36 week appointment with OB

I went in for my 36 week appointment with my OB. Needless to say she was shocked about baby's size (remember- 8 pounds 15 ounces!!). She told me that she would be afraid if I went full term that I would have to deliver by c-section due to risk of not being able to get the baby out. She said even if they were off by 1 pound this baby could very well be a 9 to 10 pound baby. So, we decided that I would not get my last progesterone shot today and hope that I go into labor on my own early. If not, than I have an amniocentesis scheduled for next Wednesday to check for lung maturity and if they are mature, than I have my induction date set for next Friday, March 12th!! Big news.

She did check my cervix and I am now 4 cm dilated, 75% effaced with baby dropping lower, so starting to bring my cervix forward. I am measuring 39 weeks, which is probably due to her dropping a little lower. So now it is just a wait and see game if I go into labor on my own or if I have to wait until next next week and have this baby through medical magic!! I am super nervous but super excited!! Today was a big day!

Besides that Isabella turned 2 today!! She is getting so big. We had the parents as teachers lady come by for the first time this week. She said Isabella is on point with everything and that she is actually above on some things (We knew our child was a genius!!). I will post more on her 2nd birthday adventures once I upload some pictures to our computer! We all had a wonderful day watching her turn the big 2!! We love her so much!

36 week Ultrasound - Shock of My Life!

So today I went in for my 36 week ultrasound with my mom and Isabella (Sam has to work and is saving his days off for when I actually have this baby). I was expecting to hear the baby was on the bigger side...like already 7 pounds since she was 5 pounds at 32 weeks and they grow about half a pound a week. She did the measurements and the first thing she said was "wow this baby's head is measuring 41 weeks - you sure your dates are right?" Since I have heard this question SOOO many times before I knew the answer - pretty sure because our ultrasound at 20 weeks only showed her being 5 days ahead...

Sonographer: "Ya they are probably accurate dates than. Don't worry too much I haven't plugged the numbers into the computer yet."

So I got to see my precious little girl give me the peace sign, scratch her head, see her chubby face, and all the hair she has on her head! Here I am smiling blissfully and in my own little niave (however you spell it) bubble. Izzy is just looking at the monitor saying "sister" which makes my life so much better.

There goes the sonographer punching in the numbers into the computer and I am awaiting anxiously to see what she says.

Sonographer turns around - "Your baby is measuring 8 pounds 15 ounces"

My jaw drops - literally to the floor, and my eyes about pop out of my head. "ARE YOU SURE??? That is like a FULL term baby!!!"

Sonographer - "let me show this to the doctor". She walks out the door, comes back and asks - "When do you see your doctor" - ME: "Tomorrow". Sonographer - "here is a copy of the baby's measurements just to make sure your doctor sees them tomorrow. I don't think they will do anything different". Than we walk out.

Needless to say I am STILL in shock!! 8 POUNDS 15 OUNCES?? Even if they are a pound off (which the sonographer says it is only 1/2 a pound off) that is still an 8 pound baby at 36 weeks! What the heck?? This sumo of a baby grew 4 pounds in 4 weeks!!!

Tomorrow I go in to my OB - I HOPE she does not give me my last progesterone shot and lets me try to induce this baby - and I pray she does not let me go past 37 weeks (which would be next week) - or else I might literally give birth to a toddler! Lord help me!! That is all for today - tomorrow I might have more shocking news!!! Boy this baby is giving me a run for my money!

35 week appointment

I went in for my 35 week appointment today. Unfortunately I could not go see my normal doctor because she was out of town - but the doctor I went to see wasn't so bad. I guess it is good to meet her in case she delivers this baby (I HOPE it is Saunders who delivers her though)! It was a really frustrating appointment because I was not seen for over an hour and a half, and was in the doctor's office for 2 hours. I went in being hungry and waiting for someone when you are big, hungry, and pregnant is not very much fun! Everything looked okay. My blood pressure remains good - I lost a few pounds (WOOHOO). I am still measuring 4 weeks ahead...so now I am measuring 39 cm. Baby's heartbeat was 150's. I did not get the fetal fibronectin test done because this doctor feels at this point is unreliable, so now it is a mystery of if I go in to labor. If I do go into to labor though any time now they won't stop it which is kind of nice in a way! She checked me and I am still 3cm and she said thick (don't know what that means on effacement). It is nice when the same person checks you so you know if things actually changed or if it is just the perception of new person. I had my group B strep test done this week too which had never been done with Isabella so that should be interesting - maybe this time I can avoid penicillin (That stuff burns if it goes in too fast!)

One thing that is NOT so much fun is I have started getting a rash on my abdomen. My sister had what is called PUPPP (Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy) when she was pregnant and she had it all over her body - it is a rash that starts in your stretch marks on your abdomen and than can spread to your legs, chest, arms, bottom. I was fortunate and did not get it with Isabella - but of course something else had to be added to this pregnancy so now I have that! She said it is not harmful to me or the baby but it will itch like crazy! And I will have it until the baby is born and than it resolves on it's own. I can put hydrocortisone creams or benadryl on it to stop the itching but that is about the only treatment! Oh boy - I do not handle itchiness very well so this shall be interesting! Folks, if you have my husband knocking on your door because he no longer wants to be around me please know it is not me that drove him away - it is the rash :).

