We may get a March 11 baby afterall!

Early on in my pregnancy, Teirney and I both decided March 11 would be a good day for Bebita to arrive. March 11 is significant because it is exactly 8 years from the day Teirney and I started dating. In addition, it is not too close to our anniversary (March 16), so we can keep the two celebrations separate, and last but not least, it is before March Madness so Teirney would be able to stay home the following week, just in time to watch a ton of basketball with his new little daughter. So we have had little talks with Bebita to convince her that March 11 would be a good day for her to make her debut.

Now to explain. Today I had a NST to monitor Bebita and check my blood pressure. My blood pressure was high again when I first got there (160/90), but gradually came down (130/90) as I was being monitored. My midwife said the NST was good and Bebita looks fine, but my blood pressure is still disconcerting. The good news is that the 24-hour urine test and labs they did earlier this week were normal. The concern is that because I have preliminary signs of Preeclampsia, my condition could change very quickly at any given time, so that is why she wants to watch me very closely. She said the only reason I got a ticket out of the hospital on Wednesday was because my blood pressure went down when they turned me on my side, otherwise, they would have induced me on Wednesday. She said she really doesn't think my blood pressure will go back down -- it will either stay the same or could get worse -- until I have this baby. So I remain on strict bedrest.

My midwife wants me to do another 24-hour urine sample beginning Sunday and then I have another NST next Tuesday and Friday, as well as a growth ultrasound on Friday (my belly is measuring 35 cm). She said if things look worse, they will induce me. But if things look the same next week, she will induce me at 39 weeks (the following week). So Bebita will either be here next week or the following week for sure, which is where March 11 comes in. I am 39 weeks on March 10, so if they would induce me that day, there is a good possibility that I would have her on March 11 (with the way inductions usually go). So there are still a lot of "ifs," but you never know, it could happen.

I'm just so grateful that I'm still going to have a March baby and I'll hopefully be over this awful cold by then. I was just dreading the possibility of being induced this week because I couldn't imagine going through labor in this condition.

So my prayer is that no matter what happens, Bebita arrives safe and sound and perfectly healthy. I am quite worried about being induced as I've seen how long and drawn out they can be and not to mention a lot of inductions can end up in c-section. I was hoping to go into labor on my own, but I guess that just wasn't meant to be.

I'm so blessed to have my mom come and stay with me as of next Tuesday until sometime after Bebita is born. Thank you, Mom! :-)

Please keep us all in your prayers in the next week or so as we make final preparations to meet our sweet little angel baby.

L&D Photo

Here is a little memento from our excursion to Labor and Delivery today. Lovely, eh? I appear to be strapped down. :-)

Week 37: "Swiss Chard" (full term)

Congratulations — your baby is full term! This means that if your baby arrives now, her lungs should be fully mature and ready to adjust to life outside the womb, even though your due date is still three weeks away.Your baby weighs 6 1/3 pounds and measures a bit over 19 inches, head to heel (like a stalk of Swiss chard). Many babies have a full head of hair at birth, with locks from 1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long. But don't be surprised if your baby's hair isn't the same color as yours. Dark-haired couples are sometimes thrown for a loop when their children come out as blonds or redheads, and fair-haired couples have been surprised by Elvis look-alikes. And then, of course, some babies sport only peach fuzz. (http://www.babycenter.com/)

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I'm officially full term!!! Here is my 37 week belly pic.

Well, today was a long and scary day. I went to see the midwife at 11:45 for my scheduled 37 week appointment. My blood pressure was high again (144/88) and I still had a little more than .2 protein in my urine (my understanding is that anything over .3 is Preclampsia). My midwife was concerned and unfortunately my 24-hour urine results weren't in yet. She soon discovered that my urine never got sent to the lab, it was still sitting in office lab's refrigerator. My midwife was not happy and gave the lab person a piece of her mind. She was needing those results to determine how to proceed with my medical care. She had them put a rush on it, but wanted me to go to Labor and Delivery in the meantime for them to monitor my blood pressure and wait for the results. She said if my blood pressure went down, she would probably send me home on bedrest, but if it didn't they would deliver me today. Scary!

Teirney wasn't with me and I was a bit emotional. I called Teirney to let him know what was going on and he had his friend, Dave, give him a ride to the hospital. By the time Teirney got there, I was all set up on the monitor in a birthing suite. The machine they hooked me up to monitor's the baby's heartrate, utero activity (contractions), and it took my blood pressure every 10 minutes. For the first hour my blood pressure was continuously high, so the midwife had me turn on my left side to see if that would make a difference. It did! All of the readings when I was on my side were quite a bit lower -- first in the 120s and then in the low 100s. I think one of my final readings was 102/66, so it made a significant difference. The nurse came in at one point and said that my blood work came back okay and my 24-hour urine was not over the .3, so that was good news.

