Almost there!
What a busy morning! I now have a pediatrician, I am preregistered at the hospital (so I just SHOW UP) and I saw one of the labor rooms so I know where I am going to be delivering. No food or water, unfortunately, or a DVD player, but they will let me wear my own clothes if I want and will store a bottle of sparkling wine so I can toast with P after my daughter comes into the world.
Here's where I am at the moment:
-baby is measuring at 38 cm (tape measure)
-I'm 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced
-my blood pressure is just fine and very low
-HER blood pressure was high...about 160, but the doctor thinks it's because I was running around the hospital doing all that stuff before I came in which I normally don't do before my appointments and because I ate about an hour before my appointment...I usually wait and eat after my doctor's appointments
-I tested negative for strep so no antibiotics
-the fluid that I've been leaking the last few days that I've been blogging and journaling about is just normal discharge and not amniotic fluid like I feared
-she was able to feel the baby's head when she checked my cervix (There's actually a BABY IN THERE!!!!!)
-I'm retaining TONS of water...she confirmed it after looking at my feet, my hands, and of course, the scale. It wouldn't surprise me if I'm retaining 20 lbs of water. My mom had the same problem when she was preggers with me...my dad said she lost like 35 lbs in the 48 hours after I was born.
AND...this the scariest of all......
she told me that after Friday (36 weeks exactly for me) I could go into labor, start contractions, have my water break, and they WOULD not stop it.
Oh, my goodness. This is so close. I need to clean! I need to pack my bag! I need to shop!
So here's the question for you veterans after hearing my stats...how likely is it that I'm going to have this kid in the next two weeks?
I tried to pin down my doctor and she absolutely would NOT say...she just smiled a little smile and said that if my water breaks or if I have contractions 3-5 minutes apart for an hour, get my bag and go to the hospital and get ready to become a MOM! Ideally, I'd LOVE to have the baby (if I had my choice) the weekend of November 4-6...so my maternity leave would start on November 7. Any earlier than that, it's really going to screw up my plan for returning to work! If I had known there was a chance of me going out earlier than the middle of November, I would have saved vacation time to use at the end of the year, but the way my company works, you are out on LOA FIRST and then use your vacation time after your sick time is used up, and if my sick time ran into 2006, I would have lost my 2005 vacation time, so I took a chance.
Anyway, she's moving like crazy and I'm trying to stay calm and not get too excited!
Here's where I am at the moment:
-baby is measuring at 38 cm (tape measure)
-I'm 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced
-my blood pressure is just fine and very low
-HER blood pressure was high...about 160, but the doctor thinks it's because I was running around the hospital doing all that stuff before I came in which I normally don't do before my appointments and because I ate about an hour before my appointment...I usually wait and eat after my doctor's appointments
-I tested negative for strep so no antibiotics
-the fluid that I've been leaking the last few days that I've been blogging and journaling about is just normal discharge and not amniotic fluid like I feared
-she was able to feel the baby's head when she checked my cervix (There's actually a BABY IN THERE!!!!!)
-I'm retaining TONS of water...she confirmed it after looking at my feet, my hands, and of course, the scale. It wouldn't surprise me if I'm retaining 20 lbs of water. My mom had the same problem when she was preggers with me...my dad said she lost like 35 lbs in the 48 hours after I was born.
AND...this the scariest of all......
she told me that after Friday (36 weeks exactly for me) I could go into labor, start contractions, have my water break, and they WOULD not stop it.
Oh, my goodness. This is so close. I need to clean! I need to pack my bag! I need to shop!
So here's the question for you veterans after hearing my stats...how likely is it that I'm going to have this kid in the next two weeks?
I tried to pin down my doctor and she absolutely would NOT say...she just smiled a little smile and said that if my water breaks or if I have contractions 3-5 minutes apart for an hour, get my bag and go to the hospital and get ready to become a MOM! Ideally, I'd LOVE to have the baby (if I had my choice) the weekend of November 4-6...so my maternity leave would start on November 7. Any earlier than that, it's really going to screw up my plan for returning to work! If I had known there was a chance of me going out earlier than the middle of November, I would have saved vacation time to use at the end of the year, but the way my company works, you are out on LOA FIRST and then use your vacation time after your sick time is used up, and if my sick time ran into 2006, I would have lost my 2005 vacation time, so I took a chance.
