Here we are at the end of July, the time we have been anxiously anticipating for months, and our child has apparently decided it wants to stay curled up inside Mom yet. I'm wondering if this is due to the fact that it took us so long to get pregnant. Is this nature's way of telling me, you hoped and prayed for this for a year-and-a-half, you're going to get the FULL pregnancy experience?
We of course know that things can progress very quickly, but we had our weekly check-up with the doctor today and nothing had changed from the previous week. We're still somewhat hopeful this kid will come out on its own because some of the steps needing to be taken by my body are done, just maybe not as much as we'd like to see at this point. But then again, one of my friends was dilated to 2 cm for 2 weeks, so just because things progress doesn't always mean Baby is coming out. So to summarize, this kid is going to come out when it wants to whether my body is ready right at this second or not. We are just planning on being on high-alert for the next week.
We have done our part to try and get Baby Steiny to come out. We've bribed it with toys, Chris has threatened to take the money out of it's piggy bank and tried reverse psychology telling it that we don't care if it comes out or not. So far nothing has worked - shocker! That's why I do believe we've got a stubborn kid on our hands. It's already taking after his or her...mom. Yes, I admit I can be extremely stubborn when I want to be. :)
The doctor also told us that part of the reason Baby isn't getting itself into the proper positioning is because it has a big head, aka we were once again told we've got at least an 8-pound kid in there. He also mentioned the number "9" again, which I'm a little less scared of at this point, mostly because I just want the kiddo out, no matter HOW much it weighs!
Everything else checked out good at the doctor. My pulse, blood pressure and weight are still normal. Baby's heart rate was good too.
The doctor did mention the "I" word today - induction. I've been hoping to avoid it because I've heard it can be a harder labor, but if that's what it takes to get Baby out into this world, I'm game. If nothing has happened by Aug. 6, we will head to the hospital and start the process. We have one more doctor appointment next Thursday and if everything is looking the same, we'll schedule our time for that next Monday.
So the good news is, either way, we will have our child here in the next 11 days! It's very exciting to think of it that way!!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Sunday, July 22, 2012
One more week?
We visited the doctor again last Thursday and he said a decent amount of progress had been made. Everything checked out normal with both myself and the baby, so we are all set to go.
He also said that there is a good chance this baby will arrive by its due date! So now we are just waiting, waiting, waiting for something to happen. Of course, that is just still a guess by the doctor and we could go well past the due date. Though he did say that he will only allow me to go one week past before scheduling an induction (common practice these days).
Pretty crazy to think in two week tops we will be parents! We are oh so ready for this journey, but mostly just ready to meet this little person!!
He also said that there is a good chance this baby will arrive by its due date! So now we are just waiting, waiting, waiting for something to happen. Of course, that is just still a guess by the doctor and we could go well past the due date. Though he did say that he will only allow me to go one week past before scheduling an induction (common practice these days).
Pretty crazy to think in two week tops we will be parents! We are oh so ready for this journey, but mostly just ready to meet this little person!!
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Not much happening :(
We made our weekly visit to the doctor on Monday for our 37 week appointment and everything is still looking good. The only thing was that he said Baby isn't making much progress toward being born, but that's OK! We're starting to get very anxious to meet this little boy or girl, but two or three more weeks won't kill us (but the impending return of the heat might!).
But again, everything checked out good for Mom and Baby at the doctor, so that's all that really matters. He did mention again that we're probably going to be having an "above average" sized child, but this time he only estimated its weight at 8.2-8.5 pounds. How he can think he knows to that accuracy I don't know, but at least he didn't use the number 9 this time!!
Stats:
Mom's weight: Up another pound! Hello Water Retention!!! According to everyone I talk to, I've been lucky that my feet and hands haven't swelled up until now and they still aren't bad, but my wedding rings were getting a bit tight, so as a preemptive strike (I don't want to get to the point where they have to cut them off!), I started wearing them on a chain around my neck.
Mom's blood pressure and pulse: Normal
Baby's heart rate: Back up a bit to 132
Stomach measurement: 36 cm, right on track
Baby's position: -2 station, which means Baby is moving in the right direction, but isn't too far down yet.
