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!

Patrick Murphy's Pregnancy Photo Studio

Pat has photo skills and did a pregnancy photo shoot in our garage/makeshift studio with a bunch of lights, reflectors, and a massive backdrop. The neighbors probably thought we were crazy with the bright flashes coming from our house. We had a lot of fun capturing the massive belly on film and Pat even got in on the shoot. He is partially responsible for the belly after all. Here are two shots. Hopefully the exposed belly doesn't freak anyone out.

35 weeks

I have now hit 35 weeks! That means 5 weeks to go until the due date and only 2 weeks until I am full term! I am threatening to start jumping jacks and lunges as soon as I hit the full term mark. Baby Murphy should be right around 5 pounds at this point and is quite active. She seems to stay in about the same position though just does a lot of shuffling and kicking around. She also seems to get the hiccups every day still, which is pretty funny.

I made the big trip to BabysRUs this past week to pick up the rest of the basic stuff we will use right after she is born. Good grief, little people require a lot of stuff and that stuff is all over packaged in an unbelievable amount of plastic. I think that I carried in three massive bags into the house and one massive bag of trash out after unpacking all of the stuff. By the way, any recommendations on diaper brands to use? I got a pack of the Seventh Generation Baby brand, which is supposedly better for the environment. I am hoping they work as well as other brands.

That is about all of the baby excitement for now. My next dr. appointment is this coming Friday which, as always, I am excited about. I'll post an update after that appointment.

Future Mom and Dad

I realized that I hardly have any pictures of Pat and I together on the blog because he is always the one taking the pictures, so I thought I would post an update with us together and one with Pat showing his pushed out mocking pregnant belly. ;) Pat has been an amazing support throughout the pregnancy and we have so much fun talking about our little girl and feeling her move around. Pat is also fond of talking to her through the belly button microphone. If she takes after her dad, she is definitely going to be a hilarious spaz!