Well I usually write on Mondays after I take my picture but I wanted to go ahead and post an update on my appointment from today.
Charlotte Spurrier was not cooperative at all during her ultrasound this morning with her weekly test that she needs to pass. I was getting worried and the ultrasound tech was doing all she could to get her to move and she was not having it. I asked what would happen if she did not pass the test because I had never had that happen before and she said that I would be sent to the hospital for observation and monitoring. Great. Well - in the very last seconds of the appointment, little girl decided she did not want to spend the day at the hospital and did what she was supposed to do and we passed. Her heart rate was 140s-160s, her estimated weight is now 7 pounds 8 ounces, the cord flow was good, and she is looking quite healthy. My BP was still good and normal, I did not get a belly measurement this week but Doc checked my cervix and I am 2-3 cm dilated and 80% effaced. She said Charlotte's head is very low and that she could have broken my water today. Glad she didn't : ) Doc decided that I do NOT have to go to the hospital on Monday the 1st and that I now will be going in Tuesday the 2nd at 5am to get the Pitocin started. She said that I am dilated enough on my own that I do not need the Cervadil to soften my cervix and that I could stay home and sleep in my bed Monday night. She said that everything is looking great, I am making great progress and that she is looking forward to seeing me on Tuesday! WOW. I just cannot believe that we are here. Still isn't sinking in for me yet and I don't think it will until I am in the hospital.
Doc gave me permission to go to the game tomorrow. I will be sitting inside and out of the heat and I told her I would not be jumping around. She said that I will know if things are getting started and I will have enough time to get to the hospital if I need to and to plan on pushing at least an hour (typical for first babies). Scotty is staying at the team hotel tonight and he had me enlist my friend Liz to come to the house and stay with me in case anything happens tonight.
I wanted to go ahead and share this info and our progress. I hope to post again before I go in the hospital with a week 38 picture and I hope to post one last picture of my week 39 belly on Tuesday from the hospital before Baby gets here then I will be posting a ton of pictures of this sweet baby who will no longer be in my belly!
Charlotte Mae Spurrier will be here within the week! Get ready people!
The Spurrier Family - Loving our sweet baby Charlotte!
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
37 Weeks
Well at my doctor's appointment this week she told me that I am now 1-2 centimeters dilated, 75% effaced, and the baby's head has moved down even more. She said that my cervix was much softer and that it was much more favorable. She said that she was a little worried last time about the baby's head still being so high but that she had dropped a lot in the last week. My fluid was at 8 this week which the doctor said was good, baby's heart rate was in the150s-160s this time which is good, and my blood pressure was still very normal. Charlotte was being very stubborn at the last appointment and she wouldn't move the third and final time the ultrasound lady needed to see. She finally did move and we scored an 8/8 on our weekly test.
I have become more nervous at my appointments now. I think part of it is now I am going alone, part of it is D-Day is coming so soon, and I get worried about our weekly tests and whether or not I am more dilated or if the baby has dropped more. It is all very stressful. I try to relax and calm myself down but it is hard. Plus I hate going in there to be weighed as well. They weren't lying when they said to expect more weight gain at the end...oh well we are almost to the finish line.
Speaking of weight - I have been looking into what I want to do after Charlotte is born to try and get this weight off. I think that I am going to do Weight Watchers. It is not too expensive, I had success with it before, it is easy to take the baby to meetings, there is one close to my house, they have a special system for nursing moms, and I can exercise on that program. I am very motivated to lose this weight after Charlotte is born but I know that after a few sleepless nights my mind may change. Luckily, my mom will be there to keep me on track and help keep me motivated. Plus, its easier to eat right when someone else is doing the cooking : ) I have read not to expect/try to lose weigh in the first 6 weeks if you are nursing because you need to make sure that you have a steady supply of milk established. I think this makes sense but I am still going to try and eat well and walk as much as I can.
