38 Weeks

Well, this will most likely be my last blog post before this little guy has officially joined our family because he's coming this Friday! (Unless he really surprises us and decides he wants to come even earlier.) I can't believe it.

For my last several doctor's appointments, the baby has been breech. Well, of course he still is. (And let me tell you how annoying it was to hear EVERYONE tell me "Oh, don't worry- you've still got plenty of time for him to flip on his own."... NO, people, first time moms RARELY have their babies flip after 35 weeks or so... according to my doctor and everything I read on the internet... yes, it's possible- but very, VERY unlikely.) I don't know why that comment annoys me so much... but, it does. A baby has a lot more room in a uterus that has housed a baby previously. But, this is my uterus's first baby- so there just isn't enough room in there for a nearly 8 pound baby to turn at this point. So don't tell me that my baby has plenty of time to flip. Okay, I'm done. Sorry. Pregnancy is making me cranky. Oh, and while I'm at it... do you know what I've decided I'm NEVER going to ask a pregnant lady again? I will never ask, "What's your baby's name?" I DON'T KNOW! I haven't met him yet!! It doesn't bother me so much when someone asks me once, but once I've told you, "We're not naming him until after he's born." PLEASE don't keep asking me!! Okay, I'm really done this time. The funny part about me being so annoyed about the name thing is that I think Matt and I finally decided on a name just last night. But, don't ask me- we're not telling- just in case we change our minds (which we probably will). We both like several names- we just don't know which one will be the right one for sure until we see him.

So anyway... I started telling you about how the baby is breech. Because of this, the doctor is going to perform an ECV (External Cephalic Version) or "Version" to try to externally flip the baby. He wants to do this sooner rather than later so that the baby doesn't get too big. He says he has about a 60% success rate with first-time moms. So, not great odds- but good enough to give it a try to avoid a c-section. If he can get him flipped, he will induce labor to avoid two things- first, to avoid having the baby flip back to the breech position; and second, so that the baby won't get tangled up in the cord or for there to be problems with the placenta that would increase the risk of the baby dying. If he can't get him flipped, he'll do a c-section right then so I don't go into labor with a breech baby. So, he'll do the procedure in the room right next to the operating room and I'll be all prepped for surgery, just in case. Something that's a little discouraging is that Dr. Parker told me that he's "not impressed" with my pelvis. (Don't worry, I told him that I wasn't impressed with his, either!) So, he warned me that even if he gets the baby flipped, there might be a chance that I won't be able to push this baby out because my pelvis might be too small. It's really annoying that of all my body parts, it's my PELVIS that is small. Seriously? I've got good birthing hips- but apparently that doesn't matter when the pelvis is small. The worst case scenario would be that he could flip the baby, I'll labor for a long time, then have to have an emergency c-section because I can't get the baby out. I'd rather him just not be able to flip him than have to go through labor that ends in a c-section. Everyone I have spoken to has suggested that I try whatever possible to avoid a c-section, though- so we're going to. We'll see what happens. As long as our baby is healthy, I really don't care how he gets here. I can recover from surgery (though I know it will NOT be pretty... I'm a pretty big baby when it comes to that sort of thing).

As far as how I'm feeling these days... my back problems are quite a bit better. The only issue I'm having now is sciatic nerve pain. It's not so much in my back as it is in my butt and down my leg. It's a lot better than it was (I can actually move, now!), but I used to be able to get totally comfortable when I would lie down- but now, my sciatic nerve bothers me no matter what position I'm in. I hope that goes away as soon as this baby is out of me. It's the worst when I've been sitting for too long. Last night, Matt's family all went to the temple because his nephew, Tanner, went through for the first time because he goes on his mission this Wednesday. I decided to go with them since I know it will be a while before I have a chance to go to the temple again. By the end of the session, I was pretty uncomfortable. But, I'm glad I went. Today we went back up to South Jordan to hear Tanner speak in church and then to Steve & Angie's for breakfast. We ate really good food. It will be sad to have to be back on a diet once I have to start losing all this weight I've gained.

Also- this summer is NOT the summer to be pregnant. Of course we're having record-high temperatures for June. The other day I left my house just to get the mail at the end of our driveway and I was sure I was going to melt before making it back to the house. Our electric bill this month was more than double what it was last month because I have to have the air conditioning running constantly. I've also been spending a lot more time in the basement. I'm also exhausted. I'm sure it's a combination of the heat and pregnancy. It's exhausting just being. It has been really nice to not have to work these past couple of weeks. I've been able to use all my energy getting things ready for the baby to come.

My sisters and Ginny (my dad's wife) threw me my final shower last Saturday. I couldn't believe how many people came! It was a ton of fun to see so many people there! I got a ton of fun new clothes and baby gear. I also got lots of gift cards. Everyone was very generous. I think we're officially ready for him to come. We even installed his carseat in the car just an hour or so ago.

38 weeks down, FIVE days to go (actually, only 4 1/2! AHHHHH!)

