How far along? 39 weeks! I'm being induced tomorrow - more on that below
Total weight gain: I've lost a few lbs over the last week or two. Total weight gain for pregnancy is 40 lb. I'm hoping to lose about 15-20 lbs over the next few days!
Appointments: So my 38 week appt was pretty uneventful. Was 1-2/80%/-1. Then had a trip to L&D (check until "Symptoms" below), where I was told I was only 1 cm. At my 39 week appt was I was "very big" 2/80%/-1. I'm very curious to be checked again in the morning. I feel like I should have made more progress, but you never can tell how stubborn your cervix is!
How big is baby? Baby's waiting to greet the world! She continues to build a layer of fat to help control her body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a mini watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of her skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.
Maternity clothes: Yes - I've started dreaming of wearing regular clothes :)
Stretch marks: My "stretch dots" of my hips are now little jagged lines. Bummer
Food cravings: Not anything that I could call a real "craving." When I have freezy pops, I tend to eat like 6 at a time, though!
Belly button: An innie! The edges pop up more when I have contractions, but the middle stays in. I'm glad, since the inside of my belly button is very brown! LOL
Symptoms: So at 38 weeks exactly (last wednesday), I started having contractions at work. By 3 pm they were 5-6 minutes apart. I called the nurse, and she said I could go in or wait it out a little and see if they got worse. I went home early, and Matthew and I went for a walk. By the end of the walk (maybe 5:30 or 6), they were every 2-3 minutes. We put everything in the car and headed to the hospital. They hooked me and the baby up - contractions were still every 2-3 minutes, and her HB was 140-160. They checked me and I was still 1-2 cm. An hour later I was again 1-2 cm and the nurse said I could go home. I was shocked. I asked how would I know when to come back, since the contractions were already so close and causing a far amount of pain. She said I would just know. I asked for more specific answers from the doc (who I never actually saw). The nurse came back and said the doc wanted to keep me overnight and check me again the morning. They gave me nubain and phenergan to help me sleep. I felt loopy right away, but was able to sleep a little bit, even though I could still feel the contractions and had to keep repositioning.
In the morning, I was still 1-2 cm. I was so disappointed! They sent me home. M and I spent the next day walking at the mall for about 3 hours. I threw up in the food court after just a few bites of a sandwich - totally embarrassing, but we kept going. I also found this adorable all-white dress for Felicity's baptism party at Carters. Then M took me to get a pedicure. The nail polish I chose was called "Hurts so good." At the time I thought it was fitting, now it feels like a mockery!
I have had very consistent contractions since then - usually about 5 minutes apart. Some definitely hurt more than others. My doc went ahead and scheduled an induction for tomorrow morning (June 17). She explained that after experiencing the contractions for more than 7-8 days, the likelihood of fetal distress increases. I was really hoping for a natural labor - but a healthy baby is way more important!
Let me tell you, 7 days of contractions isn't fun.
What I'm looking forward to: Meeting Felicity tomorrow! I will definitely post a birth story and pics once things settle down!
Weekly Wisdom: Try not to analyze every pain...it will drive your crazy!
