Waiting. . . .Waiting. . . .Waiting. . . . 38 weeks

Baby girl and I are 38 weeks today and still playing the waiting game. . . . As of our last appointment on Friday, midwife said I was to deliver over the weekend. She said I was ripe and ready. At our 38 week appointment today, this is still the case. We are to continue to play the waiting game. I am now just over 4cm dilated and practically 100% effaced. So we gained a cm of dilation and 10% effacement over the weekend. She is still surprised I am not having “contractions” or really feeling the contractions. I told her all I am really feeling is tightening and hardening of my belly which is uncomfortable but not painful. Her response was that MY uterus seems to be very strong and this "tightening" alone is allowing my cervix to dilate. . . . crazy! She said I have cut probably 12 hours off my labor just by my body responding this way. She has only seen this with first time moms a few times. Apparently my strong willed uterus is not a common thing. . . .ha! So with that being said, she knows she doesn’t have a crystal ball but she thinks that once my water breaks it will be a fast labor and delivery. She said the baby’s head at this point can’t get any lower without my water breaking and me going into full labor. We had a hard time getting her heartbeat on the Doppler because she is so far down. Her heart is almost covered by my pelvic bone. So we will wait and baby girl will come when she is ready. But if I make it to my next appointment next Tuesday, I will have to discuss with her about being admitted to the hospital and them breaking my water on purpose. She doesn’t want me walking around at 6-7cm dilated and full effacement because that could leave open the possibility of me having the baby at home. She thinks that it is going to happen that sudden for me. I wouldn’t want that and I am sure Johnathon doesn't either! Could you imagine Johnathon delivering a baby? Ummmm no. He would freak!! And I would freak!!

Well our saga continues. . . . We will continue to keep everyone posted with any updates.

Ripe Peach and Ready to Go. . . . 37 weeks!!

I'm a ripe peach and ready to go, alright. . . . No more counting down for me. I went into my 37th week appointment today and my midwife said I'm ready any day. This babe will probably come this weekend! I'm 3-4cm dilated and 80-90% effaced. I'm very uncomfortable, mild pain but not any sharp continuous contractions. My midwife continues to be amazed at how well my body has and still is adjusting at the pace it is. Today she continued to remind me that "most" first time mothers carry baby's to due date and beyond. I on the other hand will be 2-3 weeks early. I will chalk this up to me working as long and as hard as I did. I'm very proud of myself for working as long as I did, in such an intense fast paced environment. There were times when I literally was on my feet for 8 hours at a time. I am proud of my poor litte body for holding strong and having a healthy pregnancy. Now I just hope for a smooth delivery. I know it will be very painful but I just hope for no complications and a healthy baby. We are ready for her. Her nursery is complete, as you can see in the previous blog post of the pictures posted. Laundry done, house spring cleaned, new comfortable couch, dogs washed, hmmmmm what else can I say I have done in this last week. Johnathon and I have been working hard to get everything in order before baby girl comes because who knows when we will get the time to do it once she is here. It's nice to say I can actually now sit on my new couch, relax and not think of all the things I need to do.

Well I am not in much of a chit-chatty mood. Just wanted to update everyone with how we are progressing. Who knows maybe the next time you hear from us baby girl will have made her arrival. . . . I'll leave you with this picture and ask, "What is wrong with this picture?" Ouch!!!!

The Nursery!!!

The Nursery is pretty much complete!! All we have to do is add window treatments, but I wanted to share some pictures before I run out of time! Enjoy. . . .

Pop. . . .Pop. . . .Pop. . . .Pop. . . .36 weeks!!

 

