Fake Out

I thought it was FINALLY happening last night, but again the contractions faked me out. Starting around 10:45 pm I was having waves of pain in my groin area that seemed to come and go every 15-20 minutes. "This is it!" I thought to myself - only to find that 2 hours later they completely stopped.

I have no idea if what I was feeling was contractions, or lightening, or this baby grabbing on to the sides of my stomach resiting any my uterus's valid attempts to make him leave. But needless to say, I'm not happy to be here, at 41 weeks and 2 days, still pregnant.

Baby boy, please, please make some moves in the next two days. I think you'll prefer this option much better than what's in store if they induce on Tuesday.

Get him out of here!! 41 weeks and 2 days (a.k.a. pregnant forever).

Angry Pregnat Lady

41 weeks and 1 day, and still waiting. I wish in the midst of preparing for this baby's timely arrival, I would have thought more about what to do should he come late... 'cause I'm going out of my mind.

I'm still going to the gym every morning and filling my days with as much as my body will allow. So far, I have done a pretty good job of staying busy. It's when night time comes that the waiting game really starts to take it's toll on me. If only I could sleep, I'm pretty sure my mental state would be very different. But instead I toss and turn all night long as my thoughts runs in 1,000 different directions.

We have an induction scheduled for Tuesday, but I'm still praying that things happen naturally before that. I thought contractions were happening yesterday, but either a few random cramps, or a spell of bad gas... both equally possible.

It's a full moon tonight, I hear lots of babies are born on full     moons... here's hoping.

It Could Always Be Worse

It's a simple phrase, and one I think of often when I'm upset. Usually repeating the line above while taking a deep breath helps calm me down, and puts things into perspective. However up until this afternoon, at 40 weeks and 4 days pregnant, this phrase was doing nothing for my state of mind.

At my check-in yesterday there was still no progress in the dilation department, and he's sitting high and dry in my belly, not making any effort to drop down into position. Based on this, and that fact that he seems to be just fine, my Doctor doesn't want to go ahead with an induction on Friday.

I know it's the right thing to do, and I'd rather wait to give my body a chance to do this naturally, then force it into labor with hours of intense medicine. But after hearing that there was no clear end in sight, I felt completely helpless and frustrated. So I did what any woman in my shoes would do, I cried and sulked, and pouted, and more or less made Drew's life miserable for the past 24 hours. Because somehow, this is his fault.

In the grand scheme of things, it could always be worse, and having to wait a little bit longer to meet this baby is not the end of the world. If he's healthy and happy in there I'm not going to force him out... just yet.

D Day.

Well that was a lot of build up for nothing. My due date came, and went and there's no baby to show for it.

It's funny how you spend 9+ months praying that the baby stays put inside your belly, then the last week doing anything you can to make him come out. I've tried my fair share of "labor inducing" activities, and still no dice.

I'm trying hard not to get annoyed that yesterday wasn't the big day, but after 40 weeks of acting as an oven, I'm ready to get the show on the road! Hopefully it's not too much longer, because as I've mentioned before, patience is not my thing.

You'd think the fact I could potentially have off for a week with nothing to do would be a relaxing thought, but instead it just stresses me out. I'm not good at just sitting around, and can only watch so much bad TV. I'd rather be busy all day long, but at this point we have nothing left to do except have a baby, and I can only spend so much time on my feet before my body starts to ache.

The doctor has given me until next Thursday for this to happen naturally, then they will go ahead and induce labor. Not ideal, but at this point I'm so ready to move to the next phase that I don't care.

40 weeks and 1 day, and no baby.

Today we're going to meet baby Murphy, who, like a good girl came 4 days early! Hopefully being around babies will help my body get this party started!

In 5, 4, 3, 2...

And here we are... in the final countdown, and if all goes as planned the final week of this pregnancy. I can't even believe that the date marked on my calendar for months is this Friday. It's incredible how things can seem to take forever, yet come so quickly at the same time.

My parents were down for Thanksgiving, and with their help we got a tremendous amount done. From yard work, to cleaning, to endless errands we did it all. At this point the only thing we have left to do, is have a baby!

