Week 37 - Under Pressure

I've been really thrown off by the whole false labor situation, so this post is a bit late. I'm second-guessing myself about a lot of different things, and it's starting to wear on me a bit. Small twinges that made me wonder seem like something I need to ignore now, and I worry that I won't recognize when the real thing starts or I'll think something else is labor when it's not. The pain of my pelvis opening up (and trying to turn over in bed when I'm that sore) make me wonder whether I'll be able to handle labor without meds. It seems like this will go on forever, but then when I consider what I still need to do at work or at home it feels like I can't possibly get to everything in time.

Luckily, my mom was AMAZING with helping us get ready this week while she was here, so that oh-shit list is a lot shorter than it was before. The nursery is completely set up and just needs the wall decals put up. Our kitchen is half baby-proofed (we'll add door latches later). She was even generous enough to hire cleaners for us, and as sad as it is to admit it, our house hasn't been this clean since we bought the place. We still have to finish taxes and replace the shelves in our bedroom closet, but everything else is as ready as it can be. We would even have a little party to show off our clean house and adorable nursery except half our friends are going out to another party which we can't make it to because (a) too many stairs at their place and (b) I don't like to be more than a half hour from our hospital. I'm weird like that. But anyone who wants to crash our place is welcome to enjoy the cheese and alcohol-free wine we will probably be enjoying with a Burn Notice marathon this Saturday. There might even be yogurt to accompany the Michael Westin eye candy.

Our last appointment was disappointing in a lot of ways. First off was the news that I was shut down like Fort Knox and shouldn't expect labor to start anytime soon. Then there was the news that my Group B Strep test came back positive, so I will have to have an IV of antibiotics when I arrive at the hospital. We were so thrown off by the news that I was no longer dilated or effaced that I didn't even think to ask about the test results, so hopefully we'll get more answers when we go in later today. (Yes, technically I'm 38 weeks already. You try doing regular blog updates when you have to pee every half hour and tell me how it goes while you search for more toilet paper.) On top of that, the OB ordered additional stuff to look at when we did the ultrasound, which made me paranoid that I would be induced early.

Luckily that probably won't happen. She still looks big, but they couldn't get her head measurement because she's so nicely engaged, which is a good sign for me. Her legs are going to be incredibly long though, unlike my stumpy limbs. That part comes from her daddy for sure. The placenta looks like it's still healthy and functioning as intended, so even if she gets bigger, an induction isn't recommended since it hasn't been shown to prevent C-sections. She's still thriving by all accounts and my pelvis should be wide enough to accommodate her, so according the perinatologist I might as well be allowed to start labor on my own. There are a couple of OBs who would be more open to them, so I'll do my best to avoid getting appointments with them over the next few weeks, but you never what will happen.

I've decided to make Friday my last day of working. I've been feeling so tired, and it just doesn't seem worth it anymore to go into labor exhausted so I can save a week or two with Brianna at the end of my maternity leave. Part-time work will let me extend my time home with her while keeping me sane, especially since I can work from home when I'm starting out instead of jumping straight into daycare. And this way I don't have to try to work when my mom comes back from her work week next Tuesday.

So how big was Brianna estimated at? Eight pounds, seven ounces. Thank God for this big bone structure of mine. I've never been so happy to wear a size 10 shoe, though I would be even happier if it didn't also come with extra width. Fred Flintstone's cross-dressing brother called, he wants his heels back. Anywho, enough of that tangent. Her lungs should be just about done maturing, though apparently another week to grow would be ideal. Her movements have slowed down quite a bit. Saturday, she scared the crap out of me by refusing to move until the afternoon when I ate two pieces of candy, drank a glass of cold water and a glass of cold juice, and put on some Queen. I'm pretty sure it's the Queen that did it, because just a couple bars into Under Pressure she started dancing around. Kind of a fitting song considering all the pressure she's putting on my pelvis. Now she just needs to stay put for a few more days until my mom comes back again, and then it will be perfect timing.