36 weeks, 5 days

Well, it looks like Thursday I will be 37 weeks along in this pregnancy. This is a nice milestone because supposedly Sophia will be considered full-term at this point. Excellent!

Today I had the first of my weekly doctor appointments. I am down 3 lbs from last visit. But last visit my appointment was at 3:30 pm. Today I weighed in at 10:00 am. This makes a big difference in my world. I have always weighed less in the morning than in the afternoon. I learned this from many days at weight watchers. If I knew I had a "bad" week, I would make sure that I weighed in at a morning appointment that next week. :) I thought everyone experienced this. But the nurse taking my weight seemed surprised at this. So, my total weight gain is at 14 lbs, for which I am very, very pleased. It's hard enough carrying this extra weight after taking off 80 lbs. I've been pretty careful not to put too much on. I've been very lucky to be able to maintain a good exercise schedule up until recently when my midwife suggested I not exercise in the pool in case my water breaks early. Risk of infection...blah, blah, blah. Doc later said I could be in the pool theoretically up until the water breaks, but I might not notice it and that I was probably safe at least until 36 weeks. Well, that was pretty much at 36 weeks when I got that info. So, I've just been walking lately, which is no easy task at this point!

So, back to the doctor's appointment, blood pressure is still doing great. Weight is good. I did show positive for GBS, which apparently is fairly common (15-40% of all women have it), and I will undergo antibiotics during labor/delivery. It's a bacteria that is common in our intestines, but usually doesn't manifest with symptoms. However, it can be dangerous for the baby if it's not treated during delivery. I'm so amazed at all the testing they can do now days to prevent complications. There is still a small risk, but we just keep on praying.

My doc measured my dilation which is still not dilated. Then he measured my uterus and remarked that she was a big girl. This was not news to me. We knew that there was a pretty good chance that she would be bigger than your average bear. She's coming from a family history with >10 lbs at birth. The big news was that doc said he might want her to go ahead at get here around 38 weeks. Whew. That's a little scary. And exciting! But still, that's only just over a week away. He did say that maybe we would shoot for around the 17th which would be around 39 weeks.

So, it looks like we may have our little girl sooner than expected. I always thought she might be late. Just another example where I make plans/predictions and God laughs at me :) He knows best and we are just so excited for her to get here!

4 weeks and counting

Well, here we are. Sophia's expected due date is 4 weeks from today. That's a bit exciting and overwhelming at the same time. It's getting closer and more real. I'm now beginning to wonder about how on earth I will figure out all those cries, what she needs, how to balance her wants. I wonder about labor. I'm sure it's hard as heck and many, many women have gone through this, which should be comforting; it's not however. The hardest fear for me is fear of the unknown. And now, the unknown has gotten a little more complicated. My childbirth class has been canceled. Only 3 people signed up for it. The reasoning behind cancelation is that the instructor wants at least 6 people to sign up. Well, darn. It's not like I've got another month. This is what I get for waiting until the last minute. I should have gone in January when it seemed way too early. February's date conflicted with my shower in Corpus. Now what? I don't know. I'm supposed to contact the instructor on Monday. Just seems frustrating to me. If the hospital is going to provide the service, they should provide the service. We'll see what happens when I talk with the lady on Monday. Otherwise, I'll have to drag hubby up to labor & delivery for my own private lesson with the nurses.

So, at 36 weeks, I'm feeling "girthy". I feel good and haven't had too much fatigue. A few cramping kind of feelings in my belly, but nothing consistent. She's still moving around, though now it's more like writhing rather than any kind of kick. I never get tired of feeling her move.

Otherwise, business is really picking up at work. Isn't that how it goes? Just before I get ready for maternity leave, things pick up :) Good for the hospital. I'll just truck along until Sophia makes her arrival!