I’m just going to cut to the chase with this blog update. My belly is popping out like a balloon!! It is huge. It should have its own moon orbiting around it. Babygirl and I are 36 weeks and ready to be done. . . .I am ready to have this weight off my body (my poor little feet hurt!) and babygirl is getting ready to enter this crazy world. We had our 36 ½ week checkup with the midwife this week. I walked in thinking it was going to be a no big deal routine check up like normal and walked out with a very different story. . . .kind of in a panic. My latest symptoms have been a lot of pressure in the downward position and it feels like babygirl is trying to “root” her way out of my body. The midwife examed me and said (and I quote) “You are ready to go, you are 2-3 centimeters.” My response, “what does that mean, dilated?” Of course it means dilated. . . .but when I start to panic I ask stupid questions. I am 2-3cm dilated and 80% effaced. My midwife said my cervix looks as if I have had a previous kid before, not normal for a first time mom! Just goes to show that every body is different and continues to show that this pregnancy of mine continues to amaze me. . . .how my body has learned to adapt. So with that being said, babygirl will most likely be entering this world in April. . . .probably in the next 10 days. My prediction of an early delivery date seems to be coming true. Not bad timing, since my last work day was Friday, April 12^th. I was just hoping to have a few weeks to settle down and get the house ready before a “tornado” hits. Hence why I walked out of my appointment in a panic! I still had laundry to do, get her room done, get her carseat cleaned and in my car, etc. . . . Now I have settled down and am enjoying every last milkshake I can before I pop this baby out. Once this baby comes out, I’m going to enter the dairy-free zone again.  The funny thing is, for the last week Johnathon has been bugging me to get my hospital bag packed, I can recount at least 4 times of him telling me to do it. If anyone knows me, they know I HATE packing. I would rather clean a dirty toilet than pack a bag. I kept telling Johnathon, “Ya I’ll do it honey.” When in the back of my mind I was thinking, I have time, I don’t need to do this today and kept putting it off. After my appointment I had to laugh because Johnathon was right, I really do need to pack my hospital bag. Now with that being said, a couple days have passed, and I feel less panic-ee now that my laundry is done (words from a true Newton)!!

Johnathon is developing a phone tree of some sort. That way everyone is aware of the happenings when it comes time. It’ll just be the two of us in the labor/delivery room. We don’t want a lot of commotion from family while everything is happening, especially since I am one that does not tolerate pain very well. I will be having an epidural if time permits. Babygirl will be delivered at my place of work, Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital. Johnathon and I haven’t decided on a name yet. But I’m really not too worried about it. She’ll get named eventually, when the right name comes to us. I’m hoping to only be in the hospital for a day, then home to get settled. We’ll take visitors once we are settled in. . . .this is going to be a big transition and change for John and I, I’m hoping we don’t get too overhwhelmed. If this kid is anything like me, she’ll be a rascal. Oh the joys of motherhood. . . .this pregnancy glow is starting to wear off. . . .

Until next week. . . . let’s see where this week will take us. . . .

Braxton Hick who. . . . 34 weeks

I have been told by a good friend to really think 4 weeks to go because 38 weeks is considered a term pregnancy. But I’m thinking 6 weeks to go sounds better as I feel I still have so much to do to get ready for Baby Girl. The thought of 4 weeks is a bit overwhelming. It’s all up to her when she wants to come, so it’s out of my hands. I’ll just do my best to be ready for her.  I have 2 weeks of work left until maternity leave. . . . .that means a total of 6 days! I can’t wait until that 6^th day. I actually had to run down the hall of our hospital floor the other day at work and I felt like my baby was going to come out. . . .not a fun feeling!

I unfortunately have discovered what Braxton Hick contractions are. For those that don’t know what they are, they are mild uterine contractions where the uterus is exercising and getting ready for the “big day.” For the most part they have been some mild discomfort and pressure in the belly region. But one day I thought I was going into preterm labor, the Braxton Hicks were so strong and painful. It was this radiating pain from the sides of my belly up to the top of the belly that lasted for a couple of minutes. . . . but the pains were completely irregular in frequency. This lasted for about 3 hours. . . .grrrrrrrr!!! Once again, not a fun feeling!

Baby and I had our 34 week check up this week. I have nothing bad to report back to the family. Baby and I are still growing as we should be. Measurements are good, baby heartbeat is still strong, and the midwife still says she’ll be somewhere between 6-7 lbs at birth. Her head has not dropped down into the birth canal yet but that is a good thing, we don’t want her coming until at least 37 weeks when her lungs are fully developed. Her head is still down and she likes to reside on my left side using her feet to kick my right side. She gets her little feet up in my right ribs and I have to massage her down. . . .not a good feeling! Are you catching onto my theme of this blog yet!?!? Oh how I long to take these 28 lbs off!!! It is hard and uncomfortable to carry this much extra weight around. I’ll be the first to say that I could NEVER be a surrogate for someone. . . sorry loved ones you can find someone else to carry extra weight around for you.

I don’t know if I have said this before. Our floor at work has a total of 7 pregnant nurses on it between the day and night shift. The nurses from the other floors say, “Don’t drink the water on 4North.” Really it’s just our floor has a good number of younger nurses on it. We are all mostly in our late 20’s early 30’s. So the 3 pregnant day shift nurses took a picture of their “bumps.” I am biased but I like my “bump” the best. In the back is Ruby she is 10 days behind me in gestation, then Hiwot in the middle is 6 weeks behind me in gestation, and then me! I’ll be the first to leave on maternity leave!! Woot woot!! I have the smallest "bump." (wink, wink)

 

 

Johnathon has been really helpful with the nursery. He painted the walls, put new flooring in and assembled the crib for baby girl. When I have the nursery all done or close to being finished I’ll post pictures to share. Until then, you’ll have to wait in anticipation!

