Pregnancy 1: Week 40 (We are Due!)

40 Weeks:

Symptoms: Cramping, general muscle discomfort, constant peeing (and need for water...what a cycle heehee), nesting cleaning alternating with bouts of exhaustion, lots of boredom at this point, anxiously awaiting our little guy now.

Weight: I have officially gained 20 lbs. I knew I would but man is it hard to hit that big 2-0. However, 20 lbs is still within the range my OB gave me and she told me not to worry too much about it as I am well within the range and doing very well.

OB Appointment: We started this week out with our final scheduled OB appointment. I have been pretty nervous leading up to this appointment because last week my OB said if we made it to today then we would discuss possible induction stuff as well as have her check my cervix for the first time (again I have been checked once before due to BH contractions but I wasn’t dilated or anything then...which was very good). So, this appointment actually went MUCH better than I had worried about. We went in and of course found out my weight, my healthy blood pressure (128/85), all negative urine sample, baby is head down still, his heartbeat was 155bpm, and he is measuring length-wise right on track. So beyond all the typical information we receive at the appointments we also had my cervix checked. We found out I am 1cm dilated (this is pretty minimal but a good sign of development occurring), 50% effaced (this is by far the best news, this means that baby is engaged in the pelvic area but he does still have another 50% to go), and more great news is that my cervix is very very soft (I attribute this primarily to the 6 dates a day, though sex also causes this so it could be a contributing factor. Either way this is also very good as it reduces the likelihood of tearing). So that was the cervical exam. Many suggest this is a very painful procedure. Please know it is different for each woman and each pregnancy. In my case it felt about the same as a regular annual women’s exam where there was slight discomfort but it was fine. Some also have spotting (bleeding) after and I did not have this happen to me.

The next part of the appointment was the part I was weary of the most….discussing induction. At first she suggested being induced on Monday (the 10th) but I asked if we could go a full 41 weeks before we attempted any type of natural or medical induction as I would like the full opportunity to go into labor spontaneously. Thankfully my OB said that without a doubt I can (that most women by now are telling her they want the baby out weeks ago) and that it is actually better for me and baby if I can go into spontaneous labor. Thus, we scheduled a 41 week appointment where she will check me again (again if we make it that far) and then we will decide what day to do a natural induction. So obviously the goal is labor to start on it’s own this week. However, if a “natural” induction is required then we have discussed the use of a double balloon (like the foley balloon that used to be used but updated to have double ends and is easier and more effective at inducing) to start the labor process. This will help us avoid a medical induction with pitocin and then the use of an epidural both of which we are still wanting to avoid! Noting all of this we are of course at home doing what we can to induce naturally now not because we are in a hurry for him to arrive but because we want to avoid these additional interventions as much as possible.

Labor Promotion: This week I did a lot of things in an attempt to promote labor. Long story short...obviously it didn’t happen yet. I have tried seriously nearly everything possible it seems. Let me throw out there the main things I have versus won’t try. I tried: intimacy (the number 1 way reported to help due to the prostaglandins), I do 6 dates a day which is supposed to help with my cervix (though that is more long term and I can tell you we have already seen results from it!), walks, exercise ball, prenatal yoga, spicy foods, nesting. The two main things I have heard people suggest outside of these are pineapple and primrose oil. When I searched pineapple the research suggests your mouth would me covered in sores by the time it actually takes effect as you would need to eat at least 8 entire pineapples (including the core) for it to be effective, yikes! And the second recommendation, primrose oil, used to be quite popular. Some say to take it both orally and vaginally however, research shows it is ineffective or at least makes no difference in inducing labor or positive effects on labor. Despite all I did I felt some minor cramping, lightning crotch, and occasional contractions but no steady labor still.

Baby Weekend: This weekend I found out my god-cousin (due in about 2 weeks time) had her baby girl via c-section. She had a rough start but they are both doing well. The next day of this weekend...another baby! Our friend’s sister had her baby at 34 weeks which was definitely an early start via emergency c-section but he too is doing so well along with mommy! I am so happy for all these babies, though I have to admit I was sitting here like where is mine?!

Other than babies this weekend was full of rain. I was inside for the end of the week due to rain so by weekend time I was just so glum and sick of walking laps only inside the house because the rain wouldn’t stop. Sooo….

Date Night: So after a long day of being stuck inside and just feeling glum Tomek, being his amazing self, took me to Longhorn steakhouse. This place has been pretty valuable in the continuing of our life plans. We had some serious talks about conceiving while here, we celebrated and announced to his parents that we were pregnant here, and so he said it only felt right to come here again before Patrick arrives. Also we had a very sweet waitress who got us a dessert for free as a “congrats, sorry you are overdue, and I hope he comes soon” type of gift! It was so yummy! We had the perfect ending to the day there for sure! She made jokes about my water breaking there, and I said honestly at this point I would accept it heehee.

