39 Week Update

We're down to one week until the due date, but Peanut could be born any day! At the doctor today, I had made some progress. I am now between 2.5 and 3 centimeters dilated and 80% effaced. The baby is at -2 station. The baby's station tells where the baby's head is in relation to the pelvis, with 0 station being at the pelvis.

Also, here is a picture of me at 39 weeks.

38 Week Update

At my 38 week appointment, the doctor told me that I am two centimeters dilated and 50% effaced. The baby is still head down, which the doctor confirmed with an ultrasound. And I was glad to find that I hadn't gained any weight since week 37 - woohoo! Thus far, I've gained 28 pounds, which is ideal. Here's the breakdown of weight gain during pregnancy:

Baby: 7-8 pounds
Placenta: 1-2 pounds
Amniotic fluid: 2 pounds
Uterus: 2 pounds
Maternal breast tissue: 2 pounds
Maternal blood : 4 pounds
Fluids in maternal tissue: 4 pounds
Maternal fat and nutrient stores: 7 pounds

Essentially, I could lose 10-15 pounds before I leave the hospital from the weight of the baby, placenta, and fluids! Woohoo!

The house is ready for Peanut. The nursery is completely done. The glider came last week, and Doug put it together. We got the Pack n' Play, and Doug set that up as well. We also finally got monitors and the diaper bag. Now we just need our baby!

The 29th is my last day of teaching, so hopefully I will make it until then and Peanut will make an appearance soon thereafter!

37 Week Update

37 weeks is the full-term mark for pregnancy! This means that the baby is fully developed, and I can deliver at any time!

At today's appointment, I found out that I have dilated another centimeter (1.5 cm total) and I am still 50% effaced. The doctor seems pleased with that progress, given that the estimated due date is still three weeks away.

I have two weeks of teaching left, so hopefully I will make it!

Updated Picture

Here I am at 36 weeks and five days - two days shy of being full-term!

36 Week Update

Thursday (January 8th) was my birthday, and Peanut gave me the best birthday gift ever - he or she turned back into head-down position! Looks like our week of trying to coax the baby into position worked. Several times a day, I had to lie upside down (first on an ironing board, but then the ironing board bent, so then on stacks of pillows) to allow Peanut to become dislodged from my pelvis so he/she could turn. I also played an iPod with classical music in my pants - supposedly the sound makes the baby want to turn to have its head closer to the music. I also kept a bag of frozen veggies at the top of my belly; the logic is that the baby wants to move its head away from the cold. These techniques must have worked, as silly as they seem!

At my doctor's appointment on Thursday, I also found out that I am one centimeter dilated and 50% effaced (meaning the cervix is halfway thinned out). The doctor was pleased with my progress and thinks the baby will be born right around the due date.

We now have the carseats installed, the bassinet put together, and the nursery done (with the exception of the glider that we're waiting to arrive via FedEx this week). I made a playlist on iTunes to have in the labor room with me - hopefully the music will help me relax and get into the zone to be able to manage the pain. I still have to pack my hospital bag, but for some reason I keep putting it off.

We need to post a picture but haven't taken one since Christmas. I'm much bigger than I was a couple weeks ago!

35 Week Update

We went to the doctor this morning for our 35 week appointment. (From now until delivery, I will have weekly appointments.) The baby is healthy, but we did learn some disappointing news. Although the baby has been head-down for weeks, the baby seems to have moved into a breech (head-up) position. Doctors will not allow a first birth to be delivered breech, so I will have to have a c-section if the baby does not turn. My doctor told me of an exercise I can do to help the baby turn. I also have done some research online and learned of some other exercises and techniques that hopefully will coax the baby into turning head-down.

When I go to the doctor next week for my 36 week appointment, the doctor will check to see if the baby is still breech. If so, they will schedule a version for 37 weeks. A version is a procedure where the doctor manually tries to turn the baby head-down. It works about 60% of the time. There are some risks - if my water breaks or there is damage to the placenta, they would have to do an emergency c-section. If the version is unsuccessful, they will schedule a c-section.

Please keep Peanut and me in your thoughts and prayers. I am hopeful that he/she will turn head-down so I am able to have a natural birth.