Friday, July 25, 2014

37 Weeks

*sorry, no pic this week*

We made it to full term! Honestly, the past week and a half, I was beginning to doubt if we would even make it to 37 weeks, but here we are. Little Man is still snug as a bug in a rug in there.

At my doctor appointment Wednesday morning, we found out I have dilated to a 2 and am 50% effaced. Yay! Praise the Lord these contractions I've had EVERY day haven't been for nothing!

 We had another exciting false alarm that night---I started having contractions about 4 pm that afternoon and they were about 8 minutes apart. By 5:30 pm they had gone down to every 5-6 minutes and started getting more intense. By 7:00 pm, they were down to 2-3 minutes apart. We seriously thought, "this is it!" We got to the hospital around 8:45 pm and they checked me---still 2 cm. So they monitored me for the next 2 hours. (I asked if I could walk and my nurse said no, since I wasn't "technically term". *side rant*: I was going to be "technically term" in 3 HOURS. I personally thought this judgment call was ridiculous). Anyway, over those 2 hours, my contractions continued at 2-3 minutes apart and were very intense--I had some that the mountain peaks were going off the charts. She rechecks me after 2 hours and tells me I have had no change. She went to call the doctor that was on call and ask what he wanted me to do. About 11:30 pm, she comes in and tells me they are sending me home.

At this point, I was so frustrated and disappointed. How could my body be going through all of this and nothing progressed at all? Plus, at what point do I know when to come back to the hospital? I had been having contractions 2-3 minutes apart for over 4 HOURS. The nurse that came in at the end was so nice and told me that I had done the right thing in coming in--especially because it was important that they monitor Holt and make sure he was ok (which, he handled everything like a champ---proud mom moment). She told me to go home and do 3 things---eat and hydrate, rest, and take a warm bath. She told me to keep an eye on the contractions and if they continued or got stronger to go ahead and come back--that there was nothing wrong with getting rechecked. After she left the room, I burst into tears. I felt so helpless and confused and frustrated and disappointed. I had just KNOWN that this was it.

We made it back home a little after midnight. Daniel helped me into a warm bath and I still had them every 2-3 minutes. I was so exhausted I almost fell asleep in the tub, so I got out and decided to lay down and try to sleep some. I got in bed around 1 AM and actually slept til about 8 AM. I did wake up off and on during the night, and every time I did, my stomach was rock hard from a contraction.

My mom and my grandma were staying with us, which I was so thankful for. It is so nice to have that support system and they were with us through the whole hospital ordeal. They had planned to go back first thing Thursday morning, but after what happened they decided to stay with me while Daniel was at work. I am SO glad they did--otherwise I probably would've stayed home and cried all day--sometimes, you are still the 5-year old little girl who needs her mommy.

All of that to say, I am still pregnant. Which is fine because I know that God's timing is perfect and Holt will come when he is ready. But, boy. I so COMPLETELY understand now why the last month of pregnancy drags and why women say, "I am so ready to have this baby!"It is so crazy the physical and emotional toll that contracting takes on your body. And having been going through it for 10 days now, I feel like I am always exhausted.

For all you prayer warriors out there, please pray that when it's really time to have this baby, that my water would break. That way, I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is the real thing. It is so hard to play the guessing game every day and wonder, "Is this it? Do we go to the hospital?"Also, please pray for Daniel to be able to focus at work and not be distracted with worry about me. I know this has been tough on him as well. And lastly, for me, that the Lord would sustain me and give me patience as I wait and contract through these last days in pregnancy.

We are so ready to meet our little man!

How far along: 37 weeks
Stretch marks: None
Sleep: Still great. I feel so blessed in this area--it's pretty abnormal for a 37 week pregnant lady to sleep all through the night and only get up once to go to the bathroom.
Best moment this week: Having my mom and my grandma come up for a few days
Miss anything: Not really
Movement: I'm at the point that it looks like I have an alien in there!
Food cravings: I'm still loving watermelon. And PopTarts--I couldn't help but buy a box when I was at Walmart this week.
Food aversions: None
Labor signs: Um, yes.
Belly button in/out: In
Rings on/off: on
Happy/Moody: A little bit of both
Looking forward to: His arrival!
Baby development: He gains about half a pound a week from here on out and his lungs finish maturing.

