And The Race Is On... Sort Of.

Well, 6 weeks left. Or possibly 8 (they would let me go all the way to 42 weeks as long as the fluid was still good and the placenta was working the way it should). I really don't want to go almost all the way to Thanksgiving! It kind of makes me want to gag. LOL

This morning I had three appointments. Yes, three. I had my growth ultrasound (he's in the 25th percentile (which is good but low because the femur is measuring small, which doesn't mean anything bad) and he's weighing 4 lbs. 14 oz.), my periconsult (read: meeting with doctor to ask questions and talk about OB history), and my MOD-BPP/NST/AFI (read: hook me up to monitors to chart the baby's heartrate and movements, check the level of amniotic fluid, get my blood pressure, etc.). The ultrasound went really well, the doctor answered lots of my questions (see below for that info), and being hooked up went well too.

In the NST (non-stress test), they had me hooked up to the monitors (if you've ever seen A Baby Story on TLC, when the mother is in labor and they have those elastic bands holding the two round monitors on the mother's stomach), with a blood pressure cuff on my left arm and a "trigger" button in my right hand to click every time he moved. It was really kind of cool. His little heart was thump-thump-thumping along, and then she said that they needed to see two plateaus in heartrate and then return to baseline. In order to get his heartrate to plateau, they took this tool that vibrates and held it against my abdomen. Shortly after that, HE WENT NUTS! His heartrate went up to like 170 and he was moving like crazy. She was amazed at how much he was moving, but it happened to also coincide with the time I usually eat breakfast, so I think that probably had something to do with it too. It also explains why when Hobbes lays curled around my stomach on my lap and purrs (she purrs LOUD) that he will start to kick. I mentioned this to the nurse and she said that he probably responds to the sound of her purring. How crazy is that?!

Anyway, meeting with the doctor this morning was great. She answered all of my questions and actually told me that they're pretty excited to have me there because I'm one of the healthiest mothers/pregnancies they have there! So she said it would be great because they prefer to have a midwife-like experience but that most of the pregnancies have complications that preclude that kind of experience. She also explained that they don't foresee any complications ahead of time, ergo I should have a normal delivery. She said that they wouldn't induce me until 42 weeks unless the fluid has decreased or other such occurrence which would necessitate induction before then. She explained that they like to let the pregnancies in their practice go until the mothers progress into spontaneous labor, which is cool. She also explained that they don't foresee any need for a c-section, unless of course, it is a rough labor. So, it was nice to have those questions answered. I will have a standard stay of two days (provided there are no complications), etc. All good things to know. And they are OK with Chad helping to catch the baby and cut the cord, provided that is what he still wants when the time comes.

Well, I think that's about all I've got as regards the latest info from the doctor's visit today. Stay tuned for more. :)

UPDATE: So my mom let me know that I hadn't written anything about the CCAM - it is still there, but it is not getting any bigger.  So now you know.  :)

A Bit of Baby Jealousy

So, sometimes I tend to question my level of intelligence. I'm 31w3d pregnant now, and I've recently become engrossed with TLC's A Baby Story. Really cool, because it really makes me excited for Munchkin to come along, but really unintelligent because I see all of these women going through labor and I don't know that I really need to be immersing myself in thoughts about painful labor right now! It also makes me cry a lot because you get to see all of these little babies, and well, I'm pregnant, so yeah.

Pretty much, this whole time, I've been really just not into the whole pregnancy thing. It's cool that there's a little guy growing in there, but at the same time, I feel like I'm hosting a parasite, which, in a way, I kind of am. Like, if I don't get enough nutrients and calcium, he'll take them from me. That's the definition of a parasite, if I'm not mistaken. It's the weirdest feeling - I've heard/read a lot that it feels like little bubbles or butterfly wings. Maybe for other people, but not for me; for me, it's like I ate a really big meal of Polish sausage or something - you know, when you can feel the food clunking through your stomach. That's what it felt like when he first started moving enough that I could feel him. Now, I can sit on the couch and actually watch my stomach move! The poor kitties - they come up to lay on me, and then they get kicked by the baby. Hobbes doesn't seem to mind too much - she actually lays on my stomach or near my stomach almost exclusively. Calvin, however, will get up and move away. It's just weird to watch him kick and watch the blankets move or watch my boob move when he kicks at the top! But I digress. For the most part of the pregnancy, I just felt really inconvenienced. I can't bend over at the waist anymore, I can't twist my body - I have to turn my entire body, I can't shave my legs or bikini area anymore, of course, no drinking, I get tired so easily, my feet swell, I have to pee all the time, the thought of chicken makes me sick, etc. etc. etc. But recently, I feel like I've become a lot more involved in the pregnancy. I don't mind it like I used to. Don't get me wrong - there are still aspects I dislike - feeling like a wishbone on Thanksgiving, for example, or the fact that my emotions are so unstable. But I feel a lot closer to him. I guess it's a really good thing that pregnancy takes 9 months - it gives you a chance to make drastic changes in your thinking and really prepare yourself.

Chad's been amazing. He listens to my weird concerns and dreams (I had a dream that all of my teeth fell out) and he lets me talk about things that we've already talked about a hundred times. I was working on filling out a preliminary birth plan (which everyone tells you to write but no one gives you any idea of what exactly should be in it! - pregnancy.com has a birth plan worksheet to help you out, if you're curious), and Chad was sitting with me, asking me different questions about the things in there and offering his opinion. I think it was really good. We've also talked about pain management options. I've had back problems before (i.e. back spasms, pain, etc.), so I really didn't want to have any pain medication at all. There are two types - IV administered, which drugs you and the baby, or those administered via the spinal cord, which do not drug the baby. Since I've had back issues, I really didn't want anything at all to interfere with my back. I know some women back in MI who've had epidurals and had problems walking or had back pain issues afterward. I was not going to consider having an epidural at all. But Chad and I have continued to talk about it, and he's very supportive of my new stance: I want to try to do the labor without any pain medication, but that I will ask for the medication if I change my mind. The medication option that I will be going with if I do request it is an epidural. But I made Chad promise me that he wouldn't let the anesthesiologist mess up my back, lol.

Anyway, that's my random assortment of thoughts for now. You'll notice that they're jumbled - that's a normal state of affairs for me! LOL