30 Years of Maddness. . . .

I have officially turned 30 years of age. A big hip hip hooray! Johnathon took me on a weekend trip to South Lake Tahoe with some friends for my birthday weekend. We had a great time. I of course can't do much. But we went to a snow park and played in the snow. I watched other people sled down the bunny slopes and I made a small snow man. The weather was absolutely beautiful! I couldn't have asked for a more beautiful weekend in some fresh mountain air. It was nice to get away for a quick trip.

Am I having a stroke. . . .31 weeks

I am still counting down. 9 weeks to go! At 31 weeks baby girl’s height and weight hasn’t changed much but the big news is her brain has. Until now, the surface of her brain has been smooth. Now her brain is taking on the characteristic grooves and indentations (“fissures”). The wrinkles allow for an increased amount of brain tissue for baby to prepare for life outside of the womb and the street smarts she will need to deal with her crazy parents.  Connections between individual nerve cells are growing franticly and she should now be able to perceive information from all five senses. I know she is getting stronger as I feel her kicks, turns and stretches prominently. Now is her time to grow, grow, grow and grow.

I had an interesting event this week. I woke up in the middle of the night, after only sleeping for 2 hours and could not feel my arms. My arms were numb. I tried shaking them out and still couldn’t feel my arms. I was so exhausted and delirious from working a shift at the hospital that the only thing that could come to my mind was, “Am I having a stroke?” Now that I look back on it I can chuckle. Of course I wasn’t having a stroke; I am a 30 year old healthy pregnant female. It makes sense to me that that would come to mind as I work with stroke patients on my hospital floor. What ended being the case is that I was lying wrong in bed, cutting off the circulation to my brachial nerve. I can’t believe I really did think I was having a stroke. Numbness in arms and hands is just another pregnancy symptom to add to my list. I am sure there will be plenty more.

I had another OB appointment this last week. Baby girl and I are where we should be at this stage in development. My midwife said that baby girl will be somewhere between 6 ½ and 7 pounds. She said that I am a healthy small. She made the comment that it is almost unheard of for her to deliver babies in the 6 pound range. Most babies today are born in the 8 pound range. Just goes to show that women are either not starting their pregnancy at a healthy weight or are not taking care of themselves while pregnant and put anything they want in their mouths. It frustrates me. I have a real bone to pick with families that allow their children’s health to get so out of control that children develop diabetes. In journals I read it all stems back initially to the health of the pregnant mom and baby in womb for 9 months. Grrrr. . . . I could go on and on with that soap box but don’t want to ruin my blog with the negativities of society and my true opinion on children and diabetes.

What else can I report this week that has happened in our Muchow household. . . .Our roommate has finally moved out, so Johnathon and I can move forward with setting up a space for baby girl. I pretty much have everything I need for baby girl to arrive. I have been really diligent about getting hand-me-downs and stocking up on what I can over the last 7 months. There are just a few small last minute items I have to pick up but am waiting until I set up her room so I have a place to put everything. Diapers are the hot topic I am trying to decide on. . . . whether to go the Costco route and stock up on Costco diapers or just order them online with the convenience of having them shipped to our house with “no hassle necessary.” Hmmmmm. . . . decisions decisions.

Johnathon is doing really well in his student teaching phase of school. From what he tells me the kids at school have really grown on him. But really who wouldn’t. I know I am biased because he is my love but he really in all honesty is a personable guy. Who wouldn’t like and relate to him.

Time is a ticking. . . .29 weeks!!

Wow! 29 weeks. As I sat down to write this week, I found myself speechless. All I could think to write was, “Wow, I am 29 weeks.” This pregnancy seems to have gone by fast and it feels like it has really sped up in the last few weeks. After my baby shower I organized all the goodies I got and created a list of the last few items I need. Our roommate is planned to move out this next weekend! Which means.  .  .  .nursery nesting will begin! I’m so excited to get baby girl’s room put together. I feel very blessed that John and I have had enough help and support from family and friends that we haven’t had to spend too much money. Which is awesome because we are about to embark on a very expensive diaper journey. I have been doing my research and on average people spend around $70-80 per month on diapers and wipes alone. . . .oh boy, a diaper journey this will be. . .  Our rocker/glider is the last big ticket item we have been looking for. And I think I have narrowed it down to the one we want.  So we are chug-chug-chugging along.