Friday, July 18, 2014

Week 36

We are ready! All that's missing is our little man!

Well, it has been an interesting week to say the least! Breaking news this week: we had quite the exciting false alarm this past Wednesday! My mom was in town for a few days to help me finish up the nursery (all we have left is hanging the curtains--which is a 2-person job since the window is so huge. So, we are just waiting until my dad can get up here to help) and we are both so glad she was here! We met Daniel for lunch on Wednesday and as soon as he left to go back to work, around 1 pm, I started having contractions. Nothing too crazy, but they were consistently 6-7 minutes apart. We walked around the mall for a while, timing them, and then decided to head back to the house to work in the nursery some more. At 4:00 PM, I called my doctor's office to see what I should do (since I had now been consistently contracting every 5-8 minutes for 3 hours) and they recommended I go up to Labor and Delivery and get checked out. So, I called the hubs, told him not to stress (yeah right) but that when he got home from work we were gonna head to the hospital. While waiting for him, mom helped me clean the kitchen and then I decided I wanted to go for a walk---by this point, I've made up my mind that I'm A-ok with having this baby tonight and I need to do whatever I can to help this move along!

About 5:00 PM or so, mom and I start walking up and down my street. Well, THAT gets those contractions going. I'm talking every 2-3 minutes and definitely picking up in intensity. Daniel gets home, changes clothes and gets Sophie to join us on our walk. About 6:00 PM, we decide we should probably head inside, eat something, pack the hospital bags (just in case I've made great progress and we get to stay!) and then head to Labor and Delivery. We arrive at the hospital about 7:00 PM. At this point I have been contracting for 6 hours VERY consistently. They check me in, and of course the equipment starts acting all wonky. Not to mention, little man won't stop moving around so they can't get a good read on his heartbeat. FINALLY, everything starts working and the nurse checks me.

"You're dialted to a 1," she says.

I'm sorry. Excuse me? You mean to tell me my body has been working this hard for 6 hours and I'm just a measly 1? RUDE.

She leaves and they continue to monitor me for the better part of an hour and a half. Boy, there were a couple of doozies of contractions in there to say the least. She comes back and re-checks me---still a 1.

Dang it!

So, they send me home, saying if my water breaks or they get stronger or closer together to come back. Yeah, Yeah, Ok.

We head back home, I STILL have contractions every 5-8 minutes until midnight. At this point I have been contracting for 11 hours. Yes, you read that right. ELEVEN. I am utterly exhausted and decide I need to sleep. We go to bed and I am able to sleep like a rock (praise the Lord).  I only woke up with an intense contraction 2 times all night and they were very far apart.

I wake up Thursday morning about 9 AM and have contractions every 4-5 minutes for about 2 hours. And then, all of a sudden, they start spacing out until they just stop about 1:00 PM. *sigh*.

Now, I realize I am only 36 weeks pregnant and that it's ok if he cooks in there a bit longer. But I'll be honest, I was really disappointed that he didn't come Wednesday night. I was focused and had myself psyched up and ready to tackle this whole labor and delivery thing and bring him into this world. Not to mention, we were SO incredibly excited to possibly meet our son! So we will just keep waiting! I think chances are pretty good that he will be a July baby :)

Oh, and before I forget, in case you didn't see it on social media, here is a sneak peek of his nursery:



I'm so excited to reveal the whole room! Once the curtains are done, I'll do a post :)

How far along: 36 weeks
Stretch marks: Nope! 
Sleep: Really good. STILL. When I wake up to go to the bathroom, my ribs on the side I've been laying on are SUPER sore, so I typically flip over at this point and snooze the rest of the night. 
Best moment this week: Getting the nursery done! (And it was really fun when we thought we were going to meet our son).
Miss anything: Not having a ball for a stomach. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE being pregnant, but I completely understand when women say they get to a point where it feels like you'll be pregnant forever. I feel like I'll never have a regular stomach again. 
Movement: Oh yeah. Pretty sure he practices karate and kickboxing in there. 
Food cravings: Watermelon! I can't seem to get enough of it. 
Food aversions: None
Labor signs: Um, have you read this post?
Belly button in/out: In
Rings on/off: On (thanks in large part to how cool and mild this summer has been)
Looking forward to: His arrival!!
Development this week: Basically from this point on, all he will be doing is gaining weight and his lungs will continue to develop.


