week check-up. He did a swab for the strep b test - we should get the results at next week's appointment. And he checked for position and all of that. Baby is still head down. I'm 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced - both good signs that things are progressing normally. And the baby is already low in the pelvis at +1 station.
So based on those 3 indicators and the fact that I have a wide pelvis, the doctor said he thinks there's a good likelihood that I'll go into labor early. That would be nice. More than that, he said that my body was built for birthing babies. Always knew these wide hips would come in handy. He said that he's not always right in his predictions, but he predicts that I'll progress quickly in labor and so I should call when my contractions are about 6 minutes apart. And he thinks I should have a relatively easy labor/delivery, once again because of my lovely birthing hips.
He did mention that Shafi has quite a large head and asked whether his mother had complications with him. We told him no - and she's a lot more petite than I. So he said that even if the baby does have Shafi's big head, my big pelvis ought to be enough to make it not an issue.
We also asked about things like episiotomies and epidurals. He said they try not to do episiotomies, but if they think there's going to be tearing then they do a small episiotomy to try to control the direction of the tear - rather than risking multiple tears or tears that go in a dangerous direction - I'll leave it at that rather than getting too graphic here. He also said that at least 95% of his patients have epidurals. He sees very few negatives to having one. He just recommends that people wait until they are at least 3 cm dilated. Then he thinks they are actually beneficial because usually people can get a little sleep and relax a bit and they're not exhausted when it's time to push.
He continued that his prediction would be that I would progress quickly, so if I get the epidural when I'm 3 or so cm dilated, then I could probably take a nap and wake up when it's time to push. Maybe it'll take 30 minutes to an hour of pushing - and I'll have a baby. Doesn't sound too bad to me. Let's hope he's right on all his predictions.
Now we just have to finish up the few things we still have to do to get ready. I sterilized all the breast pump parts, bottles, pacifiers, etc. last night. And I washed other things from the baby care kit we ordered - scissors, nail clippers, comb, brush, medicine dropper, etc. I've got the diaper bag half ready - just lacking diapers really. We did buy diapers, but I figured I don't need to open the packages yet.
So this weekend I plan to finish up decorating the room - I have almost everything I've ordered for that - just waiting to get the decorative shelf that matches the bedding - should arrive Friday. And then it's just a matter of putting everything up.
And I need to pack my hospital bag. I've started that process a couple of times now, but for some reason I always find it a bit daunting and end up deciding to do it later. But this weekend is it...definitely time.
So based on those 3 indicators and the fact that I have a wide pelvis, the doctor said he thinks there's a good likelihood that I'll go into labor early. That would be nice. More than that, he said that my body was built for birthing babies. Always knew these wide hips would come in handy. He said that he's not always right in his predictions, but he predicts that I'll progress quickly in labor and so I should call when my contractions are about 6 minutes apart. And he thinks I should have a relatively easy labor/delivery, once again because of my lovely birthing hips.
He did mention that Shafi has quite a large head and asked whether his mother had complications with him. We told him no - and she's a lot more petite than I. So he said that even if the baby does have Shafi's big head, my big pelvis ought to be enough to make it not an issue.
We also asked about things like episiotomies and epidurals. He said they try not to do episiotomies, but if they think there's going to be tearing then they do a small episiotomy to try to control the direction of the tear - rather than risking multiple tears or tears that go in a dangerous direction - I'll leave it at that rather than getting too graphic here. He also said that at least 95% of his patients have epidurals. He sees very few negatives to having one. He just recommends that people wait until they are at least 3 cm dilated. Then he thinks they are actually beneficial because usually people can get a little sleep and relax a bit and they're not exhausted when it's time to push.
He continued that his prediction would be that I would progress quickly, so if I get the epidural when I'm 3 or so cm dilated, then I could probably take a nap and wake up when it's time to push. Maybe it'll take 30 minutes to an hour of pushing - and I'll have a baby. Doesn't sound too bad to me. Let's hope he's right on all his predictions.
Now we just have to finish up the few things we still have to do to get ready. I sterilized all the breast pump parts, bottles, pacifiers, etc. last night. And I washed other things from the baby care kit we ordered - scissors, nail clippers, comb, brush, medicine dropper, etc. I've got the diaper bag half ready - just lacking diapers really. We did buy diapers, but I figured I don't need to open the packages yet.
So this weekend I plan to finish up decorating the room - I have almost everything I've ordered for that - just waiting to get the decorative shelf that matches the bedding - should arrive Friday. And then it's just a matter of putting everything up.
And I need to pack my hospital bag. I've started that process a couple of times now, but for some reason I always find it a bit daunting and end up deciding to do it later. But this weekend is it...definitely time.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Baby Shower was very nice
My friends threw me a baby shower yesterday. It was a brunch - quiche, bagels, salad, fruit, coffee cake, and muffins - along with coffee, juice, and mimosas (for the non-pregnant chicks). It was very nice. There were 12 women plus me. And some of the men (including Shafi) stopped by to say hi at the end.
I got some great stuff from my registry - crib bedding set, baby bathtub, infant activity gym, BabyBjorn, and more. And also some very cute and some practical items from elsewhere - a pacifier that says "whine connoisseur", some childcare books, a fabulous diaper bag with accessories, a stuffed animal in a Penn shirt, some cute baby books, and more.
Here are the pics:
I then spent the remainder of yesterday laundering, decorating, and putting away the gifts. I've now made a list of the remaining items I need - mattress, diaper genie, hamper, changing pad, diapers, etc. And also a list of remaining items I want - baskets for the nursery, more receiving blankets, a mobile that will fit on the crib, a decorative shelf that matches the bedding, etc. Shafi will be joining me for a shopping trip to Babies R Us today to take care of both lists.
Other than that, I'm feeling pretty ready to have a baby. We've gotten most of the major items - the car seat arrived a few days ago and I've learned how to use it, the dresser drawers are full of baby clothes. The decorative items I ordered for the baby's room have all arrived now - although I haven't quite finished decorating. Not sure if that will happen today, but I'll work on it this week - or next weekend.
I got some great stuff from my registry - crib bedding set, baby bathtub, infant activity gym, BabyBjorn, and more. And also some very cute and some practical items from elsewhere - a pacifier that says "whine connoisseur", some childcare books, a fabulous diaper bag with accessories, a stuffed animal in a Penn shirt, some cute baby books, and more.
Here are the pics:
I then spent the remainder of yesterday laundering, decorating, and putting away the gifts. I've now made a list of the remaining items I need - mattress, diaper genie, hamper, changing pad, diapers, etc. And also a list of remaining items I want - baskets for the nursery, more receiving blankets, a mobile that will fit on the crib, a decorative shelf that matches the bedding, etc. Shafi will be joining me for a shopping trip to Babies R Us today to take care of both lists.
Other than that, I'm feeling pretty ready to have a baby. We've gotten most of the major items - the car seat arrived a few days ago and I've learned how to use it, the dresser drawers are full of baby clothes. The decorative items I ordered for the baby's room have all arrived now - although I haven't quite finished decorating. Not sure if that will happen today, but I'll work on it this week - or next weekend.
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