Baby girl at 29 weeks is around 2 ½ pounds and 15 inches long from head to heel. She will probably only grow a couple more inches long and every week that goes by from here on out will gain ½ pound per week. Muscles and lungs are continuing to mature and baby girl’s head is growing bigger to make room for her big beautiful developing brain. I have increased my intake of protein for her brain development and my calcium intake for her growing bones. Her lungs are continuing to mature and will continue to mature until day of birth. She has to stay in my belly at least another 7 more weeks for her lungs to work on the outside world without any assistance. Poor little baby gets lots of hiccups in my belly. They say this is because her lungs are developing to live in the “outside” world. To me it feels like every time she is awake she is exercising her lungs and getting the hiccups. It is an interesting sensation. Feels like a rhythmic heart beat. I had Johnathon feel them one night because they were strong enough to move my belly up and down.

 

My poor sweet Johnathon last week randomly developed a red rash all over his body. I was about to leave for work and looked at him and saw a rash on his arm. Looking further it was everywhere.  .  .  .back, chest, legs, arms and feet.  I had him go to Urgent Care because I didn’t know what it was. I hadn’t changed my laundry detergent was my first thought. Second thought was he hadn’t eaten anything new and exciting. Being pregnant was my third thought and not to touch him. He’s been working with junior high school kids and who knows what he could have gotten exposed to.  The doctor at Urgent Care told him he was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic he was on (penicillin based). I honestly have to say I have never seen an allergic reaction that bad. I have only seen allergic reactions at the hospital where the rash was on the chest, back and neck, not any of the extremities. It was a good learning experience for the both of us. The rash has all cleared up with help from Benadryl and time. Johnathon now cannot take any penicillin based antibiotics or his adverse reaction could be worse next time he is exposed. 

 

One more week down. . . . 11 weeks to go!! Life is busy, busy, busy. . . .

More Baby Shower Pictures to Share

Third Trimester. . . .Can you believe 28 weeks!!!

Sorry for the delayed blog post. I unfortunately got sick last week and didn’t feel up to doing much of anything. The one thing I tried so hard not to get while pregnant was sick. I wear a mask at work when I go into patient’s rooms, I wash my hands to the point of them cracking and drying out and I stay out of certain “infected” rooms. With the HORRIBLE flu season going around, I guess it was bound to end up with me. I have to say I haven’t felt this sick in a long, long time. Complete head congestion, watery eyes, sore throat, chest congestion but NO fever thank goodness. A fever would not have been good for baby girl. So even though I felt miserable for 7 days, I feel very lucky that I never spiked a fever. The hardest part of being sick and pregnant is that I have to be very careful with what medications I put in my body. I would prefer not to put any “chemicals” in my body but I got to the point where I needed help with some relief. Tylenol, Sudafed and Robitussin became my friends. I still have nasal congestion and a cough but I feel ALIVE again!!

This week is a BIG week. It marks the start of my THIRD trimester. Can you believe it!?! We are going into the last third of this pregnancy. Where has the time gone? I have 12 weeks left to go. . . . yes only 12 weeks. I am a little bit speechless. I had my 28^th week appointment today and I am happy to say that baby girl and I are healthy, healthy, healthy. Baby girl’s head is in the downward position. So she is gearing up for her big day. So she may come a little early since her little head is already putting pressure in the “downward” region. We are measuring where we need to be, at 28 weeks. My midwife says that my belly should double in size in the next 2 months. I already feel big as it is, but she says that I am on the smaller size, so hopefully baby girl is a 6-7 lb baby. I’m getting excited to meet her! I can’t wait to see my brown eyed, brown haired baby girl!!

This Saturday I had the most special and memorable baby shower, hosted by my best buddy Summer and fabulous sister Monica. I was still feeling a little under the weather on Saturday but sucked it up because I knew it was a day I didn’t want to miss. We had a yummy fruit basket cake, chocolate fondue assortment and a collection of cheese and crackers. All my favorite treats! It was nice to have a group of our loved ones all in one room celebrating and supporting the arrival of baby girl. She got very spoiled and now has many, many baby goodies. I can tell that she is already adored as she got a few hand sewn/knitted/crocheted blankets and outfits.  It brings tears to my eyes that people in our family already are spending the time and energy to make baby girl warm, happy and comfortable.

 

 

 

I cut my hair!! I woke up one day, felt very pregnant and not very pretty. So I changed my look and cut my hair. I love it. My hair is lite and easy to manage. With  the pregnancy hormones circulating in my system, my hair is twice as thick than normal. I felt like my head was one big ball of frizz. Now. . . .I feel closer to normal and refreshed.

 

As I promised, here is a video of baby girl moving in my belly acting like an alien. There is my normal rhythmic breathing movement but once in a while the left side of my belly will look like its jumping. It's not the greatest video, you may need to watch it a couple of times to see her. . . .