I still can't sleep. I know this is not going to get any better. So I have been putting myself to use. I have been staying up later to try and help me to sleep through the night better. It does help. Plus my nesting is out of control. After a long stressful day at work yesterday, I came home took my car to be washed, I vacuumed it, and wiped down the inside. Normally this would be something I would save for the weekend but it had to be done now! Then after that I came home, made candy bags for Scotty's players, cooked dinner for Scotty so that he would have something to eat when he got home at 9:30pm, then I cleaned out/re-organized our filing cabinet. Also something that had to be done right then! So silly, I know, but I had the time and the energy so I got it done.
Since we are renting we have to have an inspection of the house every 6 months and I got an email saying that they wanted to do it sometime in September and I was like - yeah, no. I was not happy with the idea of a man coming to the house, unexpectedly sometime in September, while I would be home, nursing, the house a disaster, possibly a sleeping newborn, and me learning how to be a mother. I didn't care if the inspection was only going to take 5 minutes - it wasn't happening. So I called and luckily the inspector was in our area yesterday and he was able to come by the house and knock that out. Praise the Lord. So nice to catch a break and have something so small and simple work out like that. It is such a burden off my shoulders.
Well other than those few things, this week was rather uneventful. Good. Things will be eventful enough very soon. 38 weeks is here and I will be frantically trying to tie up all lose ends at work, do one last and final cleaning of the house, and this coming Thursday is the first football game of the season but my sweet, glowing, screaming little girl will be here so soon! I can hardly stand the wait!
So here is the picture for this week - once again I look very tired - well newsflash, I am. Enjoy!
I have become more nervous at my appointments now. I think part of it is now I am going alone, part of it is D-Day is coming so soon, and I get worried about our weekly tests and whether or not I am more dilated or if the baby has dropped more. It is all very stressful. I try to relax and calm myself down but it is hard. Plus I hate going in there to be weighed as well. They weren't lying when they said to expect more weight gain at the end...oh well we are almost to the finish line.
Speaking of weight - I have been looking into what I want to do after Charlotte is born to try and get this weight off. I think that I am going to do Weight Watchers. It is not too expensive, I had success with it before, it is easy to take the baby to meetings, there is one close to my house, they have a special system for nursing moms, and I can exercise on that program. I am very motivated to lose this weight after Charlotte is born but I know that after a few sleepless nights my mind may change. Luckily, my mom will be there to keep me on track and help keep me motivated. Plus, its easier to eat right when someone else is doing the cooking : ) I have read not to expect/try to lose weigh in the first 6 weeks if you are nursing because you need to make sure that you have a steady supply of milk established. I think this makes sense but I am still going to try and eat well and walk as much as I can.
I still can't sleep. I know this is not going to get any better. So I have been putting myself to use. I have been staying up later to try and help me to sleep through the night better. It does help. Plus my nesting is out of control. After a long stressful day at work yesterday, I came home took my car to be washed, I vacuumed it, and wiped down the inside. Normally this would be something I would save for the weekend but it had to be done now! Then after that I came home, made candy bags for Scotty's players, cooked dinner for Scotty so that he would have something to eat when he got home at 9:30pm, then I cleaned out/re-organized our filing cabinet. Also something that had to be done right then! So silly, I know, but I had the time and the energy so I got it done.
Since we are renting we have to have an inspection of the house every 6 months and I got an email saying that they wanted to do it sometime in September and I was like - yeah, no. I was not happy with the idea of a man coming to the house, unexpectedly sometime in September, while I would be home, nursing, the house a disaster, possibly a sleeping newborn, and me learning how to be a mother. I didn't care if the inspection was only going to take 5 minutes - it wasn't happening. So I called and luckily the inspector was in our area yesterday and he was able to come by the house and knock that out. Praise the Lord. So nice to catch a break and have something so small and simple work out like that. It is such a burden off my shoulders.
Well other than those few things, this week was rather uneventful. Good. Things will be eventful enough very soon. 38 weeks is here and I will be frantically trying to tie up all lose ends at work, do one last and final cleaning of the house, and this coming Thursday is the first football game of the season but my sweet, glowing, screaming little girl will be here so soon! I can hardly stand the wait!
