Blog? Sure! Why not?

Let's see... it's closing in on 4 AM, and I'm sitting here, wide awake, timing contractions. 

Am I in labor?  I sure as heck hope so.

Thursday evening I started to get some pretty regular contractions.  They were 7-8 minutes apart and not painful- just annoying.  The contractions woke me up a few times in the middle of the night, but they were totally bearable.

Friday morning, I had the lovely uhhh... "show" we'll call it (soooooo gross).  The contractions were still coming but again, just braxton hicks.

I brought the kids over to my parents house for a bit and my mom looked at me and said, "You're in labor.  I can see it in your face.  You are either in labor now or you're going into labor very soon."

As the afternoon wore on, the contractions stayed about the same.  But I was starting to pay close attention to them because they had been coming now for almost 24 hours.  I timed them for an hour and realized they were closer to about 6-7 minutes apart.  I figured there would be no harm in calling my doc to just let them know/ ask them what to do next...

The midwife said the contractions needed to be 5 minutes apart for one hour, before I could go up to labor and delivery.  She gave instructions to drink, rest and relax...

What did I do?  Went out for Mexican food.  HA! :)

Shortly after dinner (around 8 or so) I noticed a kick up in contractions.  I googled one of those "contraction timer" things and found a free one.  After an hour, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my contractions were between 5-7 minutes.    I thought, "YAY!  I can finally go up to L&D!" 

My mom came over, and Ryan and I left around 10ish.  Once in labor and delivery, they triaged me- decided I was still at 2 cm (same as yesterday) and monitored me for a couple of hours.

My contractions started to come harder and faster.  They were about 4 minutes apart and definitely uncomfortable.  Unfortunately, they weren't doing anything to my cervix.  Around midnight, they checked me again and gave me the sad news that I was going to have to go home and wait it out.

We got home around 12:30/1.  I took a bath, some tylenol and tried to sleep.  I've slept in little spurts, but I think I'm up for the long haul now.

The contractions are coming every 4 minutes and are pretty painful.

I'm writing this blog entry in between contractions- timing them on the contraction timer thing- and praying that my water breaks so I can go back up to L&D.

I think its safe to say I'm in labor.  Now the big question is, when do I go to the hospital??? 

I've always been induced- meaning, I've been at the hospital from 1 cm-10 cm.  I've never had to worry about my contractions being strong enough to be admitted. 

I'm in this holding pattern right now or something.  I'm waiting either for my water to break (PLEASE GOD!) or my contractions to get completely unbearable, I guess.

And I hate those stupid pain scales they make you do... but on a scale of 1-10, I'd say I'm at a 5ish.  I'm feeling okay in between contractions, but during the actual contraction, I'm definitely breathing through them, and in a good amount of pain. 

This is labor, right???  I really, really hope so.

I will keep updating as I can! :)

Any thoughts or prayers would be soooo appreciated! 

COME ON BABBBBYYYY!!!!!

39. 3 Week Appt!

This is the most preggo I've ever been! 

I've been induced right at 39 weeks with both kids, so this is all uncharted territory.   I have to say, its kind of exciting! 

I had my 39 week appointment today and here are the stats:

-I've gained 38 lbs total... YUCCCCCCKKKK
-BP is good (118/80)
-I am dilated to a TWO and 75% effaced (YAY!)
-the belly is measuring right at 40 weeks...
-midwife is guessing the baby's actual size to be between 7.5-8.5.  She said she'd be shocked if girly was over 9 lbs.  (thank GOD)... but she also laughed and said "this isn't a 6 lb baby, that's for sure!" 
-my next appointment is on Tuesday- which is my due date.  The midwife said we'll go from there (induction or no induction), taking into consideration the size of the baby and how I'm feeling...

