40 Weeks

1/25/12

Today’s our due date! The baby’s at least 7 ½ pounds, but probably more like 8 or 8 ½ at this point (at least that’s what I think). We’re just in a state of waiting… when is he/she going to show up? Nobody knows except Jesus. We’re getting very excited and can’t wait to meet our baby.

My midwife appointment today was great. The baby is looking good, the head is engaged and it had a nice heartbeat. I’m only a little bit more dilated than I was last week though. It looks like I’ll have to do more walking to get things moving. I’m working until Friday, then starting Maternity Leave, which I’m very much looking forward to. So hopefully it will be born this weekend or early next week. I’ve had periodic times of my contractions being closer together (like 10 minutes apart), but then they go away. I think it’s just my body getting ready for the real thing. Hopefully it’s not too far off!

Andy and I went out to a nice last breakfast without a baby on Saturday. That was fun to do together. Next time it will be with a little baby.

Changes this week: Not too much since last week. Insomnia is not my friend. And I’ve had to pee more often. I guess the baby has dropped a bit and I’ve had a little more pelvic pressure.

Just for kicks, here's a picture of me from behind. Everyone at work says I barely look pregnant from the back, and I guess it's true! Just a little bit of love handles. Hah!

39 Weeks

1/18/12

One week until our baby is due! We’re so excited to finally be in the last little bit. The baby could really come any time in the next 2-3 weeks, so everyone’s on standby waiting to get the phone call from us 

At my midwife appointment today Carol checked me, and I’m still only about 1 cm dilated, but my cervix is thinning out. She said I probably won’t go into labor in the next week, but there’s always a chance. I think I will be a few days late, just like my mom was. The baby is getting big in there, and the heart rate was kind of fast because it was moving around a lot. As far as I know, everything’s still looking good.

Last night we went into Salem with some friends and played Bingo. It was very interesting. There were a lot of people there that were hard core and looked like they go all the time. I think it’s probably addictive. It was stressful for us at first because they were calling numbers pretty fast and we had 12 bingo cards to scan for the numbers, but we eventually got the hang of it. It ended up being fun, but I doubt that we’ll ever go again. None of us won anything anyway.

My dreams have always been strange, but I’ve had some funny baby dreams through the pregnancy. At around 20 weeks I dreamt that there was a hole in my uterus that the baby crawled through. Then it was just underneath my skin and crawling around my belly. I also dreamt that I was trying all of our cloth diapers on it. Andy has dreamt that it was a boy, and I have dreamt both genders. I’m thinking it may be a girl, but really, who knows. Either way, we’ll be happy!

Changes this week: My legs have been swelling in the evenings a little bit. Nothing terrible though. I think the baby’s dropped a little more, but probably still has more to go. I’m going to start walking and sitting on my exercise ball more to try to get it to drop. I’ve been super tired and feeling huge the last week or so. I think I’m definitely ready for this baby to be out.

38 Weeks

1/11/12

The baby’s getting big and we’re pretty much ready for it to come out  Now we just have to wait until it’s done being in there. I think it’s about 7 pounds and 18-19 inches long. We can’t wait to meet our little one.

At my midwife appointment on December 30^th they took a culture to test for Group B strep, but the lab lost it, or they didn’t come pick it up or something. So we had to re-test on Friday and Carol called me on Sunday night to say that the test was negative. So I’m glad we don’t have to worry about that.

My dad built us this beautiful dresser and brought it up on Monday night! We love it. It’s so nice to have lots of drawer space to put baby things. The rest of our cloth diapers came yesterday, so I’ve been prepping them. I think we have everything ready for our baby to come! I’ve been trying to get loose ends wrapped up at work so they will be fine while I’m gone. It’s kind of hard not knowing when I’ll go into labor for planning purposes. I’m going to work until the 27^th unless I go into labor before that. Then maternity leave! I’m very excited.

The comments I get from people are funny. Some people think I look small for being almost due, and other people think I look big (mostly family members). I think I’m just right and that the baby will be average size probably. At my midwife appointment today I measured 34 cm. Last time it was 36 cm. That means the baby has dropped into my pelvis! I'm feeling more pressure down there and my belly feels heavier. Our appointments now consist of checking my urine and my vitals, listening to the heartbeat, and answering any questions. Since I go every week, I don't have too many questions each time. We're all getting excited for this baby to be born!

