August 30, 2009

Well, time is certainly winding down. It's hard to remember that sometimes, but I know it really is. I am 37 weeks pregnant today, and we had our 37 week appointment yesterday. The little miss is still measuring 2 weeks ahead. She's apparently got a big head and long legs... sounds like her daddy. :)

My cervix is posterior, which just means the baby hasn't dropped totally yet, and he had trouble reaching it to check for dilation or effacement. I've been doing so much walking, bouncing on a birth ball, and everything else he suggested, but she still hasn't dropped as much as she needs to to really get labor started.

I've been having constant contractions that aren't too painful, but are just very uncomfortable and my whole abdomen gets tight. He decided to do a NST (non stress test) to make sure Cori wasn't under any stress with all of the contractions I've been having. He hooked me up to the EFM (electronic fetal monitor), and sure enough, I was having contractions every TWO minutes constantly. Luckily, her heart rate went up during each contraction and she got super active, which means the contractions aren't putting her under any stress. I was happy to hear that. I was also happy to learn that my Group B Strep test came back totally negative!

I've had so much discomfort during the last several weeks. I have what is called PSD (pubic symphysis disorder) which means that while my pelvic bone is supposed to spread to allow room for the baby, my pelvic bone has spread a little too far. It makes rolling over, walking for any length of time, or even just putting pants on very painful.

Because of her size, the doctor doesn't want me to go past my due date for fear that her head will be too large to deliver vaginally. I have very mixed feelings about this approach. If I haven't mentioned it yet, I fully intend on having a drug-free, natural childbirth. I have had my heart set on this since before we ever even conceived our baby, and I don't want anything controllable to hinder that. I feel that the baby will come on her own time, when she is fully ready. However, I do not want her to get so large that I end up needing a C-section. I would rather be induced any day than to have to have a C-section, so I am putting my feelings aside about not wanting to be induced and learning to accept that we may have to go that way. It is no secret that far too many C-sections are happening these days, and I feel like many of them are because of so many unnecessary interventions. Even if I have to be induced, I still plan on giving birth naturally. I know that I may change my mind once labor sets in, but Jesse and I have been religiously practicing our breathing techniques and he is already proving to be an incredible labor partner.

For now, my doctor has me doing many different kinds of techniques in hopes of helping Cori to drop and thus, help labor to begin. We are so ready to meet our little girl, and the days seem to grow longer everyday. We are definitely enjoying our last weeks or days as a two person family, but we are also very anxious and excited to become a family of three. I can only hope these consistent contractions every two minutes are doing something to help dilate and efface my cervix, but for now it's pretty much a secret since my cervix is nearly unreachable.

Our next appointment is this coming Saturday, September 5th, and it will be my 38 week appointment. We have our fingers crossed that she will finally have decided to drop and we will have some progress in the way of labor.