Today I am 37 weeks which means FULL TERM! Yes, we have a full term baby on our hands now and the countdown is on! I have a long update today.
Just got back from my 37 week appointment where we had a bit of a scare. His heartrate was around 180 at first… the doctor tried two different dopplers and listened for a few minutes and it wasn’t lowering, so they hooked me up to one of those monitors that track his heart. I was hooked up for about 30 minutes. His heartrate went back to normal but it was a big scare! They think it was just from him being active. They also told me I had a contraction during that time, but I didn’t feel it. I asked the nurse if that meant he was coming early but she said not to get excited since it was only one. I had my strep test done too. They still didn’t check for dilation. They said that would start next week. I measured at 36.5 which they said was good, and I finally didn’t gain any weight… what a relief! I’ve also read that weight loss stops towards the end of pregnancy, so this is a very good thing.
So what else is new… well, my wedding rings are officially off and I am sad about that. :( I usually take them off every night to sleep, but last week decided to just keep them on because they were feeling snug. My sister-in-law warned me that I should just take them off instead so they don’t have to be cut off down the road. My fingers are short and stumpy anyway, and now they are bloated. I can get them on and off but it’s a tight fit, so they will have to wait until the bloating goes down a bit.
Last Wednesday, Christmas Eve morning, we had a “mini birthing class” with a nurse practitioner at my doctor’s office. My doctor suggested this since we couldn’t go to the hospital classes due to our work schedules. It was reassuring to learn more about labor and delivery, but also pretty scary. I do feel a bit more prepared though, so that’s good. She taught me breathing techniques and a ton of other things that I sincerely hope I remember when I’m in labor, but I’m not totally counting on it. I have always been completely terrified of giving birth, even well before I was pregnant. I do not handle pain well so I really don’t know how this will go. I would rather have a c-section, but I know they are more dangerous and not really optional so I am trying to calm myself down about delivering a baby!
The family also took birth date bets on Christmas Eve at our family party since we have six family birthdays in January, and his due date (January 20th) falls smack dab in the middle of mine and Jerry’s birthdays (the 17th and 24th), which are a week apart. Everyone is hoping he lands on their birthday, except for me, I think! I don’t think he would want to share his special day with his mom, but I could be wrong. Jerry is rooting for him to come on his birthday, the 24th, so we’ll see! One of my uncles placed his bet for January 31st and I’m thinking he’s pretty crazy. This baby better not be 11 days late! I will be asking for an induction well before then – haha!
In other news, I had a family member make a really nasty and thoughtless comment on Christmas Eve… the very first thing he said when he saw me was “you lost all that weight and now you’ve gained it!” Umm… yeah. You don’t say things like that to a pregnant woman because 1. she is already self-conscious about the weight gain, no matter who she is, and 2. she is very hormonal. You ESPECIALLY do not say something like this to someone who has lost over 100 pounds. The weight gain has been a hugely upsetting factor for me because I did work very hard to lose over 100 pounds. It took everything I had in me for over two years so I am obviously not happy to be gaining weight and idiotic comments are only adding insult to injury about something I am already aware of. It is very important to be tactful around pregnant women and this was the exact opposite. I have gained more than I should have and I am well aware. I am also well aware that my stubborn personality has served me incredibly well in losing weight once and I am confident I will do it again in the new year after Caleb is born. You can all take my word on this and watch me do it! SOOO… moving on!
We had a little bit of a false labor scare on Friday. Jerry and I were talking around Aldi’s when I got some short Braxton Hicks contractions and I started to get paranoid that my water had broken. I called the doctor over the weekend who assured me everything was fine and not to worry… phew.
I have made a lot of progress with my hospital bag since I received a lot of the things I needed for Christmas including some sweatpants, a robe, and new slippers. I’d say it’s about halfway packed now and I have a list of the final things I will need to throw in there last minute, so I’m feeling pretty good about that! I’m getting my car washed soon and then we will be getting the carseat installed. Jerry and I also spent some time last week doing some organizing in his nursery and it should be complete very soon!
Caleb now has a new pediatrician too. I called our top choice (my nephew’s pediatrician) in September and was told he wasn’t taking any new patients, so we went elsewhere and got him signed up. However, at my nephew’s last appointment, the doctor told my brother that he WAS taking new patients so I called again and now he’s good to go there. We have a prenatal appointment there next Friday to meet him. The other place we signed him up for was nice, but this one is closer to home and right next door to my OB-gyn. My brother also really likes him.
I am still working and not quite sure yet when I’m going to start my maternity leave. I have always planned to go as long as possible, but this last month is rough, I’m telling you! I worked a full day yesterday, and will be working half days today and Friday with Wednesday and Thursday off for the holiday. For next week, I asked for one full day and the rest half days and then told them we would go from there. My leave is unpaid so I am being extra cautious and trying not to go out too early. I will have a few weeks of vacation and sick time that I can use, then the second half of my leave I won’t be getting anything. Boo. When did you all go out on maternity leave?
No comments