My fear of pushing out a giant baby is still there... but I have a lot more confidence than I had going in with Henry.  That bub was almost 9 lbs and he was so much easier to deliver than Maeve was!  I keep telling myself there's a good chance this baby girl is under 8 lbs. 7oz, therefore, it should be a breeze!  (well, kind of ;)

Everything is absolutely ALL set and ready.  The bassinet is set up, the carseat is set up (not in the car though because I am not crawling in the back to buckle Maeve in with this giant stomach).  My bags are packed, as are the kids' bags.  I do need to pick up some of those colgate wisps- instead of packing my tooth brush and toothpaste, I'm going to get a 4 pack of wisps... much easier :)

I do have a bit of a story to tell you all;  While in the waiting room this morning, a mom came in with 3 kids.  Two of them were older, probably 6 and 8?  And then she had a newborn baby girl.  I watched them while I was waiting to be seen, and this resulted in a mini panic attack.  These kids were significantly older than mine, and it was still chaotic with three.  The little girl (who was 6ish I'm guessing) needed to go potty, but didn't want to go by herself, and her older brother didn't want to move from his seat. Which meant the mom had to bring her and the newborn (in the carrier) to the back to use the bathroom.  When they got back, the little girl wanted the baby to wake up, so she started tickling her feet, poking at her, etc.  The mom was begging her to stop- obviously wanting the baby to stay asleep- but after a few minutes of poking the babe was up and screaming. 

I substituted Maeve in for the 8 year old and Henry in for the 6 year old, and that's when my panic attack started.  It's not even plausible to think that I could take Maeve to use the bathroom without some kind of help.  As of now, when we go to the potty, it takes all of me to keep Henry off the floor and Maeve on task.  It's a big event to go to the bathroom- Maeve likes to touch everything and take her sweeeeet time, and Henry is head butting me to get down.  Throw in a newborn, and well... bring on the panic attack. 

Or just the simple task of getting out of the car.  Yep, Henry walks just fine- but he does need help unbuckling (obviously) and getting out of the car.  Right now, I carry him everywhere, because if I were to set him down he'd be across the parking lot in a second.  Maeve listens great and is very good about holding hands and walking with me.  But I have to figure out a way to transport Henry and the newborn from the car to our destination... hmmm...

Besides being completely scared out of my mind that my kids are going to revolt against me and swallow me whole, I am SO excited to meet this baby girl.  I can't wait to see her face and have those precious night time feedings :)

So.... baby girl?  You can come now please... PLEASE!

Friday Night Leftovers

• 37 week appointment this morning :)  Here are the stats:

            -baby is head down and very high...
            - dilated to 1 cm (BOOOOO)
            - measuring big (surprise surprise)... not sure how many weeks ahead
            - group B strep test was done (will know results next week)
            - I have a UTI...
            -apparently, I have a LOT of fluid in my belly- not a lot of baby... which makes me very happy.

• we have to take a hospital tour at some point here- its required because I haven't delivered at this hospital.  Although I'm not sure what would happen if I were to go into labor, and hadn't toured L&D- its not like they'd send me away and say "sorry you haven't taken your tour yet.  We can't deliver you."

• I am SO happy with my decision to go with the midwives.  I did meet a great doctor on the "doctor side" of the practice, but the midwife I saw today was awwwwesome.  Super friendly- and we laughed our way through most of the appointment, which was really nice.  I meet another midwife next week and I'm hoping she'll be as great as the one I saw today.

• Here's a conversation heard this morning:   Henry was crying...

                      I asked Maeve, "Maeve why is your brother crying?" 
                      Maeve:  "I hit him on the head."
                      Me:  "Was it an accident?"
                      Maeve:  "No."
                      Me:  "Did you say you're sorry?"
                      Maeve:  "No.  I'm not sorry."
        
           nice huh?  I swear my kids really do love each other ;)

• So uhhh, I don't really want to go through labor again... too late to back out?  ha :) 
• My sister (Meghan) is coming to town this weekend... I'm hoping there are lots of good meals in my immediate future ;)

• I need a good book to read!  Any suggestions???  :)  PLEASE??? 

                           
Gosh I think that's all I have for this week!  It's slow around here... just a huge waiting game ;)

36ish/37ish weeks!

I'm right in the middle of week 36 and I hate to say that I'm only 36 weeks along- because really, dang it- I'm 36 weeks and 3 days!  And at this point, I'm counting down every minute of this pregnancy!




I was doing sooooo well with weekly updates on the baby lobster.  With the move and all, things went a little haywire and I slacked big time :(...



Anyways at 36 weeks and 3 days pregnant I am....