I am able to breath a little sigh of relief this week knowing that we are almost there! This next week is going to fly by (hopefully) because we are in full swing getting things ready for Isabella's 2 year birthday - yes TWO YEARS!!! Her birthday is on Wednesday and her party is on Sunday. So as long as little peanut behaves our week will probably be consumed with Isabella!

Anxiously Awaiting

So I am just sitting here waiting for 35 weeks to come and go! I don't have my appointment until Thursday this week so I am anxiously wondering where I am at - did I dilate more? Am I going to be having this baby in the next few weeks or will I be going the dreaded FULL TERM of 40 weeks? I know every mom goes through this sitting and waiting game but GEEZ! I know the longer the baby is in the better - and it really is nice to have this much more time to spend with Isabella - but I am excited for when I can actually get up and chase Isabella around, throw her on my hip and walk around with her...no longer be the "lazy mom" I feel like I have been! I am also super ready to see this new little girl and how she is going to fit into our life! Well here starts the wait and see game!

Another Update - 34 week appointment

So back again today for my weekly appointment. This one was not too exciting (which is a good thing). I am holding steady on my weight which is good - however baby continues to get bigger! In my head I keep thinking I hope this baby is not a giant!! I am measuring 4 weeks ahead now at 38 centimeters. My doctor said that she is not too worried about the size until I hit 39 weeks - and she is doubting I will make it that far. If I DO make it to that I might cry every night just contemplating how difficult labor is going to be! :).

My cervix did not change this week - I am still 3cm 50% effaced which is exciting. We decided to go ahead and have me get the steroid shots (betamethasone) for the baby's lungs to help them mature in case I go into labor in the next 2 weeks or so. Officially I am still only 33 weeks but close enough to 34. I went to the Labor and Delivery section to get the shot done - it was strange being over in the hospital - made it a little more real again! I forgot how much those shots sting!! I get the second one tomorrow. My fetal fibronectin test came back negative so that should mean one more week without labor! Well that is it for the updates from this appointment.

33 week appointment

I went in today for my weekly OB appointment! I lost 1 pound - and trust me that makes me happy...for two weeks I was gaining WAY too much at a time! My blood pressure was good, I was measuring 36 cm on my fundal height (which is 3 weeks ahead...what happened to 2 weeks ahead?). Baby's heartbeat was 140-150's. I had the fetal fibronectin test drawn again, but won't get the results until tomorrow since my appointment was late in the afternoon. I only have to get that test drawn one more time because she said she is not going to worry if I go into labor at 35 weeks. She also checked my cervix...that was not as great of news as everything else. I have dilated more - she said I am now 3 cm dilated (I was barely a 2 last week) and my cervix has softened even more. Baby has not engaged in the pelvis and she doesn't even think the baby's head was down (she was caddy cornered...I dont' know if this is a good thing or bad thing - hopefully that means she is not ready yet and will turn when she is. I am hoping that I don't go into labor though before her head comes down!). My cervix is still high which is good. She said I could still work, but I need to come home and do nothing else for the night - she said pretty much be a slug! Yikes that is going to be hard to do with a 23 month old running around (I am not quite ready to call her 2 - she still has 3 weeks left to be considered 1).

Speaking of Isabella - she is getting SOOO big! Sam and I measured her yesterday because we were saying she looked so much taller. She is now about 35 inches on our estimate!! That means she is almost 3 feet tall!! She is such a big girl!! Her vocabulary is expanding every day - she is saying a lot of 2 word sentences (granted most of them her daddy and I can understand but other people probably can't). She is copying a lot of things we say and do which is super cute but it also makes me really watch myself! My little girl is all grown up! I just pray the little peanut choses a time to show up that doesn't interfere with Isabella's 2 year birthday!! I want to be able to really make Isabella feel special this year! Well, that is it for now!

32 week Appointment

So this last week I started off on Tuesday going in to see my perinatologists who did an ultrasound on the baby girl. She is now measuring 5 pounds - yep she is huge!! They told me that is about 54%, but the measurements are showing that she would be 36 weeks if she was an average baby. I don't get that whole thing I guess. I have just settled on the fact that unless this baby comes early I am going to have a HUGE baby!!

I went in today to my OB appointment. I gained more weight (WOOHOO just what I wanted to hear! Not really). Everything looks good - baby's heartrate was about 140's, my blood pressure was 118/74, and I am still measuring 2 weeks ahead (so my fundus is 34 cm). I asked the doctor if my dates could have been off and I am just further along than we thought, but she said since my first ultrasound at 20 weeks was only measuring 5 days ahead that it is not really likely - I am probably just having a big baby! When she checked my cervix she said that I am still high and soft and still 50% effaced, but I am definitely dilating a little each week (I am now between a 1 and 2 - she said she could call it a 2 if she wanted but she did not want to go there yet. We did the fetal fibronectin test but I won't find out about that until tomorrow.