thirty-eight weeks

written February 7th

Wohoo!  I made it to 38 weeks!  But apparently that is all she wrote.  My OB served Miss Elsie with her eviction notice today.

I knew the appointment wasn't going to go too smoothly just as the nurse finished taking my blood pressure.  She asked, "So.  How has your blood pressure been running lately?"  "Um, a tad high.  What was it?"  "146/90."  Fail.  So of course I get the 'lay down and we'll check it again' scenario.  Do you know what is really difficult when you are 38 weeks pregnant?  Trying to lay on your side on one of the exam tables.  Those things aren't really made for that.  Especially after they have already made you take your pants off and you're trying to cover your rear with the world's thinnest sheet.  But that is beside the point.

After what seemed like forever my doctor came in, not the nurse like I was expecting.  "Have they rechecked your pressure yet?"  "Nope."  "Well, I'll check it, and then we are going to have a little talk."  Even after laying down for a while my blood pressure had only come down to 132/85.  So it was no longer dropping way low like it had the last couple of weeks.  And after I sat up and swung my legs over the edge of the table, there was a HUGE indent in my shin where my other heel had been resting.  Disgustingly huge.  So apparently I'm pretty swollen and I didn't even know it. 

Basically my doctor said there was really no point in prolonging the inevitable.  There was no reason to continue the pregnancy and chance developing full on pre-e (no protein in the urine this week so no official pre-e diagnosis).  She wanted to induce me in the morning.  The whole darn thing sounds incredibly similar to my last appointment before Ryann was born, and her birth.  Apparently my body just doesn't really like being pregnant past 37-38 weeks.

Really at this point the biggest issue was Chris's schedule.  He is supposed to be working nights through the weekend.  I know it was (is) going to be tough on him and his coworkers to deal with the change in the schedule.  My doctor decided it really was best to schedule the induction anyway.  She said if he absolutely could not change his schedule she would give me until Monday, but I was to be on strict bedrest (up to pee, shower and eat) throughout the weekend.  Bah.

When I got home from my appointment I had to wake Christopher up to tell him the news.  Thankfully he was able to get his shifts covered.  Not sure what that will mean for the next couple of weeks of work, but he will be there for the birth of our second daughter, and that is what matters.  Hopefully everything will go smoothly.  I'm still only 3cm dilated and halfway thinned out, but I am praying that labor will go quicker this time.      
   
how far along:  38 weeks (compare to 38 weeks with Ryann)

size of baby:  according to the bump a pumpkin, between 18.9-20.9 inches long and weighing somewhere between 6.2-9.2 pounds.  You want to know what is absolutely terrifying the night before you give birth?  Having the thing inside your body that absolutely has to come out compared to a pumpkin. 

weight gain:  20.2 pounds.  Gained another 1.2 pounds this week.  Uhhhh junk food.  Pretty much.  Not too shabby though that my grand total mirrors that of my gain with Ryann, and I started out this pregnancy weighing 18 pounds less.  I hope the weight comes off as easily this time as it did last time.  But I really really hope to keep it off too! 

maternity clothes:  Yep.

symptoms:  Headaches, nausea, general uncomfortableness, a little bit of dizziness here and there.  Way way WAY too much lightning crotch.  Sorry for the TMI.

exercise:  Running errands and cleaning is about it.  The hubs nixed the exercise once my blood pressure went extra wacky.

cravings/aversions:  Nothing specific.  Just food.  Depends on what is in sight.  :o)

movement:  She is pretty quiet throughout the morning and early afternoon.  By 8pm my belly is a three ring circus.  Seriously.  And it doesn't stop until I manage to fall asleep.

sleep:  I do good until about 4:30am, from there on it is hit or miss.  That is about the time I go to the bathroom, and it depends on what my brain is churning up whether or not I sleep for another hour or so.

gender:   A little miss.

looking forward to: Oh you know, meeting my baby girl tomorrow.  Nothing huge.

worries:  Um, I'm going through labor and giving birth tomorrow.  Please tell me what I shouldn't worry about?  I'm bringing another human into this world, who I know I will want nothing more to protect from anything and everything.  And I'm totally changing the life of my first born.  I'm terrified of how she could react.  All of those things are swirling around my brain.  But the honest truth is I know it will all be fine.  It is tough, but it will all be fine.

what's different this time:  I got to sleep in my own bed the night before I was induced.  Granted, it was all by my lonesome, but it is my bed.  And I get to wake up in the morning and take a shower more or less on my own terms.  I'll take it.

milestones:  just a few hours shy of Elsie's birthday!

best moment this week:  This week was pretty good.  Got some stuff accomplished around the house, got a pedicure with my bestie... overall there isn't anything that I can really complain about.

Honestly it is impossible to describe everything in my brain right now.  I'm emotional, and completely in denial at the same time.  I'm excited.  I'm scared.  I'm anxious.  Just trusting that everything will turn out as it was meant to, and tomorrow I will be a mommy to two little girls.

Ohmygawd.

That is just plain insane.