37 Weeks

One Down...Nine To Go

I was planning on writing this yesterday, but never got around to it. Work is just crazy and they've had to put a temporary hold on one of the grants I'm writing due to some budget issues at the state level.

Anyway, I had my 36 week appointment on Tuesday and everything was fine - my blood pressure was up again, but I attribute that to my fear over having my first internal exam. Let's just say that I had a right to be nervous. Yowza! I figured it would be like having a yearly internal exam, but it wasn't. I was wondering how long she was going to be up there...and why the heck they have to go so far. For a second, I thought about asking her to just pull him out while she had her hand so far inside me. After all of that, I find out that I am dilated to 1 cm, but not effaced at all. As I said before, this doesn't mean that much. I could have the baby tomorrow, or I could walk around like this for the next few weeks.

I went up to labor and delivery for my weekly non-stress test. My blood pressure was almost back to normal by the time I got there, so I was relieved. Towards the end of the test, the nurse came in and asked me when I had seen the doctor. I told her that I came straight from my appointment to the test. She then took the printout from the test and left the room saying, "I need to call your doctor." I freaked out! What was wrong? Was the baby not moving enough? Are they going to have to admit me immediately? She finally came back and told me that the baby was doing just fine (we passed again!), but that I was having a lot of contractions. Who knew? I felt nothing aside from a dull ache that I figured was just from having been violated in my doctor's office. Obviously no one was too concerned because they unhooked me from the monitors and sent me on my way.

Now other things are happening. My body is showing signs that it is getting ready for the big day. The frustrating thing is that it could be tomorrow or it could be three weeks from now. After today's issues I've decided that I really need to get my hospital bag packed and have the baby's stuff packed. That makes it seem all too real. I'm starting to panic. What if I don't handle the pain well? What if I freak out? What if I'm really not strong enough to get through this?

I try to be funny about the exams and the tests, but the truth is that I'm really, really scared.

Progress - Part 2

The Bambino definitely has dropped a bit. First of all, my belly looks different. Second, I have to pee, like, every 15 minutes and I'm having a ton of pressure on my bladder - I feel it every time I stand up and I've been getting these sharp "jolts" when the baby moves around. Actually, I can feel him in every part of my belly (he moves a lot!), but I definitely feel them a lot lower than I used to.

I go to the doctor tomorrow for my first internal exam to see if I'm dilated or effaced. I hear these exams can be uncomfortable at this point in pregnancy, but I'm so curious about my progress. And, yes, I know that it doesn't really mean squat. I could walk around dilated to 3 for weeks, and I also could not be dilated at all and go into labor tomorrow.

It's all a big mystery...

Progress

I think the Bambino has started to drop. Over the past couple of days I can feel some things changing in how I sit, sleep, etc. I used to be incredibly uncomfortable while sitting at work or at home. I'd get these awful aches in my ribs and I would try to lean back as far as I could to alleviate them - not an easy thing to do when you sit all day at work. Now when I sit, it feels like he is resting on my lap a bit more. Relief! Also, when I bend down or reach over to pick up something, I don't gasp for breath. I feel like I can take a deep breath again and I don't feel full after a few bites of food. I was beginning to wonder where my appetite had gone...I think it has returned now that he's sitting a bit lower these days.

Of course, this means absolutely nothing. Well, not nothing. Obviously, he's positioning himself, but I still have about 4 weeks left, so I'm trying not to get too excited.

In other news...I found out on Monday that if I do make it to my due date, the Bambino could be around 9 lbs. Last week, he was estimated at about 6 lbs 8 oz with another 5 weeks to go. No wonder it's hard to roll out of bed! I also had my first non-stress test up in labor & delivery at the hospital. They are monitoring me closely due to the diabetes. His heart rate was great and he passed with flying colors. I will get these every week until I deliver just to make sure he's doing OK. If they notice anything wrong, then we move into a whole different set of decisions.

I can't believe he'll actually be here in a month. It seems like just yesterday when we found out I was pregnant. It really has gone by so quickly.

As for names, we've got some ideas but we're not sharing. Too many people feel like it's their job to inform you that they used to live next door to some kid with the same name and he was a real jerk, or that their least favorite relative has that name. We're avoiding all of that and keeping our names to ourselves. In fact, we haven't even settled on anything. We're going in with a few first and middle names and plan on waiting to see what he looks like.

The Basement

With all the recent rain and flooding in Iowa, our basement took a big hit. We're very lucky that we did not get as much damage as some other people, but for never having a drop of water in our basement in the 4 years we've lived here, it's still pretty bad.

Patrick noticed the water seeping in the night we got approximately 4 inches of rain in a couple of hours. And it soaked through...and soaked through...and just kept going. Our basement is (was?) finished with nice carpeting. We were in the process of organizing down there in preparation of my parents staying with us for about a week after the baby arrives.

Well, the carpet had to be pulled back, the padding removed, and the foundation dried. It smelled like dead bodies (I've never smelled one before, but I'm taking a guess). Patrick had to pull out cabinets from the wall and everything is just piled up and a huge freakin' mess. Just take a look: