38/39 Weeks

I didn't want to have to combine 2 weeks into 1 post, but at this point, it would be silly to write about 38 weeks when I will be 39 weeks in 2 days (CRAZY)! It is really hard to describe the feeling of being so close to going into labor and becoming a parent. People keep asking me how I feel and I guess the best way to describe it is anxious. I am a little scared, extremely excited, and a unsure of what to expect. All I know for sure is that my life is about to change forever, and I am thrilled to start this next chapter.

I made the decision this week, along with my doctor, to go ahead and start my maternity leave on Monday Feb. 27. I had my appointment on Wednesday and I made progress...70% effaced but still a half cm dilated. However, my cervix has dropped, so things are definitely coming along. My doctor told me my body has already done about 4 hours worth of work that it will not have to do during labor. Great news! Morgan is still very active. I was told to keep track of her movements to make sure she is moving at least 10 times within a 2 hour time frame. The first day I kept track, it took her 6 minutes to do 10 movements. What a busy girl! Looks like Brad and I will have our hands full.

We have very few things to cross off of our to-do list now. Brad installed the carseat yesterday and her nursery is finished except for a few more things to hang on the walls. We are waiting because some of the frames we want to hang need her picture in them first. My bags are officially packed for the hospital, and I have my camera and camcorder charged and ready to go for the hospital. Each night I go to bed hoping that I will go into labor (for some reason I am convinced it is going to happen in the middle of the night), because I really don't want to be induced. I would much rather Morgan decide to come on her own. I am on HIGH ALERT each time I feel a little ache or pain, wondering if labor is starting. Everyone I talk to tells me I will just know, so when in doubt, I guess it's a false alarm.

Okay well here are some stats. I will try to update again on Wednesday after my appointment because I am hoping next weekend I will either be in the hospital or at home with my sweet girl.

How far along? 39 weeks on Tuesday

Total weight gain? still +30

How big is baby? big enough. Come on out Morgan.

Maternity clothes? Oh yes. Found a cute maternity dress in Old Navy today and for a brief second I hoped I was going to be pregnant just a little bit longer so I could wear it. Then I reminded myself that I don't want to be pregnant just for a dress. I'm ready for a baby!

Stretch marks? Still kind of hard to tell if I am getting some. Nothing noticeable. I have to look pretty close to see anything.

Sleep? Not bad. Getting up a lot to go to the bathroom. And for some reason, I am SUPER alert at my 3am bathroom break. Guess my body is preparing me for those 3am feedings.

Movements? yep!

Cravings? this week it was nachos. Thanks to my hubby for getting some for me from Applebees. Yummmm.

Labor signs? A few random pains here and there. Not sure if they are practice contractions or not. Nothing terribly painful though.

Belly button in or out? Half-way. Looks like it won't pop out after all.

What are you looking forward to? Being a Mommy and NOT being pregnant for a while.

37 Weeks - FULL TERM

PRAISE THE LORD! We made it to full term. I also made it to my one year mark at work so I will definitely receive my maternity leave. Such a relief. That being said, I am more anxious than ever for Morgan to get here. I never thought I would want her to come before her due date, but now that I know she will be healthy, I am so excited for her arrival. I really hope that Morgan decides to come on her own. My doctor and I are going to discuss an induction plan at my next appointment in the event that I don't go into labor on my own. He still thinks that I will go into labor on my own, and I hope he is right!

Doctor update... I actually went twice this week. On Wednesday I found out I will still just a half centimeter dilated and 50% effaced (no progress). My doctor picked up on some more bacteria in my urine sample (sorry if thats TMI), and decided to send it off for a culture to see if it was a UTI. On Thursday, I began experiencing some stabbing back pain (on the left side only), and cramping. I thought it may be contractions so I called my doctor. The nurse told me to see if a pattern developed and keep track of Morgan's movements. I made it through the work day but immediately came home a rested. The pains went away as soon as I put my feet up. That night around 1 am, I woke up with EXCRUCIATING back pain and cramping, but with no consistent pattern like contractions would have. I called the on-call doctor who told me to drink lots of fluids and take Tylenol. He suspected it could possibly be a kidney stone and told me to call back if the pain got worse. Well, it never got worse, but it took about 2 hours to go away. Needless to say I did not get much sleep and ended up not being able to work on Friday. I went to see my doctor to follow up on the previous night's events and came to find out I had a pretty severe UTI. He said this could be the cause of my pain, or it could be Morgan pushing on a nerve. I am so glad I went to the doctor on Friday because now I am taking meds to treat the UTI and hopefully it will be gone by the time I go into labor.

Mom and I went and did some final errands this morning. We were able to pick up the glider for the nursery and buy some much needed newborn-sized sleepers. I didn't realize how few I had. I guess I figured the 3 month size would work, but after closer inspection, I realized how big they would be. Then we went to Kohls and I bought some cute lounge around the house clothes. I do not plan on getting dressed up during my maternity leave, but I also don't want to wear pajamas all day long. This afternoon, my friend Mandy and I went to see Victoria at her new apartment. It is adorable! We had a great time catching up. It was weird to say goodbye because I know the next time I see them I will be a Mommy!

Ok well here are the stats (maybe for the last time?!)

How far along? 37 weeks, FULL TERM BABY!

Total weight gain? at my appointment on Wednesday, I was still up 30 pounds (no gain from last week). At my appointment on Friday, I was down 2 lbs. So technically I am +28 lbs.