So here is the picture for this week - once again I look very tired - well newsflash, I am. Enjoy!
 |
| P.S. since my husband is never home I have been taking these pictures myself with the camera timer. So that doesn't help my "trying to look decent" situation. : ) |
Monday, August 19, 2013
36 Weeks
Well, this week I have not been feeling like myself. My body is telling me that something is going on - it is starting to prepare for birth. I won't go into all the gory details but I have been looking up some of the different signs of early labor and I have about 8 of the 10 factors going on. Mostly things like: lack of sleep, being very uncomfortable, lots of pressure in my lower belly, mild cramps, back pain, hip pain, just not feeling like myself, spurts of energy then feeling very run down, and other things I won't mention... So I can tell that things are definitely changing. From what I have read, the signs that I am having can occur weeks before delivery. None of them imply that labor is going to occur in the next 24-48 hours or anything. Lets hope not because my mother will freak out if this baby comes early and she isn't here yet.
So the no sleeping thing sucks. It has certainly gotten worse over the last couple of weeks. I am so uncomfortable when I sit, stand, lay down, anything for too long. I am supposed to be sleeping on my side, which I hate. I am not a side sleeper. I am mostly a stomach sleeper (which is quite uncomfortable at this point but I still manage to wake up on my belly some nights), and a back sleeper which the doctors advise against. The weight of the belly presses down on the main arteries that run down the middle of your stomach and does not allow blood flow to your head, heart, and uterus. The doctor told me that if I lay like that too long I will start to feel nauseous, hot, and lightheaded. It also feels like all my entrails are being squished! I have experienced this and it is not fun. But you can't control what you do in your sleep and sometimes I just wake up like that!
Laying on my side too long hurts my hips. The weight from my belly pushes down on my hips after a while and it is so uncomfortable. So I flip to the other side and the same thing happens. I sleep with a body pillow under my belly for support and between my legs to help my hips but it still is not comfortable. My other options then become the belly and the back and, well, we already discussed that. So long story short - I cant sleep and between me tossing and turning and the toilet flushing every hour or so, Scotty probably can't sleep either. I can tell sometimes that I have woken him up but he says nothing. Sometimes the only thing he says is, "Is there something I can do? Is there anything that I can get you?" How sweet of him. I know that it can't be easy for him either. He has to go to work all day too and it is hard to do without a full night's rest. I am a lucky girl to have him.
I have been having more Braxton-Hicks contractions as well. They are getting stronger. When I have them at work everyone freaks out and I am the one who is calm. I can tell as well that Charlotte is starting to move down. I can feel every time she moves her little head against my cervix/bladder. It is so uncomfortable. It has been becoming more frequent and painful as well. Sometimes that will stop me in my tracks and I have to stand still for a little while until she calms down. Speaking of Charlotte calming down - not happening - which is good! I love feeling her move and I know that I will miss it but with her being so much bigger and stronger her little movements don't seem so little any more. It is amazing how she has such a personality already. I know what things will set her in motion. Spicy food, cold food, sweet food, laying on my side, drinking lots of water, rubbing her back and poking her legs when she pokes me all get her really get her moving! I am anxious to see if she is so active after she gets here. My guess is yes - I bet she will come out with those feet moving!
I have my 37 week appointment tomorrow and I will get a better idea of my dilation and how far she has moved down this past week. I know that checking the cervix and all that shows that birth is near but from what I have read it is not a sign that labor is coming in the next couple of days either. I keep my mom updated on how I am feeling so that she knows that she may need to hop on a plane at anytime. Since I have been feeling not so good the last week or so she went ahead and packed her bags and is starting to prepare to come down here at a moments notice. She is praying that Charlotte waits it out for her but its one of those things that nobody knows when it will happen for sure. Scotty is excited for this 37 week milestone. I explained to him that at 37 weeks a baby is considered full term even though the due date hasn't been reached yet. I told him this a few weeks ago and I tell him every Tuesday what week I am and this past week he was all excited and said, "Yes! She is game ready!" Can you tell he has been in football camp for the last 3 weeks? And I then explained to him that we had another week to go before she was "game ready." He said, "its always next week this, next time I go to the doctor that, it's never now." He is getting quite impatient and anxious about her arrival as well. Soon enough it will be "now." I think I put it into perspective for him last night when I told him that in 2 weeks or less he will be a daddy. That's the most that he will have to continue to wait. Then he got all smiley and couldn't be still.
