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| 8/29/18 at 37+3 |
Lots has happened since my last bumpdate… so much so that we’re having a baby THIS WEEK! I turned 36 weeks on Sunday, 8/19, and 37 weeks on Sunday, 8/26. Here’s what’s been happening… and be warned that it’s kind of boring and repetitive, but I wanted to document all the appointments and happenings for myself.
Appointments and Hospitalizations
- I saw my doctor on Tuesday, 8/14, for my weekly check up (weekly already due to my elevated blood pressure). He wasn’t comfortable with my BP and sent me to triage for the second time to be monitored and have my blood drawn (to check for pre-eclampsia). Jerry and I spent two hours there. Everything was fine and my BP was normal the whole time. Go figure.
- I had my next appointment on Friday, 8/17 (yep, twice a week now). My own doctor was on vacation so I saw a different guy (whom I like and have seen before). He said that I had to “officially” be considered a high blood pressure patient now and would have me do weekly non-stress tests (NSTs) on Tuesdays and weekly check ups on Fridays. He also said that I would likely be induced at 38 or 39 weeks. Cue the getting nervous!
- I saw my own doctor again on Monday, 8/20. My BP was elevated, but not too awful (130s/90s), so no hospital visit – hooray! I got my strep test done which was a quick swab and easier than I thought, so that was a relief. He asked if I was still working and I told him yes. He was surprised and thought he had already pulled me out of work. Oops. So he said I needed to finish working ASAP so I could be home resting to keep my BP down. I asked him if I could work one more day, Tuesday, and he agreed (since it was such short notice, I needed to tie up some loose ends at work and talk to my boss). He then wrote me out to start maternity leave on Wednesday, 8/22. Then came the super shocking news that sent my world into a little tailspin. I told him that the previous doctor said I’d be induced at 38 or 39 weeks. His response? “Why’d he say that?” He then went on to tell me that I’d be induced the following week, during week 37. YIKES.
- Back to the office on Tuesday, 8/21 for my first weekly NST. You sit in a recliner chair and they monitor contractions and baby’s heartrate. You get a buzzer that you click when the baby moves. All looked well and then I went straight in to work for my last day. I worked like a crazy person and got everything done that I needed to for my leave.
- Back again for an appointment on Friday, 8/24. My BP was in the 140s, so it was back to triage for the third time for blood work and monitoring after we left the office. Jerry and I spent about two hours there and everything was perfect again. The resident did a little ultrasound, and the nurse blew my vein with the blood test so I have a massive bruise. Sheesh. My BP is ALWAYS fine at the hospital, despite being high at the office. No idea why.
- Back again for a MARATHON appointment on Tuesday, 8/28. First, I had my monthly growth ultrasound. Baby was about 6 pounds, 14 ounces, and looked good. Then I had my weekly NST. Everything looked good again there too. And lo and behold… my blood pressure was perfect. THEN, I finally saw my doctor who informed me that this would be my last appointment as he was sending me in this Friday night (8/31) for induction! I’ll be 37+5 at the time and he expects baby to make his arrival by Saturday evening. Even though my BP was perfect this time, he still wants to induce. I think it’s just his fear that it COULD turn to pre-eclampsia and he’d rather be safe than sorry. He also did a cervical check and was surprised to find that I was already 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. He said that this bodes well since they actually start the induction process on Friday night with a tablet that gets inserted to soften your cervix and hopefully start labor. If that doesn’t work, I will start on Pitocin on Saturday. Sadly, he won’t be the one on call, but the other doctor that I’ve seen occasionally (mentioned above) will be there, and I do like him…. he’s just not MY doctor. My doctor pretended he was sad that he wouldn’t be the one delivering and said “aww, Steph” when he said this was my last appointment. HA. Got to love the effort.
So there are ALL of my appointments and hospitalizations over just the last two weeks. PHEW! Here’s what else has been happening.
Other News
- My mom has helped a couple of times over the last two weeks to prepare all the baby’s clothes. We have officially washed, sorted, folded, and put away all of his newborn and 0-3 month clothing.
- My hospital bag has been completely packed and placed in my car for over a week now. On one of our triage visits, I finished it up and threw it in the car because we never knew if/when I’d be admitted.
- I’ve now been out of work for a week. It’s nice to be home, but I also feel a little antsy. I’ve been trying to rest, but it’s hard to rest with a 3 year old and lots of housework glaring at you. I’m nesting big time, so I’ve been doing a lot of cleaning and decorating. I’ve been doing my fall and Halloween decorating already because there was no way I’d have the energy for it after the baby comes. Mom and I have even made a couple of trips to Michaels for some new decor and I’m excited to do a little fall home tour soon!
- Caleb is officially out of the nursery and in his new big boy room and bed as of last Monday, 8/20. He’s taken pretty well to it for the most part! The nursery still needs a bit of tidying to be completely brand new and ready for the baby, but he’ll be in our room for the first couple of months anyway. All of his clothes are in there though, so yay!
- Speaking of Caleb, we wanted to give him a good last weekend as the only child, so we took him out to get frozen yogurt for lunch on Saturday. Then he asked for McDonald’s, so we stopped there next for a Happy Meal. HA!
- Lots of thoughtful gifts from people, which is SO appreciated: an outfit in the mail from a pharmacist friend, Larry, from back when I was a tech, a Wal-mart gift card from my friend Catie, bottles and pacifiers from my friend Melissa, and an amazing handmade “crazy mom lady” primitive doll from Bonnie, a dollmaker friend I met online and purchase dolls from. SO sweet.
- I’ve got a small stash of formula ready to go: samples I got in the mail and from my friend Toni, and one canister that I bought with a $15 rebate check. I’m not buying more until we know that he tolerates this kind.
- My mom and sister-in-law have both been invited to be at the birth, but we’re not sure if they’ll make it depending on time of delivery and schedules. My SIL works weekends and my mom will have Caleb, so it may just be the hubby and me! We’ll see what happens.
And that’s a wrap! I guess we’re just about as ready physically as we can be… emotionally though? Maybe not so much. I’ll talk more about this in a post tomorrow, but I’m feeling a little sadness in addition to the excitement: sad that my last pregnancy is almost over, sad that this will be the last couple of days of carrying him, sad that it’s not happening naturally this time, sad that Caleb’s whole life is about to change and he has no idea. Sigh. Motherhood and emotions are tough.
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