How big is baby? Over 19 inches and over 6lbs :)

Maternity clothes? YES

Stretch marks? Nope. I feel like there may be some small lines popping up that will probably show up more after I deliver, but we will see. My stomach has been SOOOOO itchy and it takes every ounce of my will power not to scratch. No amount of lotion or cream helps either.

Sleep? Pretty good! Minus the back pain on Thursday night.

Best moment of the week? Making it to full term. It feels like the weight of the world is off my shoulders.

Movement? Yep. Mostly slow rolls and some stretching at this point.

Cravings? Not really. The back pain has actually taken some of my appetite away.

Labor signs? No, but bring them on! We are ready.

Belly button in or out? Half-way in. Not sure if it will ever look the same again, ha ha.

What are you looking forward to? Kissing my sweet girl and holding her in my arms. Can't think about it without crying!

36 weeks. Almost full term!

Every week it seems so hard to believe how quickly things are going by. I am THRILLED that we have almost made it to full term (37 weeks). Morgan can be born any time after 37 weeks and is likely to be just as healthy as a baby born at 40 weeks. Of course, the longer she stays in the better, I will continue to pray for her to come when she is good and ready. I am just so grateful to have come this far and be able to work. I explained many weeks ago that to receive maternity leave, I have to work up until February 14 (my one year mark). HR has made it very clear that if I am to go out before that date, I cannot receive the 12 weeks of leave. I am still hoping I can make it, but as that day gets closer and closer, I am feeling much more relieved.

At my appointment this week, the doctor told me I was still a half cm dilated, and went from 20 to 50% effaced. He believes that next week I should be about 1 cm and 80% effaced. Very exciting!

Not much more to post this week. Today is hubby's birthday! Yay! He is going to a car show and I am going out with my mom to get a mani and pedi. We are going to have a dinner date tonight to celebrate the big 2-4 (youngster). He has been incredibly supportive throughout the pregnancy, but especially this past week. Poor thing has even been sleeping on the couch so that I can sleep better. I love him SO much and I know he is going to make an awesome Daddy. Happy Birthday, Brad!

Stats:

How far along? 36 weeks! Full term on Valentine's Day :)

Total weight gain? 30 lbs (I gained 3 lbs this week. Oopsies! All for a good cause.)

How big is the baby? Almost 19 inches and almost 6 lbs :)

Maternity clothes? YES

Stretch marks? NOPE (fingers crossed)

Sleep? Much better with the bed to myself (and Waylon of course). I still have to get up every 3 hours or so to use the bathroom.

Best moment of the week? My coworkers had a beautiful baby shower for me on Monday. It was so sweet of them! They will make it much easier for me to come back to work after my maternity leave.

Movement? Yes. Very painful at times!

Cravings? The icecream addiction is finally subsiding. Just in time too. 3lbs a week = NOT GOOD.

Labor signs? BH contractions have slowed down some this week.

Belly button in or out? Hanging on for dear life.

What are you looking forward to? Making it to February 14th! Full term AND I can get my maternity leave. What a sigh of relief. Fingers crossed!

35 (well almost 36) weeks!

Late again with the post. Looks like Morgan will be much more punctual than I am apparently. I had another appointment this week and I am still making progress. I am a half cm dilated and 20% effaced. He said that my cervix has definitely dropped since last week and is softening. The doc thinks that I will make it to 37 weeks but he does not think I will go past my due date. Based on how I felt yesterday (HORRIBLE), I would guess that she will be arriving in 2 weeks. Today, I have felt AWESOME and feel like I could go another month. My energy level is much better and I have had very few Braxton Hicks contractions.

I learned a valuable lesson this week. I have been putting off some of the minor preparations, like boiling bottles, washing clothes and blankets, packing my hospital bag, etc, because most of the pregnancy I have been feeling wonderful and thought it would last. Not the case. It is finally sinking in that Morgan can come very soon and there are a lot of little things that need to be done. This was really stressing me out, so MOM TO THE RESCUE! My mom came over earlier this week and got a ton of things done for me. I felt terrible sitting on the couch not being able to help, but I guess that is what moms are for. She has really shown me what it is to be a good mom. So if I could share any advice, it would be to get everything prepped and ready to go before you hit 32 weeks. After that you are likely to be totally exhausted and shouldn't be doing too much extra anyways.

This past Sunday I had my friend baby shower hosted by Amy and Allison. It was wonderful seeing all of my friends together. There were a few who couldn't make it and I definitely missed them! I feel so fortunate to have such supportive and understanding friends. Morgan is going to have a ton of Aunties!

Ok more stats!

How far along? 35 (but closer to 36) weeks.

Total weight gain? 27 lbs (I gained 2 this week. Must be the icecream!!!)

How big is the baby? over 18 inches and 5.25 lbs! (she is now gaining an ounce a day. Amazing)

Maternity clothes? Oh yes. Tried to put on a pre-preggo t-shirt the other night and it was comical.

Stretch marks? Still no, lather lather lather!

Sleep? Not bad. Getting up 3-4 times to pee tho.

Best moment of the week? Seeing all of my beautiful friends at my baby shower. Love them!

Movement? Oh yes. She loves kicking my ribs, OUCH!

Cravings? ICECREAM

Gender? Girl :)

Labor signs? Lots of BH contractions, and cervix is definitely in preparation mode.

Belly button in or out? It's hanging in there, ha ha.

What are you looking forward to? Getting EVERYTHING finished in the nursery so I can stop stressing. And of course, meeting Morgan. Can't believe she could be here in the next couple of weeks. Lets pray that she cooks until 37 weeks at least. I want her to be chunky and healthy.