Full Term!

I've made it to 37 weeks, yay! I know the baby will come when he's ready, but I really want him to come now! It doesn't help that at my last appointment my doctor told me I was 3cm dilated and at -1 station. I know that doesn't mean anything, and I could be 3cm dilated for three weeks, but it did get my hopes up a little =].

I've also been having contractions since Thursday night, a few intense, uncomfortable ones. That makes me scared AND nervous, haha! Also, at my doctor's appointment, I had +2 protein levels in my urine. So I had to go to the Hospital and get an NST test. Baby and I passed with flying colors, but I did have to get lab work done. I'm assuming since my doctor hasn't called, everything is ok? She did say if my levels were high I would be induced soon! So I had to get my butt in gear and wash baby clothes and get last minute things ready =]

How far along?: 37 weeks
Total weight gain: Holding steady at 16 pounds. Doctor isn’t concerned though, the baby is growing just fine =]
How big is baby?: according to my app, 19 - 22 in. and 6.5 lbs. The size of a watermelon (!)
Stretch marks?: Yes, same ones as last week.
Sleep?: I’m still sleeping really well, but waking up a lot to go pee!

Best moment this week?: Honestly? Having “real” contractions made everything seem so real and made me realize my son is coming soon.

Movement?: Yep.

Food cravings?: McDonald’s Chicken Nuggets, a Whopper, and a margarita.
Labor signs?: Yes! I *think* I’m starting to lose my mucus plug, but I’m a first time mom, what do I know? We also learned in Bradley classes that a few days before birth you might have loose bowels because your body is starting to cleanse itself out… yeah, that’s totally been going on for a couple of days.
Belly button in or out?: It’s starting to get flat! I hope it doesn’t pop, I think that’s so gross!
What I miss: Not feeling so tired and icky. I know I’ll be tired when the baby is here, but that’s different. He’ll be here!
What I'm looking forward to: Hearing about my test results and next weekend already, haha!
Milestone: Making it to 37 weeks =]

Baby Shower and 36 Weeks

Whoo-hoo! I've made it to 36 weeks! One more week until this baby is full-term! Can you tell I'm excited?

We had our baby shower yesterday, it was so much fun! My mom, sister, and aunts did so much to make the day perfect. The decorations were cute, the food was delicious, and everyone had a great time. We got so much stuff, I couldn't believe it! Especially clothes! I don't know why I thought people didn't buy a lot of clothes for baby boys, but I was totally wrong! He got so much clothes!!! It's all super cute, I can't wait to put it on him. I'm not looking forward to doing all the laundry, haha!

Vince and I made a list of items that we still need to buy for the baby and it's not super long, which is awesome. Thankfully our parents bought us a lot of big stuff as a gift, so we just have to get little things.

I went to the doctor on Friday, which quickly turned into the WORST DAY EVER. Ok, I'm being a little dramatic, but it sucked. To make a long story short, my BP was high, my protein levels were a teeny bit higher than she would have liked, and when I told her I was having constant headaches, she got really concerned that it was preeclampsia (again). So I had to do a 24 hour urine collection, get blood work done, and go on bed rest, AGAIN.

So now I'm furiously working on finishing up my lesson plans for my leave because the doctor said that if at my next appointment (on Friday) my levels are still elevated, she is going to seriously consider inducing me =[.

I was talking to Vince yesterday and I was crying because the last thing I want to do is be induced because it can lead to long, painful labors, which can lead to an epidural or a c-section. Basically, it can lead to everything I've wanted to avoid during labor and delivery.

He asked me very calmly, "Daniella, what did we learn in class about birth? What is our ultimate goal?"

I responded, "To do it naturally!!!" (Wrong answer by the way)

"No", he said. "Healthy mom, healthy baby. No matter how you get there, our ultimate goal is to have YOU be healthy and the BABY be healthy when everything is over. It doesn't matter how it happens."

He is so right. I love him so much. He has kept me focused this entire pregnancy, I don't know what I would do without him. Now I'm just praying that the baby and I are healthy and we get good news next Friday!

How far along?: 36 weeks, I day
Total weight gain: Holding steady at 16 pounds. Doctor isn’t concerned though, the baby is growing just fine =]
How big is baby?: according to my app, 19 - 22 in. and 6.5 lbs. The size of a watermelon (!)
Stretch marks?: Yes, same ones as last week.
Sleep?: I’m waking up every three hours to pee and it’s still really uncomfortable.

Best moment this week?: Our baby shower!

Movement?: All the time, it’s uncomfortable though!

Food cravings?: A steak. A juicy, medium-rare steak with a loaded baked potato and a wedge salad with bleu cheese dressing. Can you tell I’ve thought about what I want to eat after having the baby?
Labor signs?: Still having Braxton-Hicks. I’ve had a couple of “real” contractions, but nothing that made me stop or take my breath away. Although yesterday I had two really strong contractions about ten minutes apart, but nothing after the second one. Wouldn’t it be my luck to have the baby RIGHT after the baby shower?
Belly button in or out?: still hanging in there, barely!
What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach. I cannot stand sleeping on my side. I’m honestly surprised that I am able to even sleep while I’m on my side.
What I'm looking forward to: Having a doctors’ appointment where I don’t have to go to L&D right after and get a bunch of tests done.
Milestone: I’m not sure… Getting so much closer to D-Day!!!