Like I said, we are both anxious to meet our little person and I am starting to get to the point of just being "done" being pregnant. Thanks to the heat (again, not excited it's returning this weekend and next week), uncomfortableness and some muscle aches, I'm definitely ready to get myself back to some normalcy.
But again, everything checked out good for Mom and Baby at the doctor, so that's all that really matters. He did mention again that we're probably going to be having an "above average" sized child, but this time he only estimated its weight at 8.2-8.5 pounds. How he can think he knows to that accuracy I don't know, but at least he didn't use the number 9 this time!!
Stats:
Mom's weight: Up another pound! Hello Water Retention!!! According to everyone I talk to, I've been lucky that my feet and hands haven't swelled up until now and they still aren't bad, but my wedding rings were getting a bit tight, so as a preemptive strike (I don't want to get to the point where they have to cut them off!), I started wearing them on a chain around my neck.
Mom's blood pressure and pulse: Normal
Baby's heart rate: Back up a bit to 132
Stomach measurement: 36 cm, right on track
Baby's position: -2 station, which means Baby is moving in the right direction, but isn't too far down yet.
Like I said, we are both anxious to meet our little person and I am starting to get to the point of just being "done" being pregnant. Thanks to the heat (again, not excited it's returning this weekend and next week), uncomfortableness and some muscle aches, I'm definitely ready to get myself back to some normalcy.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
What a good listener...
We visited the doctor for our latest and greatest check-up and received some welcome news - Baby Steiny has indeed flipped around and is in the proper position to be born! After all of the pep talks Chris and I have been giving him or her in the last few weeks, I was glad to hear our child is listening and paying attention to us!
Everything else checked out as well. My weight spiked a bit (which I am going to chalk up the the larger than normal amount of ice cream I've been eating lately "to beat the heat"), but Baby and Mom's stats were all in order.
36 (technically 36 1/2) week statistics:
Mom's weight gain: 30 pounds. A 3+ pound gain in 2.5 weeks, which is above what it should have been, but overall, I'm still within the normal weight gain range of 25-35 pounds over the course of the pregnancy.
Mom's blood pressure and pulse: Normal
Baby's heart rate: 126
Belly measurement: ??? The doctor measured it, but we were talking at the same time, so he never told us the answer! I'd like to assume that it wasn't too far out of the normal range, otherwise he would have commented on it.
The doctor also checked to see if things were progressing in terms of Baby getting ready to be born and nothing so far has happened. He said that we're probably looking at going full-term, which is fine, especially because that's really only like 3 weeks away!!
Now we start going for doctor check-ups every week, which seems strange. I think we're also starting to "nest." We've got the car seat base installed in my vehicle, have all of most of the baby clothes and items that he or she will need right away washed, and I've started to pack my hospital bag.
I know the next few weeks are going to go by fast (Lord knows the past 8 months have flown!), so hopefully we can just relax and enjoy ourselves in a quiet house, just the two of us. Oh wait...we're also in the middle of finishing our basement, I don't know if that's possible! Hahaha
Everything else checked out as well. My weight spiked a bit (which I am going to chalk up the the larger than normal amount of ice cream I've been eating lately "to beat the heat"), but Baby and Mom's stats were all in order.
36 (technically 36 1/2) week statistics:
Mom's weight gain: 30 pounds. A 3+ pound gain in 2.5 weeks, which is above what it should have been, but overall, I'm still within the normal weight gain range of 25-35 pounds over the course of the pregnancy.
Mom's blood pressure and pulse: Normal
Baby's heart rate: 126
Belly measurement: ??? The doctor measured it, but we were talking at the same time, so he never told us the answer! I'd like to assume that it wasn't too far out of the normal range, otherwise he would have commented on it.
The doctor also checked to see if things were progressing in terms of Baby getting ready to be born and nothing so far has happened. He said that we're probably looking at going full-term, which is fine, especially because that's really only like 3 weeks away!!
Now we start going for doctor check-ups every week, which seems strange. I think we're also starting to "nest." We've got the car seat base installed in my vehicle, have all of most of the baby clothes and items that he or she will need right away washed, and I've started to pack my hospital bag.