Farmer’s Market: Another day and a way to avoid going crazy... Tomek and I decided to go to a local farmer’s market ourselves today. It is nice to get out and do things on the weekend especially because during the week I mostly just stay at home all the time (I really don’t drive much in general but with my belly and discomfort it is so much harder now too). Unfortunately it was still sprinkling rain so there were fewer vendors than normal but we quite enjoyed our time there and then he took me to a flea market and a store just so I could do some walking (I really wanted to walk but with all this rain it is difficult to do so). After that we came home and he made me dinner from some of our fresh market finds and I made us nice teas that we added in our fresh local honey to as well!!

Then since my legs were still a little sore from all of my exercise craze he made me a lavender epsom salt bath which was so relaxing!! I seriously can’t say enough how helpful this was for me! My husband truly is the sweetest man and has done so much to try to help me be comfortable and this pregnancy would not be such a breeze if it weren’t for him.

We are SO ready: I am ready for Patrick to be here, ready for us to start this journey with him in our arms, and we are still not showing any signs of labor other than some cramping. I am anxious and so the MANY messages I received asking where Patrick is, why I’m not in labor, if by chance I thought I would be soon, etc. are driving me even more bonkers! So today I posted to social media a quick note to everyone….

“Thank you everyone for your concern and desires to hear about our precious baby boy! However, please allow Tomek and I to have our space and when we are ready to share information about the birth of our baby boy (when it occurs) we will of course tell you all again when we are ready!

The current plan is to go into labor and Tomek will be there supporting both me and Patrick. We will NOT be texting people when we go into labor, updates on labor, or progress. We will have our son and start our family together and will not be telling people right then (yes old school!). We will enjoy some blissful time with our son plus have all of his checks, tests, etc done and so again we will not announce his birth until we are ready! Please do not ask for updates, assume you know where we are, or come just in hopes to catch it all. When we are ready we will start telling people and let people know when they can come visit (again please don't just rush over unless we give the all clear!) in the hospital!

So excuse this lengthy message, we are all doing fine but I hope this answers some things and will lead to much desired privacy as we await our baby boys arrival!”

Okay it maybe wasn’t the shortest but it hopefully got the point across. I have been doing very well so far, just minor aches and pains, but I am all about my privacy and space. I don’t want to feel like people are trying to steal, crowd, lessen this moment from me or my husband. I want it to be us time with our baby boy before everyone rushes in to be grandma, aunt, uncle, or any other title to baby. I am so happy we have these people in our lives and I truly hope what I said didn’t come off too abrasive but this is a very intense, personal, life altering experience for Tomek and I and I want to be able to enjoy it as the immediate family we will be now. Just the 3 of us! :) I decided to also separate from my phone and my social media which means I have lots of messages going unanswered but to be honest I am so glad...I of course still feel anxious about pregnancy related things but not having to repeat myself many times to everyone has been such a relief. So I hope everyone understands it is literally nothing personal to anyone, Tomek and I just need the calm now.

So outside of all that. I cleaned up Tomek’s whirlwind mess in the kitchen today. He is a great cook and tends to make magical foods over the weekends but I am always left with the aftermath when the week starts. Truly not a terrible compromise at times. I am glad I had something to do too. I cleaned the kitchen and all the dishes and then I just tried to relax and de-stress from everything. I sit on my exercise ball with some bouncing but I am not going crazy like before. Patrick is clearly going to come on his own time when he is ready and I don’t think anything will alter that so I am just going to try and focus on positive self-care, I am doing a HP puzzle now, and whenever he comes we will be blessed to have him. :)

Tuesday: Hello another day waiting for baby! What a great morning start having special cuddles with my husband. He is seriously the sweetest man ever! Heehee. I am definitely starting to feel more uncomfortable but am still doing well. I am feeling better compared to yesterday though when I was nauseous most of the day and just not feeling well. So today I have shut my phone off, am shutting out the world, watching HP, last nights dishes, scrubbed the bathroom top to bottom, gathered and took out the trash, and despite all of that attempting to rest up more before baby arrives. All in all though it has been a great day and when hubby got home he went for a walk with me with both pups. It was actually their first walk together. They both did quite well. Came home, hubby made a simple dinner for us (I haven’t been very hungry lately), and we rested. We had a phone meeting with our back-up doula just to make sure we were all on the same page (our primary will be gone over the weekend and so there is a chance we won’t have her then).

Wednesday: Despite having contractions yesterday from everything they all seemed to stop by like 10pm and I haven’t felt anything really this morning. Because of that I decided to take a walk (I felt bad I had to leave Ruby and only take Maggie because I can’t walk both of them) for about 30 minutes, walking a loop around the neighborhood. I came back home and got on my exercise ball and really haven’t felt much of anything. I am starting to get disheartened that Patrick is not going to come on his own and we will have to do a natural induction. I know he is getting there because the fact was that we were 50% effaced last week and when she did my cervical exam she said she could feel his head, just further back. So I am really hoping that if we do make it to our appointment Friday morning that she will at least see progress.