Changes this week: I never know if I’m going to sleep well or not. Some nights I sleep okay and only get up 2 or 3 times, other nights I’m up 6-7 times and am awake for an hour or two in the middle of the night. It’s frustrating and then I’m tired all day. Well, I’m tired all day anyway  I’d like to at least be rested for the labor/birth, because I know I won’t be rested with a newborn.

I took a top down photo of myself yesterday to give you a perspective of what I see when I look down :)

37 Weeks

1/4/12

The baby is officially full term today  That means if it was born, it’s lungs would most likely be mature enough to breathe on their own. That’s exciting! It’s getting ready to come out. I’ve been having lots of Braxton Hicks contractions.

We had our midwife appointments on Friday and today. On Friday they checked my dilation (because they were doing the Group B Strep test) and I was at 1 ½ cm and soft. I’d say that’s a good start! It really doesn’t predict when labor will start though. It could be this week, or it could be in 4 weeks. We’ll just have to wait and see. Everything else is looking great though! The baby is in the optimal birthing position and has been that way for a few weeks, not really moving out of it too much except for the daily squirming and wiggling it likes to do. Last night Andy put his ear right where the baby’s back is and he heard the heartbeat. It was pretty cool.

We finished out our Staycation on Monday. It was so nice to get lots of things checked off my to do list. We made lots of meals and put them in our freezer for after the birth, we bought the rest of our diapers and other things we still needed (carseat, breast pump, etc.). We’re mostly ready for this baby to come! I still have some things to do, but not nearly as much. I do need to finish the play mat quilt I’m making. All I have left is the binding. I knitted a cute little green hat on Monday night while we watched E.T.

Changes this week: My stomach feels like the skin is about stretched to the max this week. I think I’m starting to get some stretch marks around my belly button  Oh well. It’s all for the baby. Other than that I’m doing good. I think the baby has started to drop a little bit, I have to pee more frequently and there’s more pressure on my bladder. Hiccups feel lower as well. It’s in launch position!

Cravings this week: Milk! I can’t get enough of it. On Monday I was craving biscuits, so I made some yummy Biscuits Supreme like my mom always makes from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. They were delicious.

Only three more weeks until our due date! We’re counting down the days now. I should make a paper chain…

36 Weeks

12/28/11

We're in the last month until our due date! Only 4 weeks left, but honestly, I'm expecting to go over the due date. So we may have a little longer than a month. We'll see :)

Christmas was wonderful this past weekend. We went down to my family's house on Friday afternoon and got back on Monday. My sister and family, my brother, and my Grandma were all there (and obviously my parents). My mom and dad let us have their bedroom, which was so nice, especially since I had to get up and use the bathroom several times a night. We ate lots of good food, and even had a little baby shower on Monday with my extended family. It was so nice to be home.

We were supposed to have a midwife appointment this morning, but I got a call that the midwives were with a lady in labor so it got moved to Friday morning. I'm curious to see what position the baby is in. I think it's still left occiput anterior which is great... the ideal birthing position. I feel like it's starting to get cramped, because when it moves I feel it in several different places. It's really fun feeling it move around, except when a foot tickles me behind the ribs when I'm trying to sleep. That has only happened a few times though :)

We got some more money at our baby shower, so on the way home from Grenada we stopped at Costco in Medford and found a pack n play and a carseat for way inexpensive! And today we went into Salem and found a glider on Craigslist that is in great shape. Then we went to Target and finished buying things for our registry with 10% off. Now we just have to get some things on Amazon and we'll be set! We're good and ready for this baby to come at any time.

Changes this week: I think I'm really starting to stick out there. I still don't really look terribly pregnant from behind, but my belly sure is there. No stretch marks yet though, fingers crossed... We're getting so excited to meet our baby!!!!!

Our friend Kristen took maternity photos of us last month and gave some of them to us yesterday. They turned out very cute... so here they are!

35 Weeks

12/21/11

This week Big Baby is about 5 ¼ pounds and is over 18 inches long. It just has some more fat to put on before it’s ready to be born, hopefully sometime in the next 5-6 weeks  We’re getting so excited! I’ve been majorly nesting with huge to-do lists every night when I get home. Andy’s been great about helping me get stuff done. The only frustrating thing to me is being at work and not being able to check things off my list.