• very uncomfortable.  My back hurts, my legs hurt, my feet hurt, my neck hurts, etc.  I have acid reflux soooo badly.  I had this with Henry too- not so much with Maeve- and if I can recall, it just gets worse and worse until delivery. 
• I called my OB office today and requested to see the midwives... which is a little bittersweet.  I met one doctor that I absolutely loved, and another doctor that scared the beeeeez out of me.  Apparently by me making a "formal request" for a midwife, that means a midwife will deliver me.  I really don't care who delivers me (except for the scary doctor I saw last week) I just want to have my appointments with some friendly midwives.  :)
• eating is getting hard... no worries though- I'm pulling through ;)  Really though, between the acid reflux and the limited amount of space, not much is appealing.  I've been eating a LOT of yogurt, lemonade, plain noodles, cheese, cheese and more cheese.  
• omggggg the braxton hicks!  If this were my first, I'd be in the hospital every day saying I was in labor.  Now that I'm practically a rabbit (pregnant with my 3rd child), I know the difference between a real labor contraction and a "fake" one.  
• Since induction is not an option until 42 weeks (ahem... yeah) I had to fill out some paperwork for the hospital- (assuming that I would be like any other normal preggo, and go into labor on my own at some point...) it would be helpful to have my paperwork already filled out, rather than filling out in the middle of labor.  Anyways there was a section about the good ol' epidural... (already filling out a consent form for one?!?)  I did consent to it... but my mind is going back and forth about whether to request it or not.  You see, with Maeve, I got an epidural around 6 cm- it didn't work- it numbed half of my body, which ended up being more painful than having contractions on both sides, so they took it out.  I begged and pleaded and I'm not really sure how it all worked out, but somehow I got another one reinserted- this one did work- but I wasn't pushing so they turned it off :/ ... I like to say that I basically did Maeve's labor naturally about 90% of the time (and her labor was 22 hours).  And it sucked. SO BAD. SOOOOO BAD DID IT SUCK.  I can hardly remember any of it.  In fact, the first memories I have of her after the birth, was telling my mom to take her because I was too weak to hold her.  It definitely wasn't how I had imagined it to be.  With Henry, I was on the fence with an epidural because it hadn't worked last time... but at that magical 5/6 cm mark, things started to get bad and I was thankful I had filled out the consent form for one.  Henry's epi worked GREAT.  It worked within a few minutes of the doc putting it in and it covered my pain until it was time to push.  I can clearly remember Henry's birth- heck, I ordered food 20 minutes after having him.  So I've got these two wars going on in my head- one side- the epidural might not work and I don't really want to go through that again... and on the other side- it just may work, and I could have a "nice" delivery?  I don't know... does any of that even make sense??   Probably not :/
•  Two  pregnancy "moments" to remember from this week:  - Ryan sent me to the grocery store for dinner and I came back with a dozen donuts.  I didn't think anything of it until I walked in the house and had my hungry husband and two kids staring back at me... whoops :/.  Another "moment" happened last night- I woke up around 1 am to a growling stomach, so naturally, I ate the entire box (I'm not exaggerating) of Cheerios.  I fell back asleep around 1:45ish or so, and woke around 4 to more stomach growling... I ate half a box of ritz crackers.  I'm blaming the late night munchies on not having an appetite for most of the day??  I don't know... I gross myself out ;)
• Maeve tells me (almost) every morning "Mama!  Look at you!  You're grown up today!"  I'm not sure what this means exactly- I think she's shocked at how big I am, each and every morning?
• Speaking of growing... I've gained about 30 lbs so far... exactly like I did with Maeve.  Crazy huh?  Henry I gained like 5000 or something crazy like that... The girls apparently don't pack it on like the boy did.  ;)   
• My 37 week appt. is Friday... with a midwife!  Group B Strep & getting checked for any progress (or lack of progress)... 

OH!  And a huge shout out of GOOD LUCK AND FAST, HEALTHY LABOR VIBES are being sent to JULIE!!!!  I will be glued to my phone all day tomorrow- I cannot wait to find out if that's a boy or girl that's been baking in there!!! :)  YAYAYAYAY!!!!!!!!

the girl who cried labor.

Yup, that's me- my hand is raised! You'd think after already going through it once I'd KNOW what labor feels like. Granted, I DID restrain myself from going in last night, but still- I had my mom on alert, my poor husband freaking out- packing, cleaning and pacing... it was sad waking up this morning still preggo.

