38 weeks - Getting So Close (and HUGE!)

We had our 38 week appointment today and everything looked GREAT. The baby is still head down, and his heartbeat sounded good. My health is still doing well, although the daily discomforts continue to mount :) We found out today that I am already 1+ cm dilated. That doesn't really mean much in terms of when I'll go into labor, but it's nice to know that my body is doing what it is supposed to. Ever since my appointment today I've been having lots of dull hip and back pain, and quite frequent, but painless, contractions. I may just be wishful thinking, but it's hard to imagine going late when I have all these signs of impending labor. I suppose this is how every 38 week pregnant woman feels though! We are all convinced we'll go early :)

STATUS: Heading to the hsopital - 2:30 pm Saturday

My contractions started at 7 am about 8 minutes apart and have gotten steadily longer, stronger, and closer together all day. I'm to the point now where they are very painful, and I'm ready to head into the hospital. Wish us luck!

Happy 4thof July!

Happy 4th of July!!

Great news - the baby has turned head down and is all ready to be born! He seems to have "dropped" and may be engaged in my pelvis already. I feel a ton of pressure down there, and sometimes a bit of pain too. I was monitored for 20 minutes at my last appointment, and not only did we get to hear our son's healthy and steady heartbeat, but we also got to see that I was having mild contractions. I wasn't even really feeling them (which is great!). I hope this means that my body is making some progress toward labor. We also got one more ultrasound - they had to measure my fluid levels. Since he was turned facing my back, we couldn't see his face at all, but we saw his heart and all his rib cage. Very exciting!

We are now considered full-term, so he can really come at any time and be considered a perfectly healthy baby. Needless to say we are ready to meet him. These last few weeks have been trying with me being so large and tired, and it getting hot out. But we just want him to come when he is ready :) Still feeling LOTS of movement, and Nate can often see my belly moving drastically. I wonder if he'll be so active out of the womb?? I get TONS of hiccups too.

Here are some pictures of Hayden's finished nursery!

Hayden Belly

We had our final baby shower this weekend here in California, and Hayden really got some beautiful things. We have all been so lucky to have such great family and friends who have gathered now in 3 states to throw showers for us. It really means a lot!! We went ahead and purchased everything else that we needed, so our baby shopping appears to be complete and we are ready for Hayden! The bassinet is set up in our room (that is a shock to wake up to), the carseat is installed, and the swing and stroller are all set up and just waiting for a baby :)

I am meeting with 2 birth doulas this weekend and I'm *very* excited for that. A doula is a person trained and experienced in childbirth who provides continuous physical, emotional and informational support to a laboring mother. When a doula is present during and after childbirth, women report greater satisfaction with their birth experience, make more positive assessments of their babies, have fewer cesareans and requests for medical intervention, and less postpartum depression. Studies have shown that babies born with doulas present tend to have shorter hospital stays with fewer admissions to special care nurseries, breastfeed more easily and have more affectionate mothers in the postpartum period. Nathan and I are committed to having a natural childbirth, and we really think that with the help of a doula that we will be able to accomplish this goal!!

Hayden continues to make me grow ;) This past weekend it was HOT and that was uncomfy, but otherwise I'm doing really well. We have our next appointment on Wednesday so we should get an idea of how big he is, and if he is still breech (hoping not!). Here are some photos of my ever-expanding belly.

Rodeo

We are heading off to the Livermore Rodeo today - hee haw! I'm getting HUGE!! I still feel really comfy though (except when I sleep) and Nate is being great about giving me back rubs, and helping me up off the couch since my stomach muscles just no longer function :) Hayden is moving so much lately and Nate got to feel his little booty pushing out below my belly button this morning. So here are some of our most recent photos. Nate's dad got us a great jogging stroller, and Evi decided to give it a test drive. Fit her perfectly :)

32 weeks

I had my 32 week check-up yesterday and everything went well. I am right on track with my weight gain, my blood pressure is nice and low, and the baby's heartbeat was ~150 bpm. My doctor thinks that he is breech right now which is only a little concerning. About 15% of babies are still breech at 32 weeks, however only 3-4% of babies stay this way all the way to term. It's likely he'll turn on his own sometime in the next month, so keep your fingers crossed!!

It's hard to imagine, but this little man is already 15+ inches long and almost 4 pounds!! In the past few months the rapid weight gain has been due to an increase in fat stores and muscle. The baby can move his head from side to side, however he is now taking up so much room that his movement should start to slowly decrease (although I haven't noticed any slowing down yet - he still feels like he is playing soccer in my womb!). That is why it's a bit concerning that he is still breech - because the room to turn is becoming limited.

30 weeks!

I am 30 weeks now and things continue to go well. Here is us all decked out to attend a wedding last weekend. Finally people are regularly noticing that I'm pregnant and it's fun to chat about. Nate was joking that from behind I don't look pregnant at all, and then as soon as I turn to the side it's like WHOA! There's the belly :) I've included some funny photos he took last night.

No belly Whoa belly!

Well the nursery is still a work in progress, but I'll go ahead and post a few photos of us getting it ready. We still have a ways to go as far as decorating the walls, etc, but it's certainly coming along! It's really fun to walk in that room and imagine hanging out in there with Hayden in a few shorts months.