Saturday, January 23, 2010

The End is Near - week 37

What a week it has been! The excitement of my first internal check on Tuesday where my doctor even said he was impressed that I was already dilated to a 3 was immediately followed by the unpleasantness of the Strep B culture. Then there was Wednesday when (I think) I lost my mucus plug. (Who can really be sure about something called a mucus plug and when it comes out, right?) Wednesday night I was almost certain - and scared - that the time had come and that labor had started since I had contractions most of the afternoon and all evening that for a while were steady at every 10 minutes. Considering my birthday was Thursday and I had book club I was looking forward to, it was THE worst time to go into labor. I was very worried and kept saying "just hold out one more day" while I sat with my feet up and rested. Well, she listened as the contractions eventually stopped and Thursday was very uneventful with only a contraction here and there all day. Friday was equally uneventful except for the fact I made it to my 37-week mark which is what my doctor said he really wanted to see happen. From here on out, I am considered full term and baby can come anytime. Poor big sister must have heard me saying my mantra "just one more day" because she told everyone on Thursday that mommy was having a baby tomorrow. She was very disappointed when it didn't happen and I had to explain to her that it happens when the baby is ready and we don't get to decide. We both agree the waiting game is not very fun.

The stroller and car seat have both been assembled and ready for use and I even started packing a bag for the hospital - something I didn't do until I was in labor and needed to head to the hospital with big sister. Baby has dropped and I can eat more, breath easier and walk a bit faster although the waddling factor increased with the drop and my heartburn did not go away. I also have much more pelvic pain now and it is very difficult to get up after sitting or lying down. Not only can I no longer tie my shoes, I can no longer put my own socks on. Luckily big sister is good at putting them on for me and likes to help out. I also got all my paperwork completed this week for my FMLA leave of absence at work and I have one remaining big project to finish that I want under my belt before I go on maternity leave. Nesting is in full swing - I cleaned out the fridge today and I'm doing major laundry so I can pack big sister's bags and get all the new baby stuff washed and put away from the shower. There are still visitor restrictions at the hospital so big sister won't get to come - something I think is major bullshit since the health department has lifted their recommendation for the restrictions and it appears that only MY hospital and one other in the entire city still have them in place. Reality kind of kicked in for hubby who is very concerned I'll go into labor while he's at work in the middle of the night. We have made contingency plans if that happens and I'm SO glad I have family close who are also willing to help out if the situation is necessary. I have anxiety about my water breaking and ruining furniture which is something I never stressed about the first time around. My doctor broke my water shortly before I started pushing last time so it isn't like I'm worried about something repeating either. I have setup a calling tree with my family and friends so there will be minimal phone calls necessary when the time actually comes. Big sister, the dancer, commented the other day on my "banana back" which I guess is a dance term for bad posture when you arch your back. What a lovely visual of how I feel with my enormous baby belly and why my back hurts all the time.

I am huge and cumbersome and ready for the day of birth to arrive. Not that I'm looking forward to the horror show of labor and delivery with anticipation, I'm just ready to be done with the pregnant part and get on with the new baby part. Weekly doctor appointment is on Tuesday and we'll see how things go from there. Regardless, I will be asking him to schedule an induction date for a week early since there is no possible way I'm going to 40 weeks! Although part of me hopes she can hold out 5 more days so I can actually get and enjoy my massage I have scheduled and then implement my plans for inducing my own labor as scheduled. BabyWatch 2010 is officially in full swing!

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