35/35

I cannot believe I have made it to this point! Today I am 35 weeks along and we only have 35 DAYS until our baby is due!

The reality that he is coming has totally hit me today. BUT, instead of being scared like I usually am, I am really, really excited! I feel like we've wanted this for so long, and it is so close to becoming real. Now if only we could find a house and move out of my parents (who I am so thankful for, we've been here since June and it's been tight at times and they have never made us feel bad about moving back) this would be the perfect year!!!

How far along?: 35 weeks
Total weight gain: I’m going to go with the total from last week, 16 lbs. I have another doctor’s appointment on Friday, so I’ll have a more accurate total =]
How big is baby?: according to my app, 19 - 22 in. and 5.5 lbs. The size of a large cantaloupe.
Stretch marks?: Yes. No new ones, they’re just REALLY red and REALLY itchy. My whole belly is itchy now that I think about it.
Sleep?: I’m waking up every three hours to pee and it’s getting really uncomfortable. I guess I’m just preparing myself for when the baby comes!

Best moment this week?: Going to my cousin’s baby shower. She’s due a couple weeks after I am, which makes it all seem much more real!!! Plus, I was the flower girl in her wedding when I was five, so it’s super cool we’re going through this together. Also, my husband made his “play book” out of all the materials we received through our Bradley Classes. It is so cute to see him get into this.

Movement?: All the time. I love it though.

Food cravings?: My grandma’s fried chicken. It’s so yummy! Oh, kale salad from Whole Foods.
Labor signs?: Still having Braxton-Hicks. I’ve had a couple of “real” contractions, but nothing that made me stop or take my breath away.
Belly button in or out?: still hanging in there.
What I miss: Having “real” food. I’ve gotten used to the diet for my gall stones and have cut down on having bites of “bad” food which was super hard during the holidays! I’m totally convinced that’s why I had another episode last week :/
What I'm looking forward to: Seeing my team from school (I miss them so much!) tomorrow and my baby shower still, haha!
Milestone: Being TWO weeks away from making it to full term.

Where Has This Week Gone?!?!

Oh my goodness, this week has flown by SO FAST. Just the other day I mentioned on Facebook that the first week of Winter Break had gone by so slow, I couldn't believe it. I should have just kept my mouth shut because the second week is almost over!!!

My some miracle I've been bitten by the productive bug because I am getting stuff done for school! I am so happy to have gotten this burst of energy. So far I've gotten one week’s worth of emergency sub plans done for when I first go on leave (I'm planning on working until the day I go into labor as long as everything is okay with my doctor) and have made an outline of everything else I have to do for my time off. It looks like I'll have to stay later after school than I usually do, but that's ok! I want to get everything done and not worry about anything while I'm on leave but grading papers. 

Ugh, I had to go to the hospital TWICE in the last week! Last Thursday I had a doctor’s appointment and I had really high blood pressure and high levels of protein in my urnine. So my OB sent me to L&D where Baby and I were monitored for a couple of hours. I also had to go on bed rest until yesterday and do a 24 hour urine collection (gross!).

I also got a little freaked out because my doctor mistakenly ordered a steroid shot for the baby’s lung development and the nurse in triage asked what day that week I was supposed to deliver. Since my doctor never mentioned delivering early, I understandably became upset. The nurse called the doctor who realized her mistake and everything was okay after that. I’m sure that caused my bp to spike though, haha. As much as I want to have this baby soon, I was NOT prepared for that!

At my appointment yesterday everything went well. All the tests came back negative for preeclampsia, which is what the doctor worried was wrong with me. Thank goodeness!!!! When she mentioned going on bed rest until the baby came I thought I was going to FREAK OUT.

On Sunday I had to go to L&D again because I was in a minor car accident. I was in my parents Suburban and we were rear ended! I called the nurse on-call and she said I needed to come in and get checked because I’m past 30 weeks. I did have a couple of really strong,  painful contractions that made me a little nervous. After being monitored for a few hours we were sent home because everything was a-ok.

I’m so sick of going to the hospital. The next time I go better be because I’m about to deliver my little boy, I’m not kidding. But on the plus side, I’ve met a lot of nurses in L&D and they’re all super nice =]

How far along?: 34 weeks, 3 days
Total weight gain: 16 lbs according to the doctor’s scale yesterday. I’m kinda confused about exactly how much weight I’ve exactly gained because I got my numbers confused one week, haha! Whatever =]
How big is baby?: according to my app, 19 - 22 in. and 5.5 lbs. The size of a large cantaloupe.
Stretch marks?: Yes. No new ones, they’re just REALLY red and REALLY itchy.
Sleep?: Ugh, I jinxed myself last week. It’s so uncomfortable now. I keep waking up and moving around. I feel bad for Vince.

Best moment this week?: Finding out that I didn’t have preeclampsia and that the baby won’t be delivered early.

Movement?: All the time. I love it though.

Food cravings?: Chick-fil-a fries. And McDonalds chicken nuggets. Which of course I can’t have because they’re too fatty!!!!
Labor signs?: I’ve had some Braxton-Hicks contractions, but nothing to be excited about.
Belly button in or out?: In, barely!
What I miss: My students =]
What I'm looking forward to: My baby shower next weekend!
Milestone: Being so close to 35 weeks! That number seems big for some reason.