Tomorrow is my due date. Huzzah. Actually, my due date means nothing. NOTHING.
DISCLAIMER: This post is full of the rantings of an extremely pregnant woman. If you do not wish to know the details of dilation, effacement, or exactly why I do not sleep at night, please do not continue reading. If you are already a mother, these things probably don't faze you at all so please, keep reading as I could use all the advice and/or consolation I can get. Cheers.
I have been having zero contractions and I don't feel any premonition of labor. Do you have any idea how irritating that is? I had been telling myself that this baby would come early so that I would be unable to walk at my graduation which was on August 12. Well, it's now the August 21 and I am still pregnant.
The only good thing about still being pregnant this week is that my friend Jodi offered to take maternity/graduation pictures of me. We did the photo shoot Tuesday evening and it was so much fun. Kind of silly, though, to have a pregnant girl taking photos of another pregnant girl. My mom was taking pics on her camera and got this great one of Jodi laying on her stomach taking a picture of me laying on my back. We look fairly ridiculous but it's totally awesome. I can't wait to see how the pictures turned out!
I had my 39 week appointment on Thursday and the doctor checked to see if I was any more dilated or effaced from last week. At my 38 week appointment, I was 1/2 cm dilated and not effaced at all. This week I was 1 cm dilated and 80% effaced. 80%!! I asked my doctor what that meant and she said that my cervix is very thin so WHEN contractions start and become fairly regular, I need to get to the hospital 'cause this baby is gonna come fairly quickly. Awesome. Do you know what else that means? That means that my contractions are going to be evil since that is what makes a cervix dilate. Contractions. So unless my contractions have been happening incognito (HA), labor is going to be fast and furious. Which I guess is good? I don't know. I would rather have the option of having an epidural than being forced into a natural birth. We'll see, I guess. Nothing seems to be happening though.
I have spent a few hours at the Provo Rec Center pool this week walking laps. It feels so great to be in the water and not feel all the weight on the baby. Getting out of the pool is a cruel trick of nature and I hate it.
Also, the past two nights I have been sleeping worse than I ever have. Most nights I fall asleep quickly and then have to get up once or twice to use the restroom. Fairly common pregnancy stuff, right? Well the past two nights I have been unable to sleep, woken up to either almost puking or intense heartburn, and I have to use the restroom four or five times. Friday night I was also dealing with restless leg syndrome and that was pretty terrible. Needless to say I am sufficiently ready for this baby to get here.
My family has been in town from California since my graduation. We all had been hoping I would have the baby sometime this past week before my parents and youngest sister had to leave. Well, my dad and little sister are presently driving home to California since she is having her wisdom teeth out and my dad has to go back to work. My mom is staying here until Thursday but then she has to go home and take care of my sister while my dad goes back to work. I am really upset by the idea that my mom could be on a plane when I go into labor.
I asked my doctor about inductions and she said that the hospital won't allow it until I am 41 weeks pregnant. That would be August 29. If any of you know anything about BYU, you will know that August 29 is the first day of Fall semester. While I am no longer a student, Tyson still is. Also, his mom is a middle school teacher and she starts teaching again that week so she wouldn't be free to come down either. The nice thing about BYU is that most of the professors are really forgiving when it comes to things like babies. Mormons like babies. I want to have this baby like...oh, I don't know, TODAY so that things can be calmed down a bit before Tyson has to go back to school. That would suck horribly if I made it that far. Luckily, my mom promised me that whenever I have my baby she will be back here as soon as possible and that my dad and sister will come visit over Labor Day weekend. Labor Day. They loved that. It's like a joke!
I am thrilled that my brother and other sister are both students at universities here in town so that at least they'll be here whenever the baby comes.
Okay, this post has been exceedingly long and probably TMI for most of you who read it and I apologize for that. Everyone pray that I go into labor today and have this baby!!
5 comments:
Denise, you are almost done! Way to go! That is so awesome! You are going to have a wonderful birthing time with your baby! I want to let you know 3 things that I hope will ease your mind.
1. Dilation means nothing. It really doesn't. Some women walk around for months dilated to a 5. How much you are or are not dilated cannot predict when your birthing time will start, nor does it predict the intensity of your contractions. They might be very easy! 80% effaced is good though, your body is getting ready and your birthing time is going to be easy and fast. Some women go from a 2 to an 8 in minutes, you just never know! :) Go, girl!
2. I think that due dates are evil because they set up unrealistic expectations. The 40 week due day is the middle of a bell curve meaning about half of women (usually not first time moms) give birth in the two weeks prior, and the other half in the two weeks after and both are very NORMAL! First babies arrive on the average 41 weeks and 3 days. If you DO induce, Pitocin which is used to induce contractions can make very easy comfortable contractions seem like some kind of torture reserved for the damned. Natural contractions are really very gentle and become more intense when it is almost baby time. Totally doable! God designed that beautiful pregnant body perfectly, you can so do this!
3. Baby will come when you and he are ready (boys take longer to mature even in utero). The lungs begin to secrete a protein signaling labor to start. This is why the march of dimes has been pushing hospitals not to induce early. If the lungs are not mature, NICU stays are more common as well as later breathing problems such as asthma. You are already an amazing mom. Just listen to that little baking bun, hug him and tell him how much you can't wait to meet him.
Seriously though, these next few days or weeks are the best time because your baby is making the final preparations for his appearance. The best time because this is the last time that you have to visualize and dream about how amazing it will be. The best time because ________ fill in the blank. I think you are really cool. And I hope that this pep talk was encouraging. If not, please don't hurt me. Angry pregnant women scare me. ;) BTW where are those pictures from said maternity shoot?
I wish I had wise advice, but since I was induced with both kids, I got nothin'. Except to wish that I could be there as backup—just in case. When the time comes, you will be a superstar laborer, I'm sure, and that little man will be worth all of this. Good luck, Deedee! Love you!
Have the baby already, Denise!
You are so close! I know this is part that seems to drag on forever but once you get that little guy here, it won't seem like it was that bad after all. Don't worry too much that you haven't had any signs of labor. Sometimes there is no big warning. With Ben I was hardly effaced or dilated and I didn't have any contractions. I woke up the day before his due date in labor and had him 6 hours later.
Don't worry to much about getting the epidural in time either. I highly recomend them but Katy was born without one, they just couldn't get it to work for me that time, and it wasn't that bad. It was no picnic but it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Everyone likes to tell you their labor and delivery horror stories, don't listen. Thousands of women have babies every year and many of them go on to do it again so it must not be that bad. ;)
You're tough and you can do this! Waiting is the hardest part and the only advice I have for that is to just keep yourself busy so you don't notice it as much.
I can't offer advice but I like what Aubrey and everyone else has had to say. You're just amazing! Prayers are coming from WA. Love ya!
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