We had our midwife home visit this morning. We’re getting supplies ready for the birth, and hopefully we’ll pick up the birthing tub this weekend. As of today, I can officially give birth at home (until 43 weeks).

We’ve been working on our baby names. We’ve had a girl name picked out for a long time, but the decision on a boy name remains difficult. We said we’d have our names picked out by Christmas, so we have a few days still to decide. There are a lot of funny guesses as far as names on our baby pool (bebepool.com/jillcpullen)  I really doubt we’ll name the baby Hermeker or Festis.

This weekend is Christmas! We’re heading down to see my family on Friday, and then we’ll come back up on Monday. It will be fun to see everybody. I’m anticipating lots of comments on my belly from people at my parents’ church. It’s kind of strange that we’re celebrating our last Christmas with just us in our family. We’re excited that we’re going to have a baby to share Christmas with next year.

The night before last I dreamt that our doctor friend Guesly had an ultrasound machine on his phone and he scanned my belly. Then he and his wife Sara knew what the gender of our baby was, and she told me that it was a girl. I told her not to tell anyone and I wouldn’t tell Andy in the dream. That was the first gender dream I’ve had about this baby. Every time I dream about it it’s just a baby, not a boy or girl. Andy keeps dreaming that it’s a boy… so we’ll see!

Changes this week: I’ve been having major hip pain in both hips by the morning. Getting up and walking on the treadmill or doing yoga helps. Last night I curled around my pregnancy pillow and made a cushion for my hip and slept on top of that with another pillow between my knees. That seemed to help, so I might just have to do that for the next month. Also, the baby has been pushing all of my organs around so much that my stomach is way high. When I drink anything and then bend at all, it gurgles really loud  It’s kind of funny. I’m still feeling good overall at 35 weeks! I’m excited about that. I have little to no swelling and mostly only weight gain in my belly area. I’m really liking pregnancy!

34 Weeks

12/14/11

We’re really moving along here in this last trimester! Only 6 weeks until our due date, 3 weeks until full term. The baby’s almost 5 pounds now, and I’m still feeling good! I walk briskly on my treadmill or do yoga every morning, so I think that has helped a lot. I’m also eating pretty well.

Except for Saturday night… We went with a group from our church to put on a Christmas party for the inmates at Hillcrest Youth Correctional Facility. It was really cool to be able to do that for those boys, but the food there was not good! Fried chicken, jojo’s, and lots of sweets. I was swollen for two days after that  Thankfully that has gone down. I also went to a knife techniques class with my friend Kristen on Saturday morning in Portland, which was a ton of fun! I learned all kinds of things about knives and slicing/dicing.

Sunday afternoon was my Foothills church baby shower. There was a lot of people there (probably 35-40 or more), and we got a lot of very nice things. The baby’s room is kind of a disaster right now because we just put everything in there on the floor. Hopefully we’ll have time this weekend to get it sorted out and make returns of some duplicates. I feel very blessed though from everyone’s generosity.

We had our 34 week midwife appointment today. Everything's looking great still! The baby has moved around to anterior instead of posterior, which is great. Hopefully it will stay in that position, or a least get in it at the birth. The heart rate was 138 bpm. I had my iron levels tested, and they were great. I also got Easy Birthing formula to start taking next week, which will hopefully help me have a faster, more productive labor. Next week is our midwife home visit. I asked Carol when her first time moms usually deliver, and she said about 7-10 days after their due date! So I'm really starting to expect a February baby :)

We also met with our doula today to discuss and sign her contract. Her name is Amy and we really like her. I think she will be a great asset to our birthing team. We're getting excited about bringing this baby into the world!

Changes this week: Actually in the past few weeks I’ve been suffering from pregnancy stuffy nose at night. It’s pretty lame because then I have to breathe out of my mouth and it gets really dry. We got a humidifier at our baby shower, so we’ve been using that and it has been helping a little bit. My hip pain comes and goes at night still, and I've been getting up to use the bathroom about once every two hours, so that all makes for not good sleep, unfortunately. I wish I had time for naps every day, but I don't. I do, however, take advantage of nap time on the weekends. :)