37w5d

I don’t even know where to begin this post! Life has been very interesting these days.

I suppose I’ll start with last Friday’s OB appointment – everything was well. I had my first internal exam and got the great news that my cervix is 100% effaced. So ripe in fact that my Doctor asked if I had my hospital bag packed. He said we’d set an induction date if I haven’t gone into labor by next Friday (OMGGGG).

I had been having contractions already but they have gotten bad since Friday. I spent all weekend with the worst pains. I knew they were irregular but that doesn’t mean labor isn’t rapidly approaching. Yesterday I felt bad enough that I called my Doctor and he sent me L&D for a checkup. I went and had a NST done – Nugget is active and well, and my contractions are real but irregular. I had another internal exam (good GOD it was the most painful internal exam I have ever had), but the good news is that I had dilated 1cm since Friday! So the contractions are working! The L&D nurse said my cervix is VERY ripe and thin and short. She says it’s rare for first time moms but that I am lucky because I will likely be in labor within a week assuming I continue dilating and labor should be quick once it begins due to how ripe my cervix is. Yesterday the baby still hadn’t dropped into my pelvis but she said it’ll happen very soon. Obviously none of this is scientific fact; we all know how it goes. Labor is a crap shoot! But it was good to hear nonetheless.

The nurse said to start having sex. I am honestly not in the mood for sex. I know for a fact poor Norman isn’t either. But she said that besides the sperm bringing on natural contractions and speeding up dilation, that sex stretches the perineum and can avoid unnecessary tearing/cutting. So we’ll give it a go today lol

Last night was a heinous night for me. I KNOW Nugget dropped last night. I was in excruciating pain. My pelvis and lower back were on fire, not to mention the RLP I have been having. It's worse than ever. Anyhow, I knew what was happening but couldn’t believe that just about 12 hours earlier the L&D nurse had predicted this. I could feel the difference right away. My belly is a lot lower and I can no longer use it as a shelf (I used to jokingly set my water bottle on it for shits and giggles). I don’t know just how low she is but I am guessing my Doctor will tell me on Friday.

So this is where we stand!

We are ready for Nugget to arrive. We installed the car seat and I am packed and ready to go.

So now we wait…

31w6d

Last night marked hospital visit number 2 for me - I guess that's not so bad considering I'm 32 weeks along.

I was having a really rough day to begin with yesterday. Then when I was leaving work, I started feeling sharp pains in my belly. I couldn't walk to my car. I had to literally shuffle hunched over. When I got home I immediately laid down and drank water. I didn't get any better. FInally at 8PM I started to get more and more concerned so I called my doctor who told me to go straight to L&D. I was given a bed the minute I arrived and was hooked up to the contraction and fetal heart monitor. The baby was fine, active and has a healthy heat rate. I was having some contractions, though. My blood was drawn and I got an ultrasound. My blood work came back normal and the ultrasound showed a healthy, active, adorable baby girl. I even got a picture and everything. My placenta and amniotic fluid were perfect and everything looked great. YAY!

So to make a long story short, I was told to take it easy off my feet for a few days. I am already feeling so much better.

I am home from work today. Tonight we have our infant CPR class which we will definitely be attending, even if I need to go in a wheelchair!

Tomorrow I have my cardiologist appointment.

Updates soon.

24w1d

Well I ended up going to the hospital last night because the pain was making me nervous. It was my first trip to the ER while pregnant – I had been so proud of myself for not having gone. I hate feeling like a nervous, first-time mommy (even though that’s what I am!).

Anyhow, the minute we walked into the ER the lady at the desk told another ER worker get a wheelchair and take her to L&D (labor & delivery). I was like woooaaahhhh, no no no, I am not in labor. She asked how far along I was and I told her. They took me in ahead of everyone in the waiting room – I didn’t even stand there for 30 seconds. They registered me and took me straight to the L&D unit. We ended up waiting for a bed for only about 30 minutes or so. They took us into the L&D suites, told me to take off all my clothes, put on the hospital gown and get in bed.

The L&D suites are amazing. I was definitely reassured that I had made the right decision to have Nugget at this particular hospital. These rooms are like hotel rooms. They call them suites because you labor, deliver and recover all in the same place. The bathrooms are huge, stocked with lots of shampoo and soaps, as well as a ton of sanitary napkins (childbirth and its aftermath is bloody and messy). They never take the baby out of the room unless they are taking her to do lab work or if God forbid there is some sort of complication.

I had such a surreal feeling as I lay in that bed. I couldn’t stop thinking about how this is where I’d be in 3 short months from now, ready to deliver our little girl. It was overwhelming, really.

The nurses are wonderful. So patient and understanding. I felt reassured that I had done the right thing by coming to the hospital. They strapped a baby heart beat monitor and movement detector around my belly and some other device – who knows what it was.

All in all we were there for 5 hours and the entire time we were there, we got to hear the baby’s heart beats and her movements in surround sound. If I hadn’t been so desperate to get home and get to bed, I could have stayed listening to those sounds all night.

They discharged me telling me I was experiencing mild contractions and that it was perfectly normal. Make sure I get lots of rest, drink lots of water, etc. etc. The real kicker was when the nurse told me to call my OB if symptoms returned. Yeah, OK. Maybe next time I’ll be lucky enough for a call back.