I got my membranes stripped yesterday and felt funny immediately- by "funny" I mean crampy, loss of appetite, just weird feeling. I didn't say anything to anyone for a few hours- but after having a good solid 2 hours of contractions 5-7 minutes apart I called Ryan and told him to "KEEP THE PHONE ON!" Unfortunately Ryan has class on Tuesday nights and with the contractions keeping up I told him I felt uncomfortable being at home by myself. So he ran out to JCC, turned in his homework and told his teacher I was in labor (good Lord). We ate some dinner (I still was feeling sick to my stomach) and put Maeve down. Then we started seriously timing my contractions- they were lasting a minute and coming anywhere from 4-7 minutes apart. This lasted until I finally fell asleep (around 11 or so?). I definitely did not want to go into L&D just to be sent home, so I stuck it out and I'm glad I did. I woke up a few times during the night with some painful contractions, but nothing that lasted long enough to keep me up and really get my attention. This morning the contrax. were back but after getting up and eating breakfast they've slowly disappeared. How frustrating :(

Luckily I'm feeling really good lately. I have that extra burst of energy that often comes with the end of pregnancy. I've been on the go and cleaning a TON. It feels good to have a really, really clean house! And believe it or not, I am actually hoping to make it to Monday- a few weeks ago, I would've given anything to go into spontaneous labor... but next week seems to be a perfect week to have a baby. My sister will be home from Kansas to visit, Ryan will be off of work all week, as will my mom- so Monday is feeling pretty golden.

I will continue to update... but if I "cry" labor again don't get too alarmed... apparently I'm not such a good judge of it!

EVICTION NOTICE!!!!

First off, I am really stinking at the whole "1 post/day" thing. Sorry.

SECONDLY, I just had my 38/39 week appt. and I am now dilated to THREE cm!!! And 80% effaced... we talked about the induction a bit. As you all know I was induced with Maeve and it was a horrible, LONG labor. So I am definitely starting to have some reservations about doing it again. I was SO SO SO hoping I could start laboring on my own but it looks like that isn't going to happen anytime soon. Fortunately, my Bishop score (a system that rates how favorable you are for induction) gave me a score of a 7-8 (out of 10). When I was induced with Maeve I was barely at a 3. My midwife really thinks it will be easier this time around- she said my body is totally ready for it, versus last time when it was being forced.

After all was said and done, we set the official date... November 23rd, this baby is being EVICTED!!! Laura (my midwife) had told me last week that Nov. 23rd looked like it would be the day, but we confirmed it with Dr.P and he gave me the official go ahead. I am nervous already! OMG-5 days until baby is here!

As for the details of the rest of my appointment, it was all pretty standard. Baby is estimated to be around 7 lbs (HOOOORAH- not the 8-9 lb. baby that I was originally estimated to have- AND, Laura predicted Maeve's weight to be around 6 & a half lbs.- she came out 6-8. SO I am really hopeful that again, Laura is right on!) My urine is good, BP was a tad high but nothing to worry about... I'm measuring at FORTY weeks... baby's head is so low I think I might sneeze him out (it's really the most bizarre feeling to have the doc push on the baby's head!). Lets see... Oh I got my membranes stripped AGAIN... it was a tad more uncomfy this time around. And I was instructed to walk,walk,walk and to use my breast pump. I guess using your breast pump makes your body release oxytocin- a derivative of pitocin- what they give you to induce labor. Unfortunately, I threw my breast pump out because it got so gross. Guess what we're going to Target for tonight??? :)

I think that about sums up my LAST OB visit. WOW. Now I have 5 LONG days of waiting. In the meantime, this baby better be packing up and headin' south- because he is SOOOOO being evicted!!!! :)

I'm Baaaaack!

GOSH it stinks when the internet is down!!! Especially when you're so close to having a baby! I had about 300000 messages on facebook asking me if I had delivered the babe. How depressing to write back and say "NO I'm still preggo." Anyways, my lack of posting was definitely due to having NO internet. Comcast just came and hooked us back up. I usually try and stay off the computer when Maeve is up and about, but I just HAD to check in- so she's sitting in the high chair with some gold fish and banana... hopefully that will keep her occupied long enough for me to respond to everyone!