Anxiety. Another pre-labor sign. Another reason I can't sleep. It is amazing how quickly my mood can change. There are times that I am so excited that I could just scream, then I get really sad thinking about all the things that Scotty and I will be giving up, and then I get really scared that in 14 days or less I am going to be someone's mom and completely responsible for keeping her happy, healthy, and alive. I know that all of this is completely normal and I feel like that I have done pretty well at keeping my emotions in check throughout this pregnancy but with the lack of sleep and lack of knowing exactly when she could be making her way into this world, it is starting to wear on me mentally. But that's where Scotty comes in. I tell him all this and talk to him about all this and he knows how to make me feel better. With that said - I don't know how anyone could do this alone. I am so thankful for the support that I have received from him throughout my entire pregnancy and from all of my family and friends. Props to those who have done this alone because it ain't easy.
This week one of Charlotte's grandmothers was celebrated! My mom's co-workers threw a Grandma shower for her during lunch at work. They gave her gifts, ate cake, and celebrated her and her first grandbaby's impending arrival. Mom works so hard not only at work but has worked so hard helping me prepare for this baby that she deserved to be recognized and celebrated. She sent me a few pictures from the party. I have included them below.
Well, until next time. Here are the pictures from this week. You can tell that I am starting to lose my "glow." My lack of sleep is starting to show through my shiny exterior. Oh well - guess I better get used to it!
So the no sleeping thing sucks. It has certainly gotten worse over the last couple of weeks. I am so uncomfortable when I sit, stand, lay down, anything for too long. I am supposed to be sleeping on my side, which I hate. I am not a side sleeper. I am mostly a stomach sleeper (which is quite uncomfortable at this point but I still manage to wake up on my belly some nights), and a back sleeper which the doctors advise against. The weight of the belly presses down on the main arteries that run down the middle of your stomach and does not allow blood flow to your head, heart, and uterus. The doctor told me that if I lay like that too long I will start to feel nauseous, hot, and lightheaded. It also feels like all my entrails are being squished! I have experienced this and it is not fun. But you can't control what you do in your sleep and sometimes I just wake up like that!
Laying on my side too long hurts my hips. The weight from my belly pushes down on my hips after a while and it is so uncomfortable. So I flip to the other side and the same thing happens. I sleep with a body pillow under my belly for support and between my legs to help my hips but it still is not comfortable. My other options then become the belly and the back and, well, we already discussed that. So long story short - I cant sleep and between me tossing and turning and the toilet flushing every hour or so, Scotty probably can't sleep either. I can tell sometimes that I have woken him up but he says nothing. Sometimes the only thing he says is, "Is there something I can do? Is there anything that I can get you?" How sweet of him. I know that it can't be easy for him either. He has to go to work all day too and it is hard to do without a full night's rest. I am a lucky girl to have him.
I have been having more Braxton-Hicks contractions as well. They are getting stronger. When I have them at work everyone freaks out and I am the one who is calm. I can tell as well that Charlotte is starting to move down. I can feel every time she moves her little head against my cervix/bladder. It is so uncomfortable. It has been becoming more frequent and painful as well. Sometimes that will stop me in my tracks and I have to stand still for a little while until she calms down. Speaking of Charlotte calming down - not happening - which is good! I love feeling her move and I know that I will miss it but with her being so much bigger and stronger her little movements don't seem so little any more. It is amazing how she has such a personality already. I know what things will set her in motion. Spicy food, cold food, sweet food, laying on my side, drinking lots of water, rubbing her back and poking her legs when she pokes me all get her really get her moving! I am anxious to see if she is so active after she gets here. My guess is yes - I bet she will come out with those feet moving!