Friday, July 4, 2014

34 Weeks



Can I just say, if there was ever a summer to be pregnant, it's this one! Thank you Lord for such a mild summer! It feels more like September instead of July--no complaints from this preggo!

My sister and her hubby officially moved up to Fayetteville this week! We are so excited that they are so close and the four of us are already planning the fun things we will do. My mom came up for a couple of days and she and I helped them unpack some on Wednesday--moving is such a chore. Having done it 4 times in 4 years, I would like to think I've learned some tricks of the trade--and man am I thrilled I don't have another move anytime soon in my future!

In other news, we had another doctor appointment on Thursday (the day I turned 34 weeks). My mom was in town so she got to go with us and we had another ultrasound done! The BIGGEST news we received is that Holt turned head down---Hallelujah! I know without a doubt that he turned on Wednesday because from about 4 pm-7:30 pm I had Braxton-Hicks contractions every 20 minutes. And he was extremely active during that time as well. CRAZY! We are just praising the Lord for this wonderful news. ANOTHER piece of big news we received is that we've got quite a big boy cookin' in there---the ultrasound estimated he weighs 5 lbs. 14 oz., which is 2 weeks ahead of schedule! Now, it's not a 100% accurate calculation--more than likely he is around 5 1/2 lbs at this point. However, talking with my doctor afterwards, he said that knowing he is a bigger baby, he wants to start stripping my membranes at 37 weeks to help me go into labor on my own and hopefully deliver him no later than 39 weeks. (A little TMI, but for those who don't know what "stripping the membranes" means--he's going to remove part of the lining around my cervix every time I see him from 37 weeks on to hopefully help it dilate and thin out and accelerate going into labor on my own). TALK ABOUT A FREAK OUT MOMENT!! My doctor just told me it is EXTREMELY likely that I will have this baby before July is over. WHOA. I turn 37 weeks pregnant on July 24th---so from that point on, anytime could be baby time! Also, knowing that I had consistent contractions the day before and he's head down and a little bigger than average, I'm going to start seeing my doctor weekly--I go back next Monday.

Needless to say, I've kind of gone into beast planning mode. Time to get it together and get organized cause it won't be long now before we have a little person in our house! Daniel and I are both really excited and looking forward to the birth of our child--it's just starting to feel so REAL. Our lives are never going to be the same (in a really good way). We will no longer have spontaneous date nights or have as much quality alone time as we are used to. We will no longer sit around, bored, wondering what we should do together. Instead, we will have a tiny human being we are responsible for--taking care of him and meeting his needs around the clock. Is it scary? Um, yeah. But, we know without a doubt that we are ready and can't wait to meet this little person!


I'll leave you with a look at the cutest human being on this planet :)


How far along: 34 weeks
Stretch marks: Nada
Sleep: Honestly, I have slept like a rock this week. It's been pretty wonderful.
Best moment this week: The ultrasound!
Miss anything: Nothing I can think of this week
Movement: Now that he is head down, it's a different kind of movement. Definitely feeling him more up in my ribs and my belly dances a lot more!
Food cravings: SPICY. Our Chick-fil-A opened back up this week (PTL) so I HAD to have a spicy chicken sandwich with extra pickles. Plus, I've had Mexican food at least twice this week.
Food aversions: None
Labor signs: Braxton-Hicks contractions
Belly button in/out: In
Rings on/off: On
Looking forward to: Putting together the hospital bag, getting the stroller in, and organizing the nursery!
Baby development this week: Well, he weighs over 5 lbs--about the size of a honeydew. His fingernails are completely grown, he is continuing to put on baby fat, and his lungs are continuing to mature and develop.