Early Labor

I have been having consistent contractions since 3:30 this morning. They started out at 7 minutes apart and 30 second duration and have progressed to 5:45 minutes apart and 45 second duration. It's a waiting game, but Baby P may very well be a New Year's baby!!

Here we go

Yesterday morning I had this lovely early labor sign. After speaking with my doctor to make sure I didn't need to do anything but watch for my water to break or for real contractions to start, she told me to throw my due date out the window and she would see me soon. Talk about anxious! Nothing happened yesterday, and I had a bit more show this morning, so it's just a waiting game. No one can pinpoint when things will start to happen for real, but it is getting close. I am kind of in shock I am having all these signs so early, but I guess he'll come when he wants to come!

36 weeks

From Babycenter:
Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely he's in a head-down position. But if he isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating him from the outside of your belly.

Update!

I officially lost my plug last night! Things are moving right along!

36 weeks appointment

What an eventful doctor's visit! My blood pressure was 110/80 (it has been 110/70 the last 6 weeks or so) and I gained 3 lbs, putting me at 29 lbs total so far. Feeling good about that - especially since I didn't exactly watch what I ate for Christmas.

Had my Strep B test and had to sign a delivery consent form. Baby P's heart beat sounded great and she confirmed he is head down. She did an internal exam and HOLY COW I am 70% effaced and 1 cm dilated! I couldn't believe it! Babystopper is gone and must have slipped by me without noticing. Doctor advised me to do lots of walking to help the dilation. She didn't give me any indication as to station (where the baby's head is) or to my fundal height, but said all looked great. I go back on Tuesday, where I'll be curious to see if we've made any further progress!

One month!

We are only a month away from my due date! I can't believe it! Things are going well and I am looking forward to my appointment tomorrow. My hips are still very sore and painful, and I have trouble walking around if I sit or lie down for too long. Baby P's movements are constant and strong, and overall I feel okay. Having plenty of Braxton Hicks contractions, but nothing consistent or too painful. It's just a waiting game at this point!

New family member..not Baby P!

Sadly, we had to put one of our two dogs down last week. Our dog Fred was paralyzed and his quality of life was deteriorating. After we put him down, the house quickly settled into a funk. I'd been looking for another 1-3 year old rescue dachshund for the family, but couldn't find one anywhere. I finally gave up and got a puppy - an 8 week old dachshund/terrier mix. She is simply adorable and amazing. We've had her since yesterday and she hasn't had a single accident in the house. Hopefully she gets acclimated before Baby P comes. I know we are crazy to have a new puppy with a new baby on the way, but we are so much happier than we were a few days ago.


Her name is Lilly.

As far as the pregnancy goes, I can sum it up in one phrase: HOLY PELVIC PAIN!! My pelvis and hips pop every time I move, they constantly throb, and I feel like I'm bruised. It's very, very painful and isn't letting up. Otherwise things are still about the same. Sometimes the baby stretches out his knee and his foot ends up high up in my ribcage and it makes it difficult to move or sit. I keep pushing his little foot down but he is pretty stubborn. Trying to enjoy these last few weeks while counting down the days until he decides to appear. I can't believe we are only a few weeks away.

35 Weeks

From Babycenter:
Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that he's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, he isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times he kicks should remain about the same. His kidneys are fully developed now, and his liver can process some waste products. Most of his basic physical development is now complete — he'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

Feeling Pretty Good

Amazingly enough, most of my painful & uncomfortable symptoms have subsided the last few days. I still have very sharp pains down there when he moves around and my hips are very, very tight, but otherwise I am relatively comfortable. This is my last week without a doctor's appointment, so I have to wait until the 27th to see if any progress is going on. Thankful for being as comfortable as possible as long as possible, but getting anxious to meet our little man!

34 weeks

From Babycenter.com:
How your baby's growing:
Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. His fat layers — which will help regulate his body temperature once he's born — are filling her out, making him rounder. His skin is also smoother than ever. His central nervous system is maturing and his lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.

34 week appointment

Appointment today went well. Gained 2 lbs in 2 weeks (yay) and my blood pressure was 110/70. Baby's heart beat was great. Talked to the doctor about my symptoms (back pain, sharp pains down below when I stand, contractions and cramping) and she told me they are all normal but means things are progressing. She wants to do an internal check at my next appointment and then have me come in weekly after that. I can't believe we are already at the weekly appointments!

Maternity Pictures

They came out amazing!

Some of the maternity pics:

33 weeks!

From Babycenter:
How your baby's growing:
This week your baby weighs a little over 4 pounds (heft a pineapple) and has passed the 17-inch mark. He's rapidly losing that wrinkled, alien look and his skeleton is hardening. The bones in his skull aren't fused together, which allows them to move and slightly overlap, thus making it easier for him to fit through the birth canal. (The pressure on the head during birth is so intense that many babies are born with a conehead-like appearance.) These bones don't entirely fuse until early adulthood, so they can grow as his brain and other tissue expands during infancy and childhood.

Afternoon laugh

I'm still not feeling great - but find that as long as I stay off my feet the Braxton Hicks and back pain subside a bit, so I'm trying to take it easy. Luckily, if I change position or lie down the contractions stop a bit, so I know it's nothing to be concerned about at this point. I did find this video of Christina Applegate though and I almost peed my pants. I thought it was hilarious so I had to share, especially since I'm not up to much today:

Prenatal Pole Dancing

Ouch

Today has been a rough day. My hips still feel like they are being pulled apart, and my back hurts after standing for just a moment. I keep having random BH contractions, but nothing regular. I get waves of nausea and overall just feel crappy. When I stand up I get so much pressure down there it hurts and takes my breath away. Baby P has definitely dropped at least a bit - I no longer have his feet in my ribs, but my stomach still shows me carrying pretty high. Hopefully this will ease up as I'm not sure it is best to want things to progress at 33 weeks. We'll just ride this out and see where it goes.

It's been a little while since I've posted! Time is just flying by. Things are going well in the world of Baby P. He is getting more active (and strong..ouch!) by the day. If he gets into certain positions, he really, really hurts me when he moves, but otherwise it is just fine.

I didn't get much sleep last night because I felt like my hips were being ripped apart, making almost any position nearly impossible. It was a long evening. Whatever it was has subsided by this morning though, so all appears to be well. The baby reacts pretty instantly to loud sounds or touches if he is awake and that always puts a smile on my face.

We are picking up our maternity pictures on Thursday afternoon. I am so excited! I can't wait to see how they turned out.

Today is a bit odd. I am feeling kind of out of it. I was only able to do 15 of my normal 50 squats, as I felt a lot of pressure when I was doing them. I also can't get enough water today, am out of breath all the time, and standing for just a minute or two makes my back hurt a lot. Just plain uncomfortable.

32 weeks!

From Babycenter:
By now, your baby weighs 3.75 pounds (pick up a large jicama) and is about 16.7 inches long, taking up a lot of space in your uterus. You're gaining about a pound a week and roughly half of that goes right to your baby. In fact, he'll gain a third to half of his birth weight during the next 7 weeks as he fattens up for survival outside the womb. He now has toenails, fingernails, and real hair (or at least respectable peach fuzz). His skin is becoming soft and smooth as he plumps up in preparation for birth.