I DO have some news on the baby front though- Wed. night I was sitting on the couch and without getting too gross, a giant wet spot (about the size of a tennis ball?) appeared on my underwear. Hmmmm! I was thrilled- totally thinking it was my water. So I called L&D and spoke to a nurse who was less than pleasant. She told me that it most definitely not my water- that if it were my water, I'd have a big gush and be soaking through everything. Okaaayyy... right lady- that's why I've heard a billion stories of LEAKING fluid. At my doctors appointments, my doctor asks, "Have you had any leakage of fluids?" Not "Have you had any gushes of fluids." I took her advice and chucked it out the window... I called my midwife- she said the L&D nurse was full of crap (well she used another word... :) and to get my butt up there. So around 8:30 or so, my dad came over to watch Maeve (who was in bed, thank goodness) and we headed up to L&D.

OF COURSE- having the luck I do, I got the same dumb nurse I had spoken to on the phone. I can't tell you how many times she made it clear to me that it wasn't my water that was leaking. At one point I actually said "Okay- that's fine if its not my water, I just want to make sure because at this point if by chance it IS my water, I am running the risk of infection." That shut her up.

After a TON of poking and prodding (DOWN THERE...) they got a sample of the mystery "fluid" I was leaking. Then they wanted to get a baseline on the baby and my contractions so they hooked me up to the monitors- UGH- I forgot how uncomfortable those things are! An hour later, the evil nurse came back and told me she was right (I think I wanted it to be my water more for the sake of causing her some humility than me even having the baby that night). BUT my contractions were coming 5-6 minutes apart and they needed to keep me and check for change in a couple of hours. UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! So we settled in for a LONG night. And it was just that- a LONG night. Ryan somehow slept on the chair, I couldn't sleep at all- I kept trying to find comfy positions but every time I'd move the baby would go off the monitor and the alarms would go off. I was kind of stuck in one uncomfy position. Around 2 or so the nurse came back in to check me- she made the conclusion that I had not progressed enough to be considered in labor. Whatever- I didn't even care at that point... I just wanted to go HOME and go to sleeeeep!

Anyways, we're back at home now... turkey is still cookin. I am doing well- someone told me I looked miserable the other day and I snapped back "oh that's funny, I don't feel miserable at all! I'm actually feeling pretty good." And that's the truth- I don't feel miserable at the moment- I have a day that this will be done and we're trying the membrane stripping again on Tuesday... and since it produced such strong contractions for me this past week, I'm holding onto some hope that it might just kick me into labor this week. We'll see. I will keep you updated- pending that my internet doesn't take a dive again...

My first REALLY great appt!

This is the first time I've left the doc this time BEAMING. Remember, I didn't get a traditional ultrasound- mine was in the ER so I didn't get that GREAT moment of seeing my baby for the first time. And almost every appointment I've either been sent to the lab for blood work or have been told some sort of scary/bad news. TODAY things turned completely around & I feel fantastic!

My BP was PERFECT & so was my urine! So strange since I've been spilling a good amount of protien for a few weeks now but today not a trace! THEN the big moment came to be checked for cervical progress. I had myself geared up to hear "your cervix is shut and hard." Instead.... I am 2- ALMOST 3 cm. dilated and 70% effaced. She said by the feel of my cervix labor could be anytime! SO she stripped my membranes (not nearly as bad as I thought it would be!) I did bleed a bit but she said that was fine and actually a good sign that the separating of the membranes from my cervix worked. I already had an ear to ear grin as I was getting ready to schedule my next appointment, but then my day got even better; Laura told me that Dr.P is on call Nov.23rd and she would put me in the books to be induced ON that day unless labor starts before then. SO I can see the light at the end of the tunnel- I WILL NOT GO PAST Nov.23rd!!!! AND God-willing, everything goes okay, she said I should be out within 48 hours- home in plenty of time for Thanksgiving dinner!!!! I am just thrilled. I thought for sure I'd be stuck in the nasty hospital for Thanksgiving but with me down in the books for the 23rd, I'm pretty much guaranteed to be out!!! :) I am sooooo excited!!!

Now, what could make this day even better is if the whole membrane stripping thing actually works and I go into labor tonight! :) So far, not much... I've had a few contractions but that's normal... so we'll see!

36/37 week appt.