Anyway, she's moving like crazy and I'm trying to stay calm and not get too excited!
posted by Erica at 10:54 AM
MoiraKatydid
emgonz
emgonz@msn.com
12 Comments:
I think you got another week or two left. Although, truth be told, I'm still hoping for a Halloween baby for you! hee hee
I'm glad everything is looking so good. that's great news. :-)
In all honesty, the measurements you have mean virtually nothing. If you're sure of you LMP, then regardless of how large or small the baby is measuring that's your due date. 36 weeks is just the normal cut-off for stopping labor, so that's actually not a surprizing statement. And 1 cm, 50% could still easily leave you with weeks left.
Just remember the old adage - first babies are usually *late.* You tend to dilate/etc. earlier, but even the mucas plug can come out weeks before you deliver.
Now, the other side of this is family history. In the last 50 years my family's not had a child born after 37 week, so I can fairly easily assume my son will be roughly as early as my daughter was. May or may not be true, butit's a good guess. So I would ask mom (or dad.) Were you early or late? Were any sibligs you have (are you an only child? I can't remember?) What about the two of them/cousins/neices/nephews. It's really the only was to get a decent guess going.
Personally, assuming you don't have any family history to suggest otherwise and you're sure of your LMP, I would assume you have at least 3-4 weeks (if not a few more) left.
I walked around 2-3 cm dilated (depending on who examined me)for 4 weeks. DD was 8 days late and my water never broke on it's own. At 36 weeks, you are pretty much considered full term, so that just means the baby will be fine should she want to come now. Relax. It will happen. :)
DD#1 was 2.5 weeks late - we had to induce. DD#2 was right on time.
Babies pretty much come when they want to, so I wouldn't bank on any particular time...
Hey Erica! The safest bet is not to even try to plan! My first was 2 weeks late, which was exactly the cut off for having her at home. And they were telling me that it could be "anytime" for at least a month. Don't fret too much! Oh, and my #3 is a Halloween baby! It's cool! =o)
Carrie in Colorado
Yup, I'll second and third what everyone else has said! First babies tend to arrive later vs. earlier and the more eager you are, the longer it's going to seem to take. My second child *dropped* at 32 weeks...head down, in the canal, the whole shebang. The dr. was a bit worried that I'd go into labor too soon...and he was still 2 weeks overdue. :)
I am so looking forward to hearing that your baby has arrived :) Babies come when they want to - thats part of the fun of late pregnancy, try to outguess baby! Maybe it will be a Thanksgiving baby?
I'll defer to the superior knowledge - you're already further along than I got with my DD! But like Rachel said - at 36 weeks, you're considered 'full-term', so they won't try to stop labor.
(Not that trying to stop labor will work if the baby is intent on arriving early!)
What Rachel said.
Starting at 30 weeks, I was measuring 2 to 3 weeks ahead for the rest of my pregnancy. DS was born 4 days after his due date, no induction necessary. And he only weighed 7lbs 13oz...which was smaller than the doctor predicted by the way I was measuring. He thought the baby was gonna be huge, and he wasn't.
It also really depends on who is measuring you...some people take measurements differently. Whenever the OB would measure me, I was 2-3 weeks ahead, when the NP measured me, I wasn't quite that far ahead.
The first one was a few days early, the 2nd one on time, the 3rd one a week late and the 4th one almost a week early. Not on one of them did my water break before I went into labor (they always had to do it at the hospital).
Your best bet is to have a small bag packed and ready to go and be with you in the car (or wherever you are). Be sure to bring a comfy pj or jammy or tshirt that you can wear during labor (so much nicer than the gowns a hospital provides).
And relax...... McKenna will come when she is good and ready.
TC
McKenna will arrive when she arrives, and you can't plan anymore precisely than that. I'll tell you this though, with both my kids I walked around 50% effaced and 3-4 cm dilated for months! Both Drs (PA & AZ) told me I'd probably go early. DD arrived 24 hours before they would induce me at 2 weeks late. DS was induced at 2 weeks late, so don't think that just because you're starting you're going to come early or hit that due date. I'm telling you this, because I want to warn you that the last 2 weeks (the overdue weeks) are very very tough when you've started effacing and dilating and think you're coming early. Its depressing! {{Hugs}} and if you need to talk, bercause you end up in a similar situation, just let me know!
I'll agree with everyone...first babies are usually "late". My son went three days past his due date, even though he'd clearly dropped before then, I was 2 cm dilated and partially effaced. My water did break with him (I recommend a waterproof cover on your mattress...LOL)
By contrast, my daughters each came on the first day of my 36th week (15 months apart) and my water didn't break with either of them.
Pack your bag ;-) The list in the What to Expect When You're Expecting book is a good one, if a bit on the excessive side.
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