35 Weeks!

Time for an overdue update! After being taken off bedrest at 29 weeks, my next appointment did not go so well. My cervix had shortened back down to 1.1cm and I had funneling, which means that it was opening from the inside when I had contractions (signs of a weak/incompetant cervix... reason I've been on bed rest). Dr. Wagner checked my cervix for dilation (1cm/50% effaced, change from last time when I was barely a fingertip) and sent me to the unit for monitoring and after 4 hours I was able to go home. I was put on strict bed rest until I could come back Monday for a fetal fibronectin test and another ultrasound (this was on a Friday). So I spent the weekend in bed/on the couch behaving. Everything on Monday looked unchanged and the fetal fibronectin came back negative (99% chance I would not go into labor for 2 weeks). So back home again on modified bed rest until my next weekly ultrasound. 3 ultrasounds later (cervical lengths ranging from 1.1cm -2.1cm but no funneling), I am now 35 weeks pregnant and off of bed rest! At our last ultrasound, she was sucking her thumb and opening and closing her eyes. They got a profile picture of her and it looked like she had really big pouty lips (watch out Dad!) and LOTS of hair. Her last weight estimate was 4 lbs 15 ounces and that at my 33 week appointment. At my appointment last week, Dr. Wagner said we will stop the Procardia around 36-37 weeks and no more ultrasounds, just manual cervical checks. Basically I'm back to "normal" appointments and just waiting for her to get here. We did schedule an induction date, November 15th, but I am not sure if we will use it. I will be 39 weeks and if she isn't here yet I will probably let her decide when she wants to arrive. If I am dilated a lot more by then, I will consider it more seriously. Dr. Wagner has told me numerous times that my labor will probably be quick since it is my second baby, she is head down and very low, and my cervix is so thin. Which makes me a little nervous! But we will see... She hasn't done anything else by the rules so far so who knows, this labor could be longer than the last one!

I am feeling much more miserable this time than I felt with Cal. Nauseous all the time, crampy, swollen, horrible heartburn and indigestion... All that fun third trimester stuff. Still contracting on and off throughout the day. My biggest complaint at this point is the pubic/pelvic pain I have, especially at night. I have to wake up Korey to help me roll over and get out of bed to go to the bathroom because my pelvis feels like it is about to split apart. I had that a little with Cal, but not this bad. It actually gets better during the day, it's when I'm laying down or sitting for too long and then try to get up that it hurts. It doesn't help that she is so low and putting so much pressure on everything down there. Just taking it one day at a time until she gets here.

Calvin is excited, he asks almost every day if baby sister is done growing yet. Every once in awhile he asks to see my belly and he will talk to her. We are getting their room ready. Calvin has a new toddler bed and we turned his old one back into a crib for her (which he insisted on sleeping in that night). His favorite book is a Berenstein Bears book that we read every day called "The New Baby." It is about the bear getting a new bed because he outgrows his old one. I hear him in his room climbing into his new toddler bed and saying "there's no aches in my legs or pains in my knees!" Ha. And he has started calling Korey "Poppa" because that's what the little bear calls his dad in the book. He cracks us up. His teachers at the Y say he is so funny. The other day he told me that I was pretty and handsome (I don't remember what he wanted) and I told him he was smart and funny. He responded with "that's because I'm the TOTAL PACKAGE!" I started cracking up and asked him where he learned that and he of course said his daddy told him that. He has been telling people every since that he is the total package... Goodness...

I will post some belly pictures in another post. Definitely getting bigger (along with everything else but that's another story!) Next appointment is next Tuesday, will try to be better about updating before she gets here!