Well... weird stuff going on here. Hallelujah- I lost 4 lbs. YEA!!! I know all the weight fluctuation is just water but its still fun to see the scale go DOWN for a change! We talked a lot about my headaches and weird vision things that are going on... and then the doc checked my reflexes. My legs SHOT up off of the table. So he checked them probably 5 more times, and each time they did the same thing. I wasn't sure what was going on because the whole time he was checking them he didn't say a word. Finally he said "your reflexes are a little hyper." I still have no clue what that means (I'm about to google it :) . I am 37 weeks- lets get this baby OUT.
I declined getting my cervix checked even though I've been having a TON of contractions AND I had some pink spotting over the past few days... I was just worried I'd be like a half a centimeter and my cervix would still be hard- I know I'd be so discouraged. So we'll have a cervical check next week.

After my appointment I waddled down to the lab to get my blood work done. Now, this is probably the 20th time during this pregnancy that I've had blood taken. But like I said, weird things are happening- this time when she pulled the needle out my blood literally started SPEWING out- it was disgusting!!! The lab tech put the cotton ball on and then made me sit there for 15 minutes because it would NOT quit bleeding! I have never in my life had that happen to me. Yuck- it was gross and kind of scary.

We'll see what my blood work yields- I'll keep you all updated!

Taking The Challenge.

I think I might have read this either on Nicole B.s blog or Leslie C.s...can't remember! Anyways I guess November is National Blogging month, and the challenge at hand is to blog once a day- 30 days, 30 blog posts. Not a big deal, except a baby is going to be arriving very shortly. We'll see how long I can keep it up :) I think it will actually be a good thing to take time out of the day to blog about all my crazy post partum feelings and hormones!

So I guess this is today's post :) But I thought I would also let you in on a preggo update- I have a UTI :( This marks the 3rd one for me during this pregnancy- one each trimester. YUCK- I hate them- they're painful and suuuper uncomfortable. But I am SO CLOSE to delivering this bubba- I'm trying not to wallow in my current ginormous, gross, uncomfortable state.

I have my 36/37 week appt. on Wed. I'm hoping this baby has decided to take it easy on the growing- every time I hear the words "this is going to be a good sized baby" I kind of cringe, thinking of how hard it was to push Maeve out.

That should do it for today... stay tuned for tomorrow's riveting post!

sighhhh,,,,35/36 week appt.

Today I had another appt.- this time it was with Dr.P. I like Dr.P- he's nice enough. And I really think he knows what he's doing... but would it kill the guy to sit down for 5 minutes and TALK to his patient????? I swear- every time I see him I feel like an idiot because he's half way out the door while I'm asking a question. It's really starting to irritate me.

Here are some appt. stats:
weight is.... LEVELING OFF! haha- that's how the nurse put it :)
BP- good 112/72
urine- spilling some protien but okay
measuring at 37 weeks
doc. estimates the size of the baby to be around 6.5 lbs. GOOD GOD.
heartbeat in the 140s's (baby's not mine)

-overall things are looking good- turkey boy's size is a little alarming & they're going to "keep an eye" on that.

I am so incredibly embarrassed- I had a mini tear fest in front of the dang doctor today. I started to explain how Maeve was 6 lbs. 9 oz. when she was born and that I am terrified to deliver such a big baby (cue the tears about now) and blah blah blah. And he proceeds to tell me that he won't schedule a c-section... if you're confused by reading that, you're not alone- I think I looked up from my tear streaked face like, "What the heck are you talking about?" I am pretty sure I never mentioned a c-section nor did I ask for one- I just wanted to know what he was planning on doing about this GIANT baby (i.e. early induction????? another u/s closer to the due date to see what we're really working with?). I felt like such an idiot- I was fumbling to get the words out that "no I don't want a c-section- I-" but was cut off again- as ONE FOOT WAS OUT THE DOOR (I SWEAR- literally he had the door open and one foot out) he said "well at 37 weeks we'll see how your cervix is and get a game plan then okay?"

Maybe I'm used to sitting down with the midwives and having a nice, relaxed appointment- or my GP- Dr.Bigelow- he'll answer ANY and ALL questions for me while sitting and looking me in the eye... not acting like he has better things to do. But really, is this the norm??? Are all male OB's such jerks??? I swear if I weren't 35 weeks along I'd transfer to U of M... I am sick to death of leaving my appointments upset and embarrassed.

Thanks for listening to my vent :)

Encouragement From an Unlikely Source.