36 Weeks

Well, I am happy to report that my back is doing MUCH better. It's not totally better, but I am mobile again... so that is definite improvement. I am still having some sciatic nerve and SI joint issues, but compared to where I was two weeks ago- I'll take it! I was able to get through my meetings and teaching my class, so for that- I am very grateful. This week, I have a couple more days of meetings- but I think I'll be able to get through them without too much trouble.

I went to the doctor's on Friday and saw Dr. Allen because Dr. Parker was on vacation. I really liked Dr. Allen. However, we discovered that this little stinker is still breech! Dr. Allen says that it is highly unlikely that he'll get into the correct position at this point since this is my first baby. There is an option of trying to turn him- but he says that increases the risk for having a stillborn- so I'm not sure that's a risk I want to take. I have my next appointment on Friday with Dr. Parker, so we'll see what he says. I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for a c-section. I hope that he miraculously turns on his own and that I'll be able to have him normally- but, we'll see. Also, last time I was measuring three weeks too small... this time, I was only measuring a few days small- so this baby is definitely growing (and so am I!... dang it). He must have just been positioned strangely at my last doctor's appointment.

We are getting more and more excited for this little guy to get here. I love feeling him move and kick, but I'm also really excited to not be pregnant anymore! He gets the hiccups all the time. Seriously- he usually gets them 3-5 times a day. We can even see them when he gets them. It will be interesting to see if he gets them often after he is born as well.

I feel pretty good most of the time. Everything exhausts me, however. It is tough work growing a baby. It really occurred to me yesterday when I volunteered to make a couple of Texas sheet cakes for a family gathering we had earlier this evening. I spent about two hours making those two cakes and I felt like I had run a marathon by the time I was finished. I had to spend the whole rest of the day lying in bed because it absolutely wore me out. Also, I made it sitting through two hours of church today and by the time I got home, I was sooooo tired. It doesn't help that I am not sleeping well at night. I get excited when I can sleep for four hours at a time- which is a little depressing considering that I used to be a great sleeper. I guess I should enjoy being able to at least stay in bed rather than having to actually get up and be alert enough to feed a baby. That won't last much longer! It's all worth it though... right? I am glad we made the decision to buy a new king-sized bed at the beginning of my pregnancy. It is incredibly comfortable. I have been told by a few moms that they had to sleep in a recliner or on the couch the last few weeks of their pregnancy because their beds weren't comfortable enough. I do not have that problem. We have a great bed- totally worth the arm and leg we sacrificed for it. We bought a sleep number bed and have a gel memory foam mattress on top of it. It's pretty awesome. Plus, the extra room is nice to be able to line myself with big pillows.

My friend Lisa had a little baby shower/get together with some of my close friends. It was fun to get together with them and they were all so generous. I got lots of cute new baby clothes and a huge box of baby wipes. Every little outfit and pair of socks makes me more and more excited. My sisters are throwing me another baby shower this Saturday. After that, I will know what I still need to go buy to be totally prepared for a new baby. I can't believe how close we're getting!

Matt has been working hard at his job with the plumbers. On Thursday at work, some machine he was working with kicked back at him somehow (he explained what happened, but I don't really get it)... and I think it cracked one of his ribs. Or perhaps it's just bruised. Either way, he has been in a lot of pain all weekend. Yet, he has still been willing to wait on me hand and foot. He's such a great man and he really will be such a great dad. I hope he had a good Father's Day today. Speaking of Father's Day- we were able to celebrate with both of our families. After church we headed to Steve & Angie's to celebrate with the Smiths, then headed to Allison's to celebrate with the Greens. Needless to say, we ate  A LOT of great food. I feel like I don't need to eat for another week. The baby might not like that so much, however.

I guess there's not much more to report. We'll see what this week brings us! I'm guessing it will involve a lot of ice cream because- man, I am hot!! (and not in the good way.)

36 down... 4 to go (or 3, if we schedule a c-section!)

34 Weeks

I am currently 34 weeks 2 days pregnant (I took this picture on Sunday, when I was exactly 34 weeks). It's official- I'm no longer "enjoying" pregnancy. I knew the day would come- I just didn't expect for the reason to be my back. It is KILLING me! It is not an exaggeration when I say the ONLY time I am comfortable is when I'm lying in bed. I have the pregnancy waddle totally mastered. It's actually quite embarrassing. I even got desperate enough to go see a chiropractor. I've been twice and I'm still in tons of pain. I have another appointment tomorrow. I'm hoping it gets better. Otherwise- this will be  LONG six weeks. The chiropractor thinks I have two issues going on. On my left side, I have SI joint/hip pain, and on my right side, my bulging and herniated discs are all flared up. So, they are trying to compensate for each other and making my entire lower back a big huge disaster. It has not been easy trying to finish up the school year. This week (yesterday, today, and tomorrow), I have meetings that have been TORTUROUS to sit through... I can barely get to my car at the end of them. Hopefully I can survive tomorrow. Then next week, I have to teach a class for the district. I'm not exactly sure how that's going to go. I'm seriously praying and hoping that my back feels well enough to get through those three days. The following week, I have three more days of meetings, but those aren't as urgent as this week's and next week's. So- if I can just get through the next two weeks, life will be good. Otherwise- I have no other pregnancy complaints! Seriously... even my severe nightly congestion seems to have cleared up! 

