Labor & Delivery

This is one of the best quotes I've found about labor "It takes a lot of pushing and stretching to move a baby the size of a melon through a cervical opening that starts out as the size of a kidney bean."1

The Positives of Still being Pregnant

I've been complaining a lot because I'm so tired. I'm trying to also think of the positive side of still being pregnant. I'm not quite to my due date, but at my last OB visit, he made an appointment for a week away, so that didn't exactly fill me with hope.

1. I have more time to get things done before the baby comes.
   
2. I'm closer to my due-date (which is a cool day, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed).
   
3. I'm not really scared of labor and delivery anymore because I'm so tired.
   
4. This is really the most convenient way of carrying the baby around (and I know he's warm).
   
5. He's certainly not premature.
   

Pedicures

I really suggest a pedicure for pregnant women. I got one at 7 months, one at 8 months, and one at 9 months. The 7 month one is really just a nice spoiling indulgence but by 9 months it really is wonderful. It's pretty hard to get to your toes and this way someone else paints them for you (so they look nice) and cuts them and everything. It sounds weird and in general I'd be uncomfortable with someone working on my feet, but by 9 months, it's totally worth it.

All the pregnancy books suggest them as a way to make yourself feel special. I can only really suggest them late in pregnancy when you're tired of trying to reach your feet :).

39 weeks

Nothing is new with the baby, The rest of the information in the book is about what to pack for the hospital stay.

The APA has more information:
Your baby is continuing to grow and working on the layer of fat underneath his/her skin. This is an important part of your baby’s ability to regulate their body temperature once they are born. Your baby is also beginning to form new skin cells which will replace older skin cells.

At this point you should really plan to take it easy. Your life will not be the same once this new addition arrives. So take some time for yourself, your partner, your family, and your friends.

Labor & Delivery

As the due date draws closer, I'll admit labor and delivery scare me more and more. I did have a freak-out about everything a couple of weeks ago. I'm a lot calmer since then. Now my worries have shifted from the horrible things that might happen to me to the horrible things that might happen to the baby.
It's a strange set of worries because there's nothing I can do about any of them. I'm giving birth in the hospital, there is a NICU, there will be fetal monitoring, and I can't prepare more than that. At first it really helped to tell myself millions of women have done this before me (and millions will after me) but as the date gets closer, that helps less and less.
I find myself much calmer after researching and saying I'll take epidural anesthesia. I guess I was more scared of the pain than I realized. The up-side of course is that each day is another day closer to actually meeting the baby.
I'll try to find time to write about everything once he's actually here.

Hospitalization

I was hospitalized a few weeks ago for dehydration. I woke up in the middle of the night with nausea and vomiting and when it didn't get better and I couldn't keep anything down we went in to the emergency department.
In retrospect it was kind of entertaining because in triage they asked if I had called labor and delivery (and no, I had not, I wasn't in labor). So they called labor and delivery who didn't seem to want me, then the ED attending who also didn't seem to want me, and finally labor and delivery again. I ended up in labor and delivery so the baby could be monitored (he was perfectly fine the whole time).
I had an IV for fluids and then anti-emetic drugs.
I won't say it was a fun experience and I didn't eat normally for about a week, but it was pretty reassuring. My OB was on-call and the nurses were very nice. It was kind of like a labor dry-run. Now we've tested how to get there, we were reminded to call first, and we've used one of the rooms.
Still, I don't suggest it for anyone.

Pregnant Women are Adorable

Okay, 6 or 7 month pregnant women are adorable. 9 month pregnant women are little barges wandering around hoping their water will break and they can be normal people again.

38 weeks

There isn't that much information this week except that there may be some dilation, but don't worry. I should keep my cell-phone charged (and so should Phil). The baby should be between 6 and 8 pounds.

The APA tells me to look for swelling in my feet now. And the baby news is that most of the organs are fully mature except for the brain and lungs and these will continue to mature during childhood.

Books I've Read (that I can recommend)

I've read two birth books that I can suggest.
1. Thank You, Dr Lamaze by Marjorie Karmel.
This one was well-written and fun to read. I liked her take on birth and her honesty about how she felt before, during, and after.

2. The Official Lamaze Guide: Giving Birth with Confidence by Judith Lothian and Charlotte DeVries
I thought this was good read (although it was a little mid-wife and home-birth heavy for me). It was honest, but not scary about everything.

Thing I did today (of note)

1. For the first time a total stranger touched my stomach (one more has, but she asked first).
   
2. I thought labor would be better than the way my research is going (some fear has clearly disappeared).
   
3. I watched the video Jacob has been trying to get me to watch for months (You Tube, 9 months in 20 seconds). 
   
4. I mailed off the last daycare application (I hope).
   

Things I Ponder about the Office

1. Why is there a jar of maraschino cherries in the fridge?
   
2. Who actually eats all the free food left out?
   
3. Am I really more effective at my desk or my kitchen table?
   
4. Am I the only one who wishes we had Muzak in the bathroom?
   
5. When are they going to finish carpeting our floor (they started about 2 years ago)?
   

37 weeks.

The baby weighs about 6 1/2 pounds and is considered full term. Now he can be born at any time, although most first-time pregnancies are late.
Now is when to expect lightening, the baby getting ready to "drop" into position for the birth. This is important because although it lowers my center of gravity, it lessens the pressure on my diaphragm and I can breathe more easily.

The APA's information is: The amount of amniotic fluid begins to decline around 37 weeks. Braxton Hicks contractions also increase in frequency.

Fetal Movements

I was worried about fetal movement last week. I thought the baby wasn't moving enough so I called my OB. The nurse asked me if I had been feeling at least 5 kicks/hour. I had no idea, and I have no idea who is keeping a record of this.
So, instead I was told to drink some water, then drink something with sugar in it (juice, coke, etc) and lie down for an hour. I had to stay there and count kicks (up to 5) for an hour.
I felt 5 in less than an hour, so officially everything is okay, but it was a really boring/stressful time waiting for those kicks. I still don't keep track of the kicks/hour (because I have a normal life I assume), but it's nice to know I can check on things easily.

Fun games to play with a baby

From Do's and Don'ts with Babies (with many other good parenting tips)

36 weeks

The baby weighs around 6 pounds and is about 20 1/2 inches long.

All of his senses are well-developed and he has a sense of taste. He can hear a wide range of sounds and when he's born he'll be able to see faces from about 6 inches away.

The APA says the downy hair covering his body is starting to disappear and so is the vernix caseosa.

My Mother was right

Mom told me that by the time February rolled around i wouldn't care if the baby was born on the due date or not, I'd just be ready for him to be born. And I'm now forced to admit that while I still want him to have February 29th as a birthday, I'd really take any day in February (as long as he's healthy) so I'm no longer pregnant. Amazing the things mothers know.