I have my 37 week appointment tomorrow and I will get a better idea of my dilation and how far she has moved down this past week. I know that checking the cervix and all that shows that birth is near but from what I have read it is not a sign that labor is coming in the next couple of days either. I keep my mom updated on how I am feeling so that she knows that she may need to hop on a plane at anytime. Since I have been feeling not so good the last week or so she went ahead and packed her bags and is starting to prepare to come down here at a moments notice. She is praying that Charlotte waits it out for her but its one of those things that nobody knows when it will happen for sure. Scotty is excited for this 37 week milestone. I explained to him that at 37 weeks a baby is considered full term even though the due date hasn't been reached yet. I told him this a few weeks ago and I tell him every Tuesday what week I am and this past week he was all excited and said, "Yes! She is game ready!" Can you tell he has been in football camp for the last 3 weeks? And I then explained to him that we had another week to go before she was "game ready." He said, "its always next week this, next time I go to the doctor that, it's never now." He is getting quite impatient and anxious about her arrival as well. Soon enough it will be "now." I think I put it into perspective for him last night when I told him that in 2 weeks or less he will be a daddy. That's the most that he will have to continue to wait. Then he got all smiley and couldn't be still.
Anxiety. Another pre-labor sign. Another reason I can't sleep. It is amazing how quickly my mood can change. There are times that I am so excited that I could just scream, then I get really sad thinking about all the things that Scotty and I will be giving up, and then I get really scared that in 14 days or less I am going to be someone's mom and completely responsible for keeping her happy, healthy, and alive. I know that all of this is completely normal and I feel like that I have done pretty well at keeping my emotions in check throughout this pregnancy but with the lack of sleep and lack of knowing exactly when she could be making her way into this world, it is starting to wear on me mentally. But that's where Scotty comes in. I tell him all this and talk to him about all this and he knows how to make me feel better. With that said - I don't know how anyone could do this alone. I am so thankful for the support that I have received from him throughout my entire pregnancy and from all of my family and friends. Props to those who have done this alone because it ain't easy.
This week one of Charlotte's grandmothers was celebrated! My mom's co-workers threw a Grandma shower for her during lunch at work. They gave her gifts, ate cake, and celebrated her and her first grandbaby's impending arrival. Mom works so hard not only at work but has worked so hard helping me prepare for this baby that she deserved to be recognized and celebrated. She sent me a few pictures from the party. I have included them below.
Well, until next time. Here are the pictures from this week. You can tell that I am starting to lose my "glow." My lack of sleep is starting to show through my shiny exterior. Oh well - guess I better get used to it!
 |
| Here are the photos from Mom's Grandma shower |
 |
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
35 Weeks and a TON of Pictures
This week Charlotte and I were lucky enough to attend another shower thrown in our honor, but this time it was for two other babies and mamas too! Two other girls that I work with are pregnant as well and our co-workers were nice enough to throw us all a joint couples shower at the lake this past Saturday. We all had a great time hanging out together, eating, opening gifts, and chatting at the lake. Thanks Nina and Maria! Scotty was unable to make the shower due to work but I still had a great time!
Well the A/C is still broken upstairs in our house. So frustrating! It has been triple digits here with the heat index and I am getting pretty fed up. I have called and complained and emailed and complained and still nothing. They are pretty good at making up excuses. I have decided that if it is not fixed this week I will be calling a company of our choosing and having them come out on Monday to fix the problem and we will just send a bill to the property company/home owner. This has been a problem since May and we have made it known that this has been a problem. Mama is not happy and they know it. The days go by so quickly and soon our little tiny baby will be coming home and newsflash... she can't sleep in over 90 degrees. So they need to get it together quick!
With the A/C being broken and it being so hot here, I have tried to keep my water intake up. The last couple of times that my amniotic fluid has been checked it has been fine so the doctor seems to think that I was just dehydrated the first time and now I have been panicked about being dehydrated. So I have been drinking over a gallon of water daily. Gallon. Of water. Daily. So good for me but dang that's a lot of water and a lot of bathroom breaks.
