Wednesday, April 4, 2012

36 Weeks

How am I feeling? I'm feeling some not-so-fun things at this point.  Today I had my first experience with pain directly caused by baby.  I thought I had a stomachache because of some gas or something digestion-related, but found that it got better when I walked around the office.  After about 3 hours of pain, I decided to try some yoga poses to figure out if baby would move and make me feel better.  I got down on my hands and knees and did some stretching and felt better almost immediately.  Yes, it involved time on my gross cubicle floor, but it was totally worth it.  I haven't been in pain since.

Except in my leg...  I have a band of pain that circles the joint where my thigh and pelvis meet.  My doctor today said she thinks it's sciatica, but I disagree.  I guess it's possible, though, as I've felt a teeny bit better after getting Baby Boy to move away from my left side and more toward the middle (this happened when I did the yoga poses).  Either way, it hurts to move my legs independently, which means putting on underwear, pants, and shoes when standing has been really painful.  Walking hasn't been particularly comfortable, either, so I've been hobbling around like...like a 36 week pregnant woman.  My doctor's office is in the hospital down the street from my office, so we always walk to appointments, but that took a really long time today.  We'll see how I'm feeling next Monday before we decide if we're going to walk or drive to the doctor.

Weight thoughts: Up 2 pounds over 2 weeks this time.  Not bad, not great.


Doctor appointments?  As mentioned, I had one today.  My BP is still great (102/62, I think).  Today was my Group B Strep test and my first internal.  The strep test was not pleasant.  The internal was even less so.  The fact that I don't have any dilation was the worst of all.  I didn't really expect any, but was sort of hoping.

My doctor also still seems to think that Baby Boy might be on the big side.  She asked if I was bigger than I had been with Baby Girl and asked how big Baby Girl was.  She also was hesitant when she told me I was measuring 38...leading both The Hubby and me to believe that it was probably closer to 39 weeks.  She was able to tell during the internal that Baby Boy is definitely head down, which is good news.

Next appointment is next Monday (the 9th) for an ultrasound to get a more accurate estimate of Baby Boy's size and position.  I'm hoping to get him more engaged over the next week, but we'll see--I need to make myself realize that this is not something I can control.

Movement? Of course.  The doctor keeps asking about how his movement is and I keep telling her that I don't even feel the need for kick counts because he moves so much.  He was a little quiet after I got him repositioned, but then perked up while I was driving home.

Baby preparation? We have still done fairly little, it seems.  The last things I want to do are: pick a name, pack a hospital bag (got scolded by my doctor for not doing this yet), and do some freezer cooking so we have some meal prepared for the first few days (weeks?) after Boomer arrives.  Oh, and I also want to get him a gift from Baby Girl, get her a gift from him, and The Hubby says he's going to buy Boomer's coming home outfit.  So yeah...a few things to do still.

2 comments:

Cassie said...

Woohoo! It's almost baby time!!! :D At least the things you have left to do are relatively simple things. Hopefully you'll get a little bit of time to just relax before he makes his grand entrance.

The Stoycheffs said...

#1 -- Two pounds in two weeks is GOOD. This is the point where water weight and stuff comes on from nowhere. Let it go. I always gained a bunch at this point, but it's the last weight to go on so it's the easiest to lose.

#2 -- I know how you feel with not being dilated. Remember you can be dilated to 3 or 4 and be walking around that way with nothing happening...I'd rather walk around at 0!! But I know you just want SOMETHING to happen (not to mention less to have to do during labor). I tried it all...long walks, Indian food, more long walks. It's SO HARD not to be in control at this point. The hardest part of the whole 9 months is here. I'm listening if you need to vent!

#3 -- Silly doctor. Who cares about a bag? Chris can get you anything you forget at home. With Aidan my water broke and we packed it that morning. With Eli I packed it EARLY and it sat there forever, taunting me. We repacked it all the night before he was induced. HA. All you need is your husband, some music and a camera. The rest you can bring over later. We left stuff in the car during labor and Alex moved it in after Eli was born.

#4 -- YAY for an ultrasound next week. It's always good to see them in there...reassuring.

#5 -- Good luck with the name. I hope something comes to you or you find peace with something you already have. You heard about our argument the morning we left the hospital. I keep forgetting Eli is really Elijah. But it will sound nice and formal when he's baptized ;o)

#6 -- Thinking of you every day and wishing you and Boomer only the best as this all winds down. Remember, the nice people in the hospital know what they're doing (except that nurse who kept turning me). Listen to them and listen to your heart when the time comes. Let Chris advocate for you and take care of you. Happy Boomer is head down still!!

#7 -- This little wavy word thing here at the bottom messes with me every time, especially on my phone ;o)