Baby Bump :)

Here are a few shots from the maternity photo session we did with my friend Sara. She used my Dad's fancy camera and got some really great shots. There are a ton more, but most of them are a little more belly than I would like for the world to see :) She took some on her camera as well, so as soon as I get those, I will post them. Can't believe my due date is TOMORROW!

39 Weeks!

I went into this week's appointment saying I would be shocked if I had not progressed beyond 1 cm and 50%. I worked on Friday night and with every step I took I felt like the baby was going to fall out! I had so much pressure and was contracting every 5-10 minutes. I don't think I have ever been so uncomfortable! I got home Sat morning, took a shower and decided to lay down for a while. If the contractions didn't stop, I was planning on making the trip to triage. When I woke up around noon, I was still contracting, but nothing painful and they were very irregular. I decided to wait until my appointment on Monday to see if anything had changed. Monday rolled around and what do you know...I am STILL ONLY 1 cm!! Before the midwife did my cervical check, she measured my belly. She was somewhat concerned, because each week I have measured right on my gestation or within a week. At my 38 week appointment last week I measured right on at 38 weeks. On Monday at my 39 week appointment, I am suddenly measuring 35 weeks. She checked me twice to be sure she measured right, and sure enough 35 weeks. She said it could be because the baby has descended into my pelvis, but when she did my cervical check, she said the baby was not as low as she had expected it to be. She was concerned because it was a big enough drop in measurement, so she scheduled me for an ultrasound on Tuesday. I asked why I would all of a sudden be measuring four weeks behind, and she said it could be due to several factors: size of the baby, amniotic fluid level, and position of the baby. As it turns out, the ultrasound showed that the baby was below average for weight (estimated 6 lb 13 oz- usually estimates on the high side, so probably more like 6.5 lbs) and my fluid level was below average as well (8). Neither were in the 'danger zone,' but these results explain why I am suddenly measuring small. I was surprised that in a matter of six days, so much had changed. The ultrasound tech said that fluid levels can change overnight...well that explains a lot. The midwife wants to see me again on Friday, if my fluid level continues to drop, I think we are looking at an induction by the end of the week. I am not hoping for this, however I just want what's best for the baby! While I am uncomfortable, I can certainly hold off another week or two AS LONG as my baby is living in a safe environment!

I have been instructed to drink tons and tons of water. I am so sick of going to the bathroom, that I am ready for a catheter! I never ever thought I would say such a thing! So, in my spare time between now and Friday, I will be drinking water, peeing, cleaning, peeing, getting a pedicure, peeing, napping, peeing, and making sure my bags are packed and ready to go in case they decide this baby is coming this weekend!

38 Weeks & No Progress!

I have a feeling this little peanut is happy in his/her current sleeping quarters. At my appointment this week, the doc said I was still 1 cm and at least 50% (so maybe more???). I know this doesn't really mean anything as to when I could go into labor, but I just feel like I will make it to my due date if not past. My family seems to think I will go before then, but I bet you my stubborn child will prove them all wrong. My adorable and hilarious grandmother said she would push me down the stairs on 6/6/11 to make the baby come, because with all of the birthdays she has to keep track of, she thought 6/6 would be an easy one to remember. God I love her!

I think I have been feeling more Braxton Hicks contractions this week. I am pretty sure what I was feeling before was the baby moving around, because it was all on one side of my abdomen, whereas this week they are more central and seem to last longer. I asked my doctor if there is any way I would not know whether or not I went into labor, because sometimes I can't tell if I am having contractions or not and she just laughed at me and said she has NEVER dealt with a women that didn't know whether or not she was in labor. I'm sure she wonders how on earth I am a nurse by all of the dumb questions I ask haha. I didn't think I was going to get any bigger or that I could get any bigger, but just in the last few days I have looked in the mirror and noticed a change. It almost seems as if it happens over night :) I asked the doc this week if he could estimate the baby's weight just by feeling my abdomen, and he said it is definitely not a big baby, but he guessed about 6 lbs. I am not 100% sure, but that seems pretty average for 38 weeks. If I go to 40 or even 41 weeks, my guess is the baby will be somewhere in the 7 lb range. It just seems crazy, because I don't feel like I have a 6 lb baby in there!! At least he/she isn't 3 lbs like my psycho NICU nurse brain was thinking.

Speaking of the NICU, as of 38 weeks, I have officially cut back to part time. I didn't think one day less a week would make a difference, but when you are on your feet for 12 hour shifts, it makes all of the difference in the world! I get exhausted just walking up a flight of stairs, so having that extra day to rest and get things done around the house has been so nice! I am a little nervous to be making less money, but Chad and I are pretty good savers, and we will do what we have to do to make it work. We both feel it is more important for me to be home with the baby and if I have to, I can pick up extra shifts once I go back to work in Sept. While being a stay at home mom would be so wonderful, I truly don't think I could leave my job. I love what I do and I worked so hard to become a nurse, I can't imagine leaving it all together. The absolute best thing in the world is the flexibility my job offers. I have so many different hours, shifts, positions to choose from, that it makes it a lot easier to work but also be home as much as possible. When I go back to work in Sept, I will continue to work night shift two days a week, so I am only gone when our little one is sleeping. When I get home in the morning, I will either just nap with the baby, or I can rely on family to watch the baby for a few hours while I catch some sleep. I also love that Chad will be the one home with the baby at night while I am at work. I think this will give him good bonding time that a lot of first time dad's don't get with their babies.