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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

39 Weeks

For the past few weeks, Monday has meant one thing....baby check!!!  Each week I get so excited to go and get a sneak peek at my sweet girl and learn of our progress.  Yesterday's appt went great!!  Yesterday actually started a little bit crazy.  As soon as I woke up, I felt different, uncomfortable, bad.  As I stood to get out of bed, I was hurting!  I could tell that Baby Love was lower, so I was especially excited to get in to my appt.  I always start with an ultrasound.  Sidebar:  YES, it's awesome and amazing that I get an ultrasound at every appointment, BUT I'd rather not have a high risk history that requires me to do so.  The ultrasound looked great!!  I love seeing my Love Bug!!  I've made fast and forever friends with my ultrasound tech.  She's fabulous!!  While doing my scan she actually noticed and agreed that Baby Love was much lower.  All my numbers and measurements looked great except for the fact that Anna Love appears to have gained almost another whole pound in this past week!!  Oh my goodness!!  According to the ultrasound today she weighs 7 lbs 15 oz.  This number could be wrong by about a lb either way.  So if that number is really 8 lbs 15 oz. that's basically 9 lbs, and I still have another week to go!!  Baby Love, SLOW DOWN!!!  Save all that weight gain for the other side, PLEASE!!!

After the ultrasound, I did all the other standard stuff...weight check (yeah I gained too), blood pressure, urine, all that fun stuff, but everything looked good.  Then I saw Dr. C.  I've made some process since last week (YAY), and I'm definitely getting close to having this sweet girl!!  I'm still just at 1 cm, but he said I was a better 1 cm now.  Being at only 1 cm doesn't really mean anything for me.  Based on my history, I tend to dilate all at once right at the end.  The big news is that she has indeed dropped, and I've thinned out some now.  He put me at about 50% effaced.  Interestingly, all my numbers today very closely match my numbers from my 39 week appointment with Elizabeth.  If you are at all interested, you can look back at that info by clicking here:

Elizabeth's 39 week check-up

So my due date is next Monday.  Folks, we are less than one week away!  Dr. C. thinks I could definitely go on my own before then.  Notice that "could" is the key word.  He threw Saturday out there as a good possibility.  He also mentioned that day would be rather convenient for him since it would not throw off his office hours, and he might could avoid his "Honey Do List" at home.  Ha!!  I'm thinking I should tell on him to his wife!!  :)  Anyway, Saturday would be two days early.  I know when he said that he was totally not aware that he made a similar prediction with Elizabeth, and she was in fact two days early!  Of course, no one knows for sure.  The Lord has already determined this girl's birthday, and we just get to wait and see.  We do have a plan for induction.  I know that there are lots of opinions about induction and many think that we should just all wait for baby to come naturally and have the least medical intervention possible.  I respect those who hold that opinion, however Wesley and I have made our decision prayerfully and with the advice of our doctor.  Our circumstances are unique to us, and we feel good about this decision. SO, if she doesn't make her debut on or before her due date, she will be served her eviction notice early on Tuesday, the day after my due date.  There's no sense loitering around in there!!  It's time to meet the family!  :)

All the similarities between this 39 week appt with Anna Love and my 39 week appointment with Elizabeth are so cool to me.  My progress, babies weight, doctor's predictions, induction plan, all so similar.  It's going to be so neat to see how it all comes together!!  I don't think I even mentioned the weight similarity when I wrote about that above, but Elizabeth was also predicted to weigh around 8 lbs, almost the same as Anna Love's prediction yesterday.  Fortunately that was indeed off by a little bit, and Elizabeth was born at 7 lbs 5 oz.  Now that I can handle!!

So for now we wait.  And waiting is OK.  Actually I'm really, really hoping that Anna Love does wait until at least Sunday.  There are some important things happening at the end of this week, and it would be most convenient for all if this sweet girl just hold out til then.  We shall see!!

I'd love for anyone reading to join me in praying for mine and Anna Love's health and safety, for God's perfect timing, and all the details (childcare for my other kiddos, my mom's arrival, etc.) to come together beautifully.

Here's a cute 39 week picture.  I posted this on Facebook and said that I was SO glad that I was not as big as this other preggo lady.  She's huge, but she's so cute!!  Rumor has it that she had her baby yesterday.  ;)



Blessings to all!!
Jennifer


Monday, January 20, 2014

Here I go again

So I never planned to quit blogging, but somehow I did.  Now I'm ready to give it another try.  Of course, I love the idea of blogging to share fun photos and to document fun family times, but I'll admit that my major motivation for blogging again is Anna Love.  I really want to document Anna Love's birth and first year of life.  I used blogging to do this with Elizabeth, and I LOVE looking back at her birth story and first year.  I like it so much better and find it easier than my paper baby books for the other kiddos.  My plan is that at the end of this first year I will use the blog to print a baby book for Anna Love...best of both worlds, right?!  So if you are looking for something really profound, I can't promise you that.  In fact, my blogs are unashamedly going to pretty much be all about my family, my kiddos, and my newest bundle of "Love"!!  Sooooooo....let's go!!

I'm just going to go ahead up front and say that some of my details may be TMI for some.  You have been warned.

Just so I can remember this, I want to record details about my 37 and 38 week appointments.  Last Monday, I was off the hook excited to go to the doc.  All my numbers looked good.  I had an ultrasound and everything looked GREAT!! Anna Love was estimated to weigh around 6 lbs 9 oz.  I'm told this weight could be off by about 1 lb either way.  Dr. C said I hadn't started to thin out at all and baby is high.  Heart rate was great!!  Also I was just barely starting to dilate.  Not too much happening.  Dr. C predicted I'll go to my due date or really close to it.

Today is Monday again and I went back to the doctor.  Once again I'm measuring perfectly on target and all my numbers look excellent.  Now Anna Love is predicted to weight about 7 lbs 3 ozs.  YIKES!!  I was a little bit surprised that she showed such a weight gain, because I had actually lost 1 lb.  If I'm looking at 2 more weeks and she continues gaining at this rate, she'll definitely be my biggest baby yet!!  Also I've made a tiny bit of progress, and I'm dilated to 1 cm now.  Doc says my cervix is still thick and baby is still fairly high.  Once again he predicts that I'll go to my due date or within a day of so of that due date.  He's basing this prediction on what he is seeing from me now and my history.  

For a variety of reasons, we have discussed and agreed on an induction plan if I do end up going all the way to my due date.  I'm SOOOOOOO excited!!  Can't wait to hold this sweet, sweet baby girl!!

Here's a pic from today.  38 weeks!!



As I'm mentioned I'm super excited, but I'm also anxious.  I'm anxious about something going wrong, about something happening to me or Anna Love.  About my delivery not going as planned.  About something happening that would result in a c-section.  About Anna Love not being healthy.  About Anna Love being a really big baby.  About my mom making it to town in time for the birth.  About everything being perfect for the kiddos and for other grandparents.  I have a big list of requests that I've presented to the Lord.  Some down right irrational and trivial.  Some important.  BUT when I just stop and be still before the Lord, ultimately my spirit says, "Lord I want what you want for me, for Anna Love, and for our family.  Whatever that may be.  Have your way."  And ultimately I trust Him.  I totally do.  With that in mind and since today is MLK day, I'd like to share this passage from the last speech he made the day before he was assassinated.  I LOVE THIS!!

Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop. And I don't mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

Blessings to all!!
Jennifer