On Saturday (May 25), I was concerned about my back hurting so badly- plus I wasn't sure if I was having contractions or not. I finally called and spoke to Dr. Young who was on call that weekend. I asked him if I'd know for sure if I was having contractions. He told me that because of the back pain, I'd better go in to the hospital- just to make sure. So, Matt took me to the hospital. They hooked me up to a monitor and discovered I was having pretty major contractions. So, they checked to make sure I wasn't dilating. I wasn't, but the doctor still wanted them to give me a shot to stop the contractions. We didn't want to have a 33 week baby. So, after the shot and some other tests to make sure I wasn't about to deliver a baby, they let me go home. I was in the hospital for just a few hours. Then, the next day the contractions started again. I called Dr. Young again on Monday (Memorial Day) to see if I should be concerned. He called me in a prescription to help relax my uterus. I took one pill and felt ROTTEN. My heart was racing, I got a massive headache, and the contractions continued. I knew I had another doctor's appointment just a few days later- so as long as my contractions weren't painful, I figured I'd just wait it out. I made it to my 34 week appointment and I was still pregnant- so, my doctor said that as long as my contractions aren't painful, I'm okay. 

One thing that is a bit concerning is that at my 34 week appointment last Friday, I was only measuring 31 weeks. The only reason it's a little concerning is that up til that point, I have always measured exactly where they expected me to. Two weeks previous at my 32 week appointment, I was measuring exactly 32 weeks. So, according to my doctor's measurements- I shrunk! What the what?! He even had the nurse double check his measurements. We're hoping that the baby was just situated funny. Hopefully he's working on getting his head down- I'd really rather not have to have the doctor try to turn him or end up with a C-section. The doctor said that at my next appointment (36 weeks), if I am still too small, they will do another ultrasound. He told me that it is very important for me to do my kick counts, and make sure the baby is still active. So far, the baby seems to be moving fine- so, I don't know. I also hadn't gained any weight since my previous appointment- but no worries there... I still weigh plenty! (Thank you Dr. Parker for your honesty.) I think I've made up for it since my appointment. Not being able to exercise or be active (because of my back) is not going to be good for my overall weight gain! At my meetings/trainings I have been at the past two days, everyone was very concerned that I was 34 weeks pregnant and not showing enough. One of the presenters is due three days before me and looks like she is about to pop. Even I could tell that my baby bump was much smaller than hers (I will say, all her other body parts were MUCH smaller than mine!). It was also a little irritating watching her just walking around like she wasn't uncomfortable at all. Show off. She didn't even waddle a little bit. It made me feel like a big baby. 

I guess I should also document how great of a man I married. Matt has been so helpful. Not only does he work ten hour days, doing hard, manual labor... he also comes home and does all the housework- without complaint. I haven't been able to stand long enough to cook dinner, so we've either been eating food from the freezer, or going and getting something to eat. Matt doesn't get home from work til 6:30 or so, and by that time we're both too hungry to wait for him to cook anything. But no matter what we've eaten- he always helps me back to bed, situates my ice pack for me, fills up my water bottle, brings me my computer and the remote control, asks me if I need anything else, then goes out and cleans up our dinner mess. He also spent ALL morning Saturday doing all the housework I normally do on Saturdays, then went out and did all the yard work for most of the afternoon. He also is always willing to rub my back or go sleep on the couch downstairs with me in the middle of the night if I need to change sleeping arrangements so that I don't have to be alone down there. He's a good man and will make such a good daddy. He already tells the baby how much he loves him and talks about how he can't wait until the baby's old enough for him to take him fishing and camping, or to coach his Little League team. He's nervous about the little things- like knowing how to change a diaper or giving the baby a bath. But, I keep reassuring him that it will either just come naturally, or I will teach him. He's also nervous that he might pass out during the labor and delivery. That, I can't help him with. When he was helping me with my bloody nose a couple of weeks ago, I was a little worried about him... so, we might be in trouble! :)

Matt's family had a family party/baby shower for us on Sunday night. His sister, Cinda, and her family are in town from Tennessee so we all got together for dinner and some baby shower games. It was fun for the whole family to be able to participate. (Except for Scott & Roxanne, who live in Vegas.)  All the kids (and adults) had a great time. Matt's parents, Steve & Angie, and Kevin & Cinda gave us a great little swing/bouncy seat combo and some newborn diapers. Spence & Holly gave us some outfits, a blanket, and a book. It's so much fun getting new baby things. Everything is so clean, cute, and tiny (at least for now)!  

I'm hoping that by the next time I post something I can report that I am back pain-free. I won't hold my breath...

34 down, 6 to go... (can we say 5?? That sounds better)