Anyway - one of the final pieces of the bringing baby home puzzle has been completed. This week I asked one of the CAT team (Community Action Team) deputies from work to come and install the car seat. He was nice enough to come to my office and show me/put in the car seat correctly. That was a huge weight off of my shoulders knowing that it was in, for one, and that it was put in correctly as well. We still have two more to put in but I think that I know how to do it and I can get them checked as well after Scotty and I try to put them in.
I am a little ahead on my doctor appointments since I have been being seen on Mondays and Tuesdays are the days that my weeks change over. I was seen yesterday for my 36 week check up (35 weeks 6 days). I had another ultrasound to have my fluid checked and they count the baby's movements and count her breathing movements as well. The ultrasound person that I got this time was much better than the last 2 that I have had. She was very chipper and nice and said things like "she is breathing so well!," "you ate breakfast this morning didn't you - I can tell because she is already moving around!" Well praise the Lord for her. She made me feel much more at ease than the other two ladies did. She did need to see Charlotte move one more time and she was refusing to do it and I was rubbing on her and turning on my side and finally she moved again and we scored an 8 out of 8 on the test that they do with the breathing, movements, cord flow, and something else. Heart rate maybe? Oh well - we passed and my fluid was at 11 again and the doctor said that was perfect. Baby's heart rate was 143 this time. Then it was my turn to be examined. We saw the doctor and she went over the ultrasound print out with me again. She measured my belly and said that baby girl is measuring right at 36 weeks, just like she should be. My blood pressure is still down at 102/60 which she was happy with. Then came the fun part - cervix check. I have grown to hate this already and I know that I have so many more coming my way. After this check I was much more uncomfortable for the rest of the day. I don't know if I was anticipating what was going to happen and was tense or if there is just more pressure from the baby now or what but I did not feel the greatest yesterday. Not to mention I was outside a lot and was very hot all day. Hopefully it won't be like that the rest of the exams. Well the doctor said that I am now a full centimeter dilated, 50% effaced, and she can touch the baby's head. Holy crap. Yeah - things are getting real.
Last appointment I had mentioned my fears about a C-section and the doctor explained that it has to do a lot with how "favorable" my cervix is. She said that mine is definitely becoming more favorable but that she would like to see the baby move down a little bit more and that we still have time for that to happen. She said that it is too early to tell whether or not her head will be too big to fit but that it is a good sign that she is starting to move down because that can be a good indicator that the baby will be able to fit. She said that it can be harder for women like her and I who have shorter waists and that can mean that our pelvis is more narrow. She wanted me to know that a C-section is not the end of the world and can be better and safer for mom and baby than trying to push out a baby that can barely fit through the birth canal or cause more damage to the lady area that will take longer to heal than a C-section scar. She knows that I prefer to have a vaginal birth (as long as it is safe) but she is gradually putting me more at ease about a C-section if it has to happen. It is like she said, "only the good Lord knows what is going to happen right now." No point in worrying about things that I have no control over. As long as this little baby gets here safely that is all that I care about. I don't care how she gets here. Amen.
The disk of all of our maternity pictures was ready last week and I have posted those below. I chose Joshua Aaron Photography here in Columbia after talking to a few people and checking out their photos. They are a husband and wife team and they were really fun to work with. As the pictures go along you will see that it started to get really hot...but I made it through and Scotty and I are both very pleased with the pictures. I will use those photographers again - most likely for Charlotte's newborn pictures. So you can check those out below with the weekly picture.
Thanks!
Well the A/C is still broken upstairs in our house. So frustrating! It has been triple digits here with the heat index and I am getting pretty fed up. I have called and complained and emailed and complained and still nothing. They are pretty good at making up excuses. I have decided that if it is not fixed this week I will be calling a company of our choosing and having them come out on Monday to fix the problem and we will just send a bill to the property company/home owner. This has been a problem since May and we have made it known that this has been a problem. Mama is not happy and they know it. The days go by so quickly and soon our little tiny baby will be coming home and newsflash... she can't sleep in over 90 degrees. So they need to get it together quick!