For the past 2 days I've been feeling incredibly uncomfortable, which I'm praying is a sign that something is going on down there. I can't explain the feeling, but I ache in areas I've never felt before. Sleep is also a joke, which has made for a very cranky Mama bear. I'm happy if I go 2 hours without waking up to pee. I keep saying it's my body's way of preparing for what is about to come, but I wish it would realize this is the last week to sleep as much as it wants, instead of trying to train me for our future sleepless nights.

I have an apoitnment tonight, hopefully we'll hear that there is some progress and the light at the end of the tunnel is approaching... literally! 

39 weeks baby belly... with a healthy side of thanksgiving dinner in there.

To Have & To Hold

Drew and I met in 2005. We've had lots (and lots) of laughs, our fair share of tears, and a healthy dose of arguments. Over the course of a month we went from casually seeing each other, to seriously dating. I'll never forget the night we met, or the first time we kissed and how his hands were shaking when he asked me to marry him.

Drew and I had a strong connection right from the start. There were no questions about his feelings for me, he always made that very clear, and if he said he was going to do something, he did. It was these qualities that made me love Drew the most. He was reliable and kind, and when I was around him I felt completely at ease.

Over the past 6 years our relationship has grown in so many way, but nothing comes close to how it’s changed over the course of this pregnancy. I never imagined that we could get closer then we were, or that the love I have for him could get stronger, but it has. And when I think of the little life we’ve created together the happiness I feel is overwhelming.

Just as he did when we first started dating, Drew has helped put me at ease when my mind is racing with things to do. He’s packed is days off with trips to BRU, helped me around the house, and cooked dinners without being asked. I always said that I knew there was something special about Drew the moment that I met him, and still find myself thinking this on a daily basis. He’s going to be an amazing father, and a wonderful role modal to our son...who we will hopefully be meeting very, very soon.

 

38 weeks and 4 days, 10 days until D day!

Does Size Really Matter?

And the answer is no, it does not...

Since about 19 weeks into this pregnancy I've been told that our little guy is well... little. At first the difference in his size compared to my due date was insignificant, one day here and three days there - all of which is still considered totally normal. But over time the discrepency grew, and at my appointment last week I was only measuring 33 weeks when I was actually 37. What's a gal to do but freak the f*ck out, which I did.

My doctor didn't seem too concerned as she continued the examination and offered up possible explanations that cause this to happen. Her first theory was pretty simple..."the baby could just be small"...really lady, that's all you've got? Well it wasn't, after that she went on to say "or your amniotic fluid is low and your placenta is getting tired". SAY WHAT?!

To figure out what was going on she scheduled an ultrasound the following Monday, and assured me that there was nothing to be concerned about. Despite this I was still worried, I mean how can you not get scared when you hear something like "Your placenta is getting tired". I've got a wild imagination,  and honestly couldn't help but picture my little baby shriveled up and hungry in my stomach because like my own body, my placenta was getting lazy in these last few weeks.

Thankfully the weekend was packed with activities and visits from friends that kept my mind occupied and distracted from the appointment on Monday. By Sunday night I realized I hadn't had a second to really think about it, and this morning work kept me busy right up until my 12:30 appointment.

Once in the doctors office I could feel the anxiety creeping up, and by the time I was called in for the exam I swear you could see my heart beating through my chest. I talked to the Doctor for a bit, then jumped on the table, rolled up my shirt and tried to remember how to breathe.

Within seconds of smearing that gross jelly on my stomach an image of our baby appeared on the screen in front of me, and he looked perfect. His measurements were fine, his heart rate was great, and he's head down in preparation for his big exit.

Turns out, I'm just carrying small and his size is fine. Apparently I've got a long torso which gives this baby plenty of room to stretch out, making it appear as though I'm smaller then I actually am. Now this is an option I can live with. As a former fat girl, hearing you carry anything small is music to your ears. And as if that wasn't enough we even got a free 3D picture.

Here is Baby S at 37 weeks and 3 days, looking as cute as ever.