They monitored me for about 2 hours and for the latter portion of that time my blood pressure stayed low as long as I was on my left side, so the nurse came in and said I could go home. But they put me on strict bedrest. I must stay in bed or on the couch at all times. I can only get up to go to the bathroom, eat meals, and take 1 shower a day. I was so relieved they did not induce me today, but a little bummed that I was put on bedrest, especially "strict bedrest." As long as I can keep Bebita in her warm cocoon until the first week of March, I'll be happy.

I have to go back on Friday for a NST and to see my midwife again. Of course, Teirney has been so sweet to me through all of this, taking such good care of me (as always). I'm not sure I'll be able to handle 3 weeks of bedrest, but some women have endured much more. We'll just have to take one day at a time.

My parents were planning on coming down next week for a meeting my dad has, so the timing couldn't be better. My mom even mentioned she might stay with me until the baby comes, which would be wonderful.

I will post again on Friday to give everyone an update. Stay cookin', Bebita! We love you!

Q: What does a toilet, a plastic hat, a jug, and a refrigerator all have in common?

A: 24-hour urine test!!! Yay for me!

So to back up, I called my midwife this morning because Bebita has been very quiet the last couple days. She is normally pretty active in the morning (before I get out of bed) and at night before I go to bed. Over the weekend, I would feel her move every once in awhile during the day, but she was very quiet in general and barely moved (if at all) during her normal active times in the morning and at night. Teirney even noticed it because we have a family routine of cuddle time in the morning and she just wasn't moving like normal yesterday and today. My midwife said I should come in for a NST (non-stress test) just to be on the safe side. So I got ready, picked up Teirney and went in at 10:00 this morning. Of course, on the way there, she started moving a little more and by the time they hooked me up to the machine she was going nuts in there rolling around like crazy. So the good news is Bebita is fine and her heartrate was great.

The bad news, however, is that my blood pressure was pretty high today (144/80), I had more protein in my urine than I did last week, and my weight was up 3 pounds in just 5 days (since my last appointment). I continue to see floaters, but I haven't had any headaches or significant swelling, so I don't have all of the symptoms for Preclampsia, but I have some. She expressed some concern though and wanted to do some blood tests and have me do a 24-hour urine sample. So for the next 24 hours I have to pee in a plastic hat, pour it into a container, and put it in the refrigerator...fun, fun.

My next appointment is on Wednesday and they will evaluate everything at that point to see if it would be necessary to put me on bed rest to keep my blood pressure down. She did mention the "i" word (induction), but I don't think they would go there unless I start exhibiting other signs of Preeclampsia, like excessive swelling and/or headaches. We'll just have to play it by ear and see what happens. I'm sure everything will turn out fine, but I'm glad they're monitoring it closely.

I'm sure I'll still be having a March baby, no worries (we hope so anyway)! :-) I'll probably do my 37 week post on Wednesday after my appointment to give everyone an update.

Week 36: "Crenshaw Melon"

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.At the end of this week, your baby will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely she's in a head-down position. But if she isn't, your practitioner may suggest scheduling an "external cephalic version," which is a fancy way of saying she'll try to coax your baby into a head-down position by manipulating her from the outside of your belly. (http://www.babycenter.com/)

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I'm just 6 days from being full term -- woohoo!!! Here is my 36 week belly pic.

I crossed a milestone this past week...my 30th birthday! I cried, but I tried to take comfort in the fact that I'm extremely happy to be having a baby. We are very blessed and I wouldn't change a thing -- it was worth the long wait. And at least I have Bebita to focus on right now, instead of how old I'm becoming.

I've been feeling pretty well aside from the SPD pain I've been having. I have my good days and bad days -- unfortunately, today is a bad day. Other than that though, I feel relatively good. I had a chiropractor appointment on Monday and I told her that my blood pressure had been high at my last appointment with the midwife, so she took my blood pressure and it was 140/90 (extremely high). If I didn't already have my appointment with the midwife scheduled for today, I would have called her, but I just waited it out until today.

I was a little nervous going in for my 36 week appointment today, but my blood pressure was down to 128/80 today, so not horrible. There was still a little protein in my urine, but I'm not overly swollen so the midwife still wasn't too concerned about Preeclampsia. They rechecked my iron and it was 12.1, and they like it to be at least 12 or higher, so I'm good there. I also had my Group B Strep test today -- I'll get the results at my appointment next week. The baby's heartrate was 140 bpm today, but I forgot to ask what my belly was measuring. The midwife also did an internal and my cervix is still closed with no effacement. I'm hoping by next week I'll have a little progress since I'll be full term, but I have a feeling I'm going to be a 40 plus weeker. I'm really hoping I can avoid being induced, but I'm prepared for the worst.