After chowing down on fiesta lime chicken at Applebees, I ran into Walmart to grab a magazine that I could read in the bath tonight. Of course the issue with Kendra Wilkinson, very pregnant, caught my eye; Especially when the cover said that she revealed how much pregnancy weight she's gained. I am not a fan of Kendra's or any of "The Girls Next Door." I actually find the show to be pretty disgusting (sorry to anyone who's a big fan of the show or the girls!). But anything pregnancy related at this point is of great interest to me.

I can't tell you how discouraged I've felt during this pregnancy. I feel like SUCH a complainer talking about it and blogging about it over and over again... but really, this is what is going through my brain now a days. My weight, my stretch marks, my cracked and bleeding belly, my horrible acne (thank you pregnancy hormones)... and well, I could go on for awhile, but I'm sure you get the picture. I keep telling myself this will be over and I'll have my old body back (like it was so great to begin with! :) But to tell you the truth, I am petrified that this weight is going to stick around and my stretch marks won't fade like they did last time and I'm going to end up just giving in-, wearing sweatpants and sporting a greasy pony tail. And in the grand scheme of things I KNOW, I KNOW I KNOW, that none of this is very important, but I'm sure all of you ladies can relate to just wanting to FEEL good in your skin. I'm not asking to weigh 105 lbs. again (BTW that was pre- MAEVE- NOT pre-turkey boy!) I'm willing to compromise -a healthy weight that I FEEL good about is all I'm asking for.

Okay, with all that said, I read the article all about Kendra's pregnancy and felt instantly inspired. First off, she has gained EXACTLY how much weight I've gained (well I've gained 5 lbs. more BUT I am also 2 months ahead of her). The bulk of the article was about her feeling beautiful- it also talked about her plans to lose the baby weight after the birth. I was so inspired! WOW- I am not the only pregnant woman that puts on more than the allotted 25 lbs! After I got out of the bath I told Ryan all about her (I started the conversation out with "Hey ya know 'The Girls Next Door?'" With which he replied "What girls next door, where?"). Like I said, I've never been a fan of hers and I'm still not... but just hearing that someone is in the same boat as me (as far as the weight gain goes) has done wonders for my self esteem. For the first time in months I don't feel like a complete heffer! :) I just MIGHT lose all this weight- sure I'll have the preggo gut and the saggy boobs but I am pretty confident that I WILL feel normal again and WILL feel good in my skin. After I give birth to this beast (beast is said in the most lovingly way! I just really feel like this boy is MAMMOTH!) I think I might start a regular post partum check-up post. Meaning, once a week or so a check in- on my weight, my body, my mind, emotions, etc.

Sorry if this was just a bunch of rambling... its late- I have a headache but I really wanted to share my excitement in finding someone that I can relate to (as far as pregnancy goes) :)

Oh- and here's the article

35....errrrrr....37 weeks? :)

I had my 35 week appt. today & overall things are looking UP! :) YEEEHAW!!! My BP was great today (Praise the LORD!) and although I've stopped looking at the scale we didn't have a "weight talk" today. :) The bad news is I've started spilling protien in my urine. I had to be induced last time because of that, so we're keeping a close watch on it. The doc. STILL can't tell me what position this baby is in! So strange! They press and poke all over my belly and just have this weird, quizzical look on their face, like they're feeling an alien or something. ALSO, I am measuring a solid 2 and a half weeks ahead- 37 whoppin' weeks!!!!!!!!! I have an ultrasound scheduled for Friday afternoon to check out how this turkey is hangin' out in there & also to get a weight check (on the baby, that is:) My prayer is that he is dating at 37 weeks and we can bump my due date, which would mean baby time would be coming VERY SOON! We'll see, we'll see!

Thanks for all the thoughts & prayers- I am really hoping that the swelling and BP issues are resolving!

a preggo update.

This past week has been a little strange... I started swelling even more (believe it or not!) and yesterday I woke up and could see my cheeks- that's how swollen my face is! I also gained-get this- FIVE lbs. in one day- OBVIOUSLY this is water weight right??? Especially since I am barely eating now a days, due to lack of room! One of the warning signs Dr. P gave me was to watch for a big jump in weight- I thought 5 lbs. was pretty big, so I called in. Off I waddled for yet ANOTHER impromptu appt. for my swelling. After doing a urine and BP check, I was deemed safe to go home but told to keep a serious eye on my BP. This morning I took it and it was 134/82- WAY higher than normal (my norm is about 106/70) So I called in AGAIN... this time I spoke with the midwife who told me that 134/82 isn't that bad, BUT it does warrant some investigation. I made my 2nd trip to the hospital in 2 days... but this time it was just to pick up a giant, orange biohazard jug. For the next 24 hours I have to collect ALL my pee in this jug... how disgusting is that????????? Then I go back in on Friday for MORE blood work and to turn the jug in. I'm hanging in there, but I won't lie- I'm scared and exhausted and incredibly uncomfortable. Anyways, just thought I'd update...

