Did he drop??

I rested my hands on my belly and noticed a bigger slope than I'm used to. I'd say he's settling right on in there. I still don't feel any pressure like I hear people talk about. I never really felt the "bowling ball between my legs" feeling with Stella either. I think I made it 4-6 days after dropping before labor started. 

37 weeks vs. 37 weeks 2 days

Maybe he dropped a bit. Maybe he didn't. Maybe he's just snuggling down low today. 

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 Here is when I dropped with Stella. It happened no more than a day before I took my 38 week picture. 

She was born at 38w4d.

((Technically, my dates were always 4 days ahead and she was actually born at 38 weeks exactly. So I dropped between 37w2d and 37w3d))

There is no logical, truth telling sense to any of that. I know every pregnancy is different and each babe comes whenever he's ready. I can ramble to keep my mind occupied, though! Just keep cooking, baby boy :) 

Home birth prep!

When thinking about giving birth, one usually imagines a hospital setting with all the instruments and whatnot. Of course, mom and dad don't have to provide any of that. They just show up, have the baby and don't have to worry about anything. When we (who am I kidding?) When I began planning our home birth, I scoured the internet looking at other peoples' birth kit lists and felt a little overwhelmed. I decided to hold off buying anything until I got Sheryl's recommendations for what was necessary.

Here is all my stuff:

1) 40 XL Disposable underpads (Chux) 30"x36" (for taping to the floor so it doesn't get blood/pee/amniotic fluid on it)
2) Plastic drop cloth to cover mattress
    -I bought three of these: 1 for the bed, 1 for under the pool, and 1 for extra
3) The biggest, baddest, most absorbent Poise pads available (mine are Target brand)
4) Roll of paper towels
5) Container for the placenta, with snap tight lid
    -This is a 13 cup 'family size' Glad container. I could probably fit half a lasagna in here. 
6) A few trash bags. Some for trash. Some for laundry. (I added these to the list)
7) Peroxide (to get blood out of anything it comes in contact with)
8) Flashlight with fresh batteries (for if I'm laboring/birthing at night and a light bulb or the power goes out?)
9) Complete set of clothes for mom
     - A nightgown
     - My favorite cardigan
     - Bra & Undies
     - A pad
10) Complete set of clothes for baby
     - A onesie
     - A diaper 
     - A pair of socks
     - Swaddle blanket

Not Pictured:
- 5-10 bath towels .. closer to 10 if I plan on being in and out of the water much
- Recording equipment
- Food and drink for mom
- Food and drink for labor team

But what if I decide to labor in bed? Remember I mentioned I got a drop cloth for that! 

Looks like a normal bed, doesn't it?

Here is how the bed is prepared: 

The bed is made with 3 fitted sheets right now. 

1) The green sheet (folded back) is what we'll sleep on until labor starts or my water breaks in bed, whichever comes first. I've got one of Stella's old underpads under the sheet on my side of the bed.
The light blue sheet is what will be exposed during labor.
2) It's kind of hard to see, but this is showing the plastic underneath the 'labor' sheet. This plastic is tucked up under the mattress on all sides and held in place by the sheet.
3) Here you can see the plastic pulled back. The dark blue sheet (because it's my favorite set of sheets) is what we'll all snuggle into after baby arrives.
4) This is the waterproof mattress pad we have on our bed all the time.

I'm sure I'll be lying with a few of those chux under me while I'm in bed for a week or so. I do NOT want to have to deal with washing/changing sheets with a newb.

So where is the pool? On the opposite side of the room from our bed.

 You can see the hose, air pump, (blue) tape, and extra top sheets sitting on the couch, too. 

I have some more work to do in the room to create my ultimate birth space. I'll probably hang up some birth affirmations where I can see them around the room. I'll have to update this post with pictures of those when I get them up.

37 weeks

37 weeks

163 pounds (yeah, that 3 pound increase was unexpected!)

I'm still feeling just peachy. I'm still full of energy, but I'm finding myself getting tired a bit quicker lately. Still lasting about 5 days pain free after adjustments. Thankfully, after I write this I'm headed out the door to be the chiro. 

I'm sleeping fine, once I get comfortable. It's not impossible for me to move around in bed, but it's definitely inconvenient and uncomfortable. I'm discovering myself waking up in the morning in the exact position I fell asleep in and I'm so stiff in the morning. I hobble to the bathroom and back and climb back in bed. Surprisingly, this entire pregnancy I haven't really woken up much at night to pee. I wake up when Erik leaves for work at 6 and then go back to sleep until I have to wake up at 7:15. My hips aren't bothering me too much. I'd say the quality of my sleep is close to excellent. 

I'm not experiencing much swelling. What little I do notice is very minimal and in my hands. It's probably helped that it's been beautiful and very mild weather. Very, very unusual for the end of July. 

I had another midwife appointment today and it went excellent. 

• Blood pressure was 110/76
• Fundal height was 35cm. Sheryl said that it seems like he's starting to move down because my fundal height measured a cm less that last week. I definitely don't feel like he's dropped and it's certainly not obvious visually.
• Baby is head down
• No cervical check today
• I'm group B strep negative!

Now, we wait! Since I'm 37 weeks, he can come at anytime and we can deliver at home. Everything here is ready (I'll talk more about that in another post). His carseat is installed, but I'm waiting on some parts for it to better accommodate a newborn. I'm actually afraid that if he's as small as Stella was that he won't fit in it, but we'll just have to see. If anything we can borrow an infant seat for a month or so until he's a bit bigger. 

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Baby is the size of a winter melon.

18.9 - 20.9 inches 

6.2 - 9.2 pounds

He's gaining about 1/2 ounce each day.

36 weeks

36 weeks

160 pounds

Ugh... I feel like shit all of a sudden. Just kidding! I actually still feel pretty awesome. I'm not too tired. Getting through the day isn't a chore. I think I still have lots of energy! I last pain free for about 5 days after my chiro adjustments. I can't complain about that. 

I'm