I get to go meet with Jen and Lisa and their babies this afternoon. I'm very excited to see them since its been awhile. I haven't yet met Sophia, Lisa's little girl, who was born on Christmas Eve day, so I'm excited about that. Speaking of which, I need to finish up a few things before I head out the door, so I'm making this short. Until next time...

Week 35: "Honeydew"

Your baby doesn't have much room to maneuver now that she's over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (pick up a honeydew melon). Because it's so snug in your womb, she isn't likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she'll spend the next few weeks putting on weight. (http://www.babycenter.com/)

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35/35!!! That's 35 weeks and 35 days to go!!! Here is my 35 week belly pic.

It's getting closer. I was online yesterday on one of the pregnancy forums I browse and one of the girls who was due the day after me had her baby over the weekend. That really freaked me out. The baby is in NICU for monitoring, but is doing very well. It makes it feel all that more real and also makes me realize I am nowhere near ready to have this baby yet. I don't think I'll be one of those girls who delivers early, so I probably have nothing to worry about, but just the fact that it could happen is a little nerve-wracking. I still need to go through and figure out what we still need -- mainly necessities at this point (diapers, wipes, sheets, burpers, changing pad, nursing stuff, etc.). And then, I will need to get my hospital bag together in the next couple weeks.

I still feel overwhelmed to the point of having a lack a motivation. Does that even make sense? I just feel like I don't know how to get it all organized or where to start and don't even feel like trying at this point. I've been really tired lately and with the pelvic pain I'm still having, the combination hasn't been a very big motivator. Although, it should be because it may just get worse from here. The clutter in our dining room isn't helping (we have unopened boxes of baby equipment laying around) because I feel like it clutters my brain -- Teirney said he will help me over the weekend.

We bought Bebita's coming home outfit the other week. There is a picture of it posted below.



No other new news at this point. It's a beautiful day outside today -- 58 degrees and sunny in February!!! I need to go out and make the most of it, so I'm planning on walking to Whole Foods to try to find something low sodium to make for dinner.

Week 34: "Cantaloupe"

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (like your average cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she's born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you've been nervous about preterm labor, you'll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies. (http://www.babycenter.com/)

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I feel and look huge! Here is my 34 week belly pic.

I've been battling a cold the last week, but I'm happy to say it seems to be going away. I started noticing Braxton Hicks contractions last week. I have them almost everyday now -- nothing timeable, but I have gotten quite a few in a row. I also have something called Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD). It is very painful for me to lift my legs one at a time (like when I put my jeans on), roll over in bed, and walk. Walking hurts during the day, but it is most painful when I get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom after having been laying down. I literally cry out in pain when I shift from one foot to the other while walking to the bathroom and sometimes wonder if I'll make it. Lately, I feel a clicking sensation in my pelvis in addition to the pain. I talked to my chiropractor about this today and she confirmed that is what it is. She said the adjustments she does to my back should help keep the front aligned too, which may help, but there is really no fix for it. My tailbone has been doing much better, but that discomfort has been replaced with this. Oh the joys of third trimester. I'm just hoping that I will be able to find some positions in labor that won't irritate it even more and cause more problems.

I had my 34 week appointment with my midwife today. I talked to her about the SPD as well and she said I can use a heating pad for the discomfort, but other than that there is nothing you can do for it. My blood pressure was high this week (130/80), I had a little protein in my urine, and I gained another 4 pounds in two weeks, which can all be signs of Preeclampsia, but may also mean nothing. Although I seem to be retaining some water in my hands, feet, and face, I'm not overly swollen. So the midwife said they will keep a close eye on everything, but she isn't too worried at this point. She also knows that my sister had Preeclampsia, so she knows it is in my gene pool. I was a little nervous going into my appointment because I had been to the chiropractor this morning and talked to her about the SPD and knew I was going to have to talk to the midwife about it too, etc., so my high blood pressure could have been high partially due to that. The midwife also said that my blood pressure was high for me, but wasn't high enough in general to be too worried about it yet. She said if I notice more swelling or other symptoms like headaches and/or changes in vision that I should give her call. Otherwise, my next appointment is scheduled for February 18. My belly measured 33 centimeters and we heard the heartbeat again, but I forgot to ask her what the heartrate was. The baby's head is down, which is a good sign seeing as there is not much room for her to move around in there anymore.

I'm done volunteering at City on a Hill now. With the way I've been feeling lately and being on the home stretch, I felt like it was time. I really enjoyed volunteering there and felt sad to tell Brooke, but hopefully I'll be able to help out again sometime in the future.

My prayer is that these minor issues won't turn into anything big and that my labor and birth of Bebita will go smoothly, but most of all that she will be healthy.