33 Week Appt.

Same old, same old. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I'm super swollen- "PUFFY" is what the nurse called it. I'm measuring 2 weeks ahead (OMG... why won't they just change my due date???) Even the doc wasn't sure on the baby's position... he is the 3rd medical professional in a row who can't tell me how the heck that baby is laying in there.
The doc. wants me to start monitoring my blood pressure at home (great...) and he talked a LOT with me about warning signs for pre-e. It's pretty scary stuff... On a good note, no protien in my urine and today my BP was fine. Apparently though, when you're as swollen as me (haha) it can spike and become really dangerous. So I've got to keep an eye on that.
After Dr. P told me he had me measuring 2 weeks ahead still I asked him if he thought I would be able to deliver a big baby. And he said we'll have to wait until the "moment of truth"- meaning when I am in the midst of pushing. I wasn't too happy with that answer. I remember how desperate I was when I was pushing Maeve out and she was SO TINY!!! I'm afraid that this one is going to get stuck and I'll end up with a C-section. I wish they'd do an u/s already to get a weight on this guy! I need to know what I'm dealing with here :) haha :)
I go back in 2 weeks and THEN my appts. come once a week! WOW. I can't believe it- for so long now I've been wanting to be DONE DONE DONE (and I still do want to be done) but now that its getting closer I'm starting to get really scared about the delivery. Really, my big fear is that this baby will be too big for me and I will have to have a c-section (and an emergency one at that). I keep telling myself the only thing that matters is a healthy baby & mom- and if that means c-section, then so be it.


Here's a pic of me at 33 weeks...

give me the news.

Okay here is a pic of my 30/31 week belly with baby boy:



And here is a picture of my belly at 30/31 weeks with Maeve:



So give me the verdict- how HUGE am I this time around??? My doc says he's pretty sure the baby will be in the 7 lb. range... but I'm not so sure. I had a really hard time pushing Maeve out (an hour & a half) and she was a teeny 6 lbs.! Anxiety is starting to set in that I will have to push out a 10 lb. watermelon... yikes!

29 week appt.

I'm not going to go into numbers anymore with my weight because its insane- out of control and embarrassing. Apparently my body is just packing on the pounds- even when I feel like I am eating a whole lot less. I've cut out fried foods, sweets, pop, etc. Sticking to home cooked meals, bagels for breakfast & usually a bowl of cereal for lunch. HOW THE HECK am I gaining massive amounts of weight???? NO CLUE. The worst part is my doc. is not even the least bit concerned- he has told me twice now that I shouldn't worry about it- easy for him to say since he isn't the one who's gained xx lbs. UGH you have no clue how awful it is to step on the scale and see it jump up by leaps and bounds.

I also had my glucose test today- haha before I left for it I was saying how the orange drink was pretty good tasting. For some reason today, it was awful. It made me sick to my stomach and I felt super shaky afterward- I'm hoping that's not a bad sign- like my sugars are bad or something... although- that could explain the crazy weight.

As far as my regular appointment went- good & bad news- the good? I am measuring almost a full 2 weeks ahead (PRAISE THE LORD- that would put me at delivering in mid november rather than late november.) but the bad news is they STILL won't change my due date- wth??? I've consistently measured ahead but this time he was measuring WAY ahead- my docs explanation? The turkey hit a growth spurt... hmm... apparently we'll check his growth next time and then my doc will make the decision to change my due date or not- PLEASE CROSS YOUR FINGERS FOR ME!!!

Another not so great thing is that the baby is transverse- meaning he's got his feet wedged up on one side of my belly and his head/hands wedged up on the other side. He better flip HEAD down! I DO NOT want a C-section!!! AHHH! Again, my doc said I have a few weeks until we need to really start to be concerned with his position... in the meantime I will be googling how to flip your baby head down :)

That about sums up my appt. I will update as soon as I get my sugar results back... :)