I know the next few weeks are going to go by fast (Lord knows the past 8 months have flown!), so hopefully we can just relax and enjoy ourselves in a quiet house, just the two of us. Oh wait...we're also in the middle of finishing our basement, I don't know if that's possible! Hahaha
Sunday, July 1, 2012
30 days and counting...
It really is hard to believe that in a month or less we will be parents. There's no turning back now!! Especially after going through the process that we went through to get to this point, it seems like forever that we've been waiting for this Baby to arrive. And at this point, I feel like I've been pregnant forever and am ready to get back to some normalcy with my body too. This heat isn't helping!!
Overall, we are pretty prepared for Baby Steiny to arrive. Thanks to all of the generous gifts from friends and family, we haven't had to buy much in order to have our house in order. We went and picked up the high chair last weekend and that was about it for the "big" purchases.
My tasks this weekend (since it is so hot out, I could barely stand to be outside for five minutes) were to wash all of Baby's stuff, especially the outfits he or she will wear in the first few months, get all of my stuff set to go for the hospital stay and overall just relax. I've still been feeling good, minus the heat, but my leg muscles aren't always so happy with the extra weight, so laying down = feeling the best. I've also been trying to read everything possible in order to prepare me for what is about to happen. I know that no amount of knowledge can really prepare me and that my experience is not going to go according to the book, because no one's does, but it is helpful to know somethings about the process.
Baby's still active as ever. The kicks and punches have slowed down a bit, since there is less room in there for he or she to move around, but stretches and rolls and still pretty prevalent.
We are looking forward to this upcoming holiday week and we'll start it out with a doctor appointment. I'm anxious to see if he can tell if Baby has flipped into the proper position or not. Part of me thinks he or she did, but I really have no clue what body parts are pushing out where when Baby is stretching or kicking around in there. Then we'll be off for some family time at the lake on Wednesday, but it's bittersweet because we'll have to say goodbye to Baby's Auntie/Godmother as she sets off for dental school in Arizona. We are so very proud of her, but bummed she won't be around to see Baby right away. But that's why God invited blogs, Skype, cellphones and all the other glorious ways to stay connected. And Christmas will be here before you know it!!
It will be a quiet week around work with many people taking vacation, so my plan is to get everything in order for when I'm gone. It's very hard to imagine that in a few weeks, I'll be off work for 12! It sure sounds like a long time, but I know it's going to go by very fast.
Overall, we are pretty prepared for Baby Steiny to arrive. Thanks to all of the generous gifts from friends and family, we haven't had to buy much in order to have our house in order. We went and picked up the high chair last weekend and that was about it for the "big" purchases.
My tasks this weekend (since it is so hot out, I could barely stand to be outside for five minutes) were to wash all of Baby's stuff, especially the outfits he or she will wear in the first few months, get all of my stuff set to go for the hospital stay and overall just relax. I've still been feeling good, minus the heat, but my leg muscles aren't always so happy with the extra weight, so laying down = feeling the best. I've also been trying to read everything possible in order to prepare me for what is about to happen. I know that no amount of knowledge can really prepare me and that my experience is not going to go according to the book, because no one's does, but it is helpful to know somethings about the process.
Baby's still active as ever. The kicks and punches have slowed down a bit, since there is less room in there for he or she to move around, but stretches and rolls and still pretty prevalent.
We are looking forward to this upcoming holiday week and we'll start it out with a doctor appointment. I'm anxious to see if he can tell if Baby has flipped into the proper position or not. Part of me thinks he or she did, but I really have no clue what body parts are pushing out where when Baby is stretching or kicking around in there. Then we'll be off for some family time at the lake on Wednesday, but it's bittersweet because we'll have to say goodbye to Baby's Auntie/Godmother as she sets off for dental school in Arizona. We are so very proud of her, but bummed she won't be around to see Baby right away. But that's why God invited blogs, Skype, cellphones and all the other glorious ways to stay connected. And Christmas will be here before you know it!!
It will be a quiet week around work with many people taking vacation, so my plan is to get everything in order for when I'm gone. It's very hard to imagine that in a few weeks, I'll be off work for 12! It sure sounds like a long time, but I know it's going to go by very fast.
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