Baby Lucia Kate Murphy

Due date and baby's still kickin it in the belly

Little baby girl Murphy is still hanging out in the womb these days. Today is my due date and no sign of her showing up in the world today. I went to the doctor last Tuesday and I was still not quite 2cm dilated and stayed at about 50% effaced. He said that he predicted no earlier than a Tuesday, 3/10 delivery. So, we are patiently (most of the time) waiting on our little girl's arrival. My contractions have picked up over the past week and they get strong in the afternoon and evenings making evening time activities unpleasant. Pat and I have been enjoying lots of sunny walks outside though. The weather up in Seattle has had an odd number of sunny days for spring, so we are taking advantage of them whenever possible. I love the fresh air and feeling like I am getting some amount of exercise. I also have busied myself with cooking and freezing dinners for the first bit after the baby arrives.

Kaitlyn arrives in town tonight, which I am thrilled about. I get to spend Monday and Tuesday with her as I am taking both days as vacation days from work. If the baby hasn't arrived by Wednesday, I plan to continue working until she does decide to come. My next appointment is on Thursday. The doctor said that if I have not made significant progress, he will set up an appointment to induce labor on Sunday, 3/15. I guess the good news is that we can't be more than one week out! I hope that it all happens naturally as I would love the experience of going into labor at home and driving to the hospital and I know that being induced can be more unpleasant. That said I would be happy with either way. We just want the safe delivery of our girl.

I'll keep you all posted this week. Pray for us that labor comes quickly! :)

More contractions but no baby yet

I made it to week 39! I have been having more and more contractions these days and, in the evening, they have a bit of pain associate with them, which is great news because that has to mean we are getting closer. I'll take all the progress I can get. I have been doing a lot of walking each day to try to ensure that the contractions don't stall out. I don't know if it is doing anything but it is good for my peace of mind if nothing else.

Little baby Murphy is still moving around quite a bit and should be around 7lb by now and ready to enter the world. My favorite part is her little feet sticking out on my right side all the time causing a very strange shaped belly but you can almost pinch her little foot at times. It is great fun and we can't wait to grab her little baby feet for real soon!

The waiting game

Well, I just got back from my 38.5-week doctor's appointment, and baby Murphy is still not quite ready to enter the world. I am 1.5cm dilated now and 50% effaced, which is progress from last week but not huge progress. The doctor said that the average woman goes into labor at about 2cm dilated and 80% effaced. Though I am getting there on the dilation and cervix thinning, the cervix still has not started to move forward. That process starts about 7 days before you go into labor. Optimistically I have another week to go and realistically probably more than one week. Now I am just hoping that she decides to come on time rather than late. I guess the good side of things is that pregnancy doesn't last forever and the due date is only 1.5 weeks away now!

We are so ready to meet our little girl! Our bags are packed and we are ready to run to the hospital at a moments notice! My contractions seem to have slowed down a bit over the last few days, so I am hoping that they will pick up again soon. My next appointment is on Tuesday at 4pm. It would be great to hear that the cervix is at least starting to move forward so that we can get past the "one week out" status.

37.5 week checkup

Here I am at 37.5 weeks! The belly seems to be getting lower and lower as the weeks go by. The doctor said today that the baby has dropped even lower. I am also 33% effaced and almost 1cm dilated though the doctor still thinks that I am on track for an on time delivery and said that she definitely won't come before the next appointment. I think that it is actually good to know that he thinks it will be at least a week. That will help me to relax and not feel like every contraction could be the first of the labor contractions. My mind has been playing tricks on me this week and I kept thinking that labor would start at any moment. It is a relief to just be able to sit back, hopefully relax, and enjoy the next week of her kicking around in there. We'll see if I am actually successful at chilling out or whether my overly pregnant and hormonally charged brain will win out. :) My next appointment is on Thursday, 2/26. I am going to try to enjoy life without a baby over the next week. Pat and I are going to see a movie on Friday night and then go visit his parents over the weekend. I am taking the day off of work on Monday, so I might treat myself to a pedicure and a skillet burger. Both are favorite things for me!

As a side note, today was an amazingly beautiful sunny day in Seattle which I am quite grateful for! I worked from home today, so I was able to go for a nice long walk in the sunshine on my lunch break. I didn't even have to wear a jacket for the whole walk. I love the sun!

36.5 week appointment

Well, we are not rushing off to the hospital yet. I went to the doctor's office today and saw a different doctor because my OB is on vacation this week. She said that all looks great with baby Murphy though no dilation yet. She is measuring at 36.5 weeks and is about 6lb now, which is right on track for my doctor's 7.5lb prediction if she were to be born on her due date of March 8th. The great news is that she is moving around a lot as she should be and the Braxton Hicks practice contractions are still happening consistently each day. She also told me to plan on a delivery near my due date and, if I am early, that will just be a bonus. Of course, I could still deliver at any time or late for that matter. Now I just have to wait patiently to see what happens. That is the hard part. I don't want her to come quite yet because I know she needs more time to put on the pudge but I could definitely go for a week early!

I am still feeling pretty good too. The days that I go in to work are tough physically, so I am trying to work from home a few days a week. I think that all of the sitting still for so long and commuting is challenging on my back, ribs, and feet. Sleep is also an interesting challenge these days. Some nights are pretty bad and others much better. I am thankful for the nights when the contractions and baby kicks don't wake me up too often. I am sure this is just preparing me for the lack of sleep after the little person is born. It will all be worth it. I would do anything for her and will be happy to lose some sleep after she enters the world.

Drop it like it's hot!

I am one day away from the 36-week mark and next Sunday I will be full term at 37 weeks! It is hard to believe that the time has gone by so quickly. I only have 4 weeks until the due date now and if our little girl decides to come early, it would be even less! I am going to try to have my hospital bag packed by next weekend and the car seat in the car all ready to go. I get to take this Monday and Tuesday off of work so that I can finish up most of the outstanding baby prep work. I have a bunch of errands to run to places like BabysrUs and Target to get the last few things lined up. We are pretty much ready to go at this point though. I washed the crib sheets and some of the newborn clothes the other day. I love doing the prep work because I know that I am getting ready to welcome our daughter home!

This Friday was my first weekly doctor appointment. The baby's heartbeat was normal at 159 and I am still measuring on schedule. The really exciting news is that the baby "dropped", so now she is much more in position for delivery! If I understand it correctly, dropping can happen anytime up to 4 weeks before delivery, so it doesn't mean that I will be early but does mean that everything looks good for my due date. I was really happy about the news. I also feel like I may be having the "practice" Braxton-Hicks contractions. They don't hurt at all but my belly gets crazy tight and then loosens up. Not sure if that is really what I am experiencing or something else but it seems possible. My next appointment is this Thursday. I am hoping that the doctor will check to see if I am dilated at all. It is not my normal doctor this week, so we'll see what this one does. Either way, it is getting close!