With the A/C being broken and it being so hot here, I have tried to keep my water intake up. The last couple of times that my amniotic fluid has been checked it has been fine so the doctor seems to think that I was just dehydrated the first time and now I have been panicked about being dehydrated. So I have been drinking over a gallon of water daily. Gallon. Of water. Daily. So good for me but dang that's a lot of water and a lot of bathroom breaks.
Anyway - one of the final pieces of the bringing baby home puzzle has been completed. This week I asked one of the CAT team (Community Action Team) deputies from work to come and install the car seat. He was nice enough to come to my office and show me/put in the car seat correctly. That was a huge weight off of my shoulders knowing that it was in, for one, and that it was put in correctly as well. We still have two more to put in but I think that I know how to do it and I can get them checked as well after Scotty and I try to put them in.
I am a little ahead on my doctor appointments since I have been being seen on Mondays and Tuesdays are the days that my weeks change over. I was seen yesterday for my 36 week check up (35 weeks 6 days). I had another ultrasound to have my fluid checked and they count the baby's movements and count her breathing movements as well. The ultrasound person that I got this time was much better than the last 2 that I have had. She was very chipper and nice and said things like "she is breathing so well!," "you ate breakfast this morning didn't you - I can tell because she is already moving around!" Well praise the Lord for her. She made me feel much more at ease than the other two ladies did. She did need to see Charlotte move one more time and she was refusing to do it and I was rubbing on her and turning on my side and finally she moved again and we scored an 8 out of 8 on the test that they do with the breathing, movements, cord flow, and something else. Heart rate maybe? Oh well - we passed and my fluid was at 11 again and the doctor said that was perfect. Baby's heart rate was 143 this time. Then it was my turn to be examined. We saw the doctor and she went over the ultrasound print out with me again. She measured my belly and said that baby girl is measuring right at 36 weeks, just like she should be. My blood pressure is still down at 102/60 which she was happy with. Then came the fun part - cervix check. I have grown to hate this already and I know that I have so many more coming my way. After this check I was much more uncomfortable for the rest of the day. I don't know if I was anticipating what was going to happen and was tense or if there is just more pressure from the baby now or what but I did not feel the greatest yesterday. Not to mention I was outside a lot and was very hot all day. Hopefully it won't be like that the rest of the exams. Well the doctor said that I am now a full centimeter dilated, 50% effaced, and she can touch the baby's head. Holy crap. Yeah - things are getting real.
Last appointment I had mentioned my fears about a C-section and the doctor explained that it has to do a lot with how "favorable" my cervix is. She said that mine is definitely becoming more favorable but that she would like to see the baby move down a little bit more and that we still have time for that to happen. She said that it is too early to tell whether or not her head will be too big to fit but that it is a good sign that she is starting to move down because that can be a good indicator that the baby will be able to fit. She said that it can be harder for women like her and I who have shorter waists and that can mean that our pelvis is more narrow. She wanted me to know that a C-section is not the end of the world and can be better and safer for mom and baby than trying to push out a baby that can barely fit through the birth canal or cause more damage to the lady area that will take longer to heal than a C-section scar. She knows that I prefer to have a vaginal birth (as long as it is safe) but she is gradually putting me more at ease about a C-section if it has to happen. It is like she said, "only the good Lord knows what is going to happen right now." No point in worrying about things that I have no control over. As long as this little baby gets here safely that is all that I care about. I don't care how she gets here. Amen.
The disk of all of our maternity pictures was ready last week and I have posted those below. I chose Joshua Aaron Photography here in Columbia after talking to a few people and checking out their photos. They are a husband and wife team and they were really fun to work with. As the pictures go along you will see that it started to get really hot...but I made it through and Scotty and I are both very pleased with the pictures. I will use those photographers again - most likely for Charlotte's newborn pictures. So you can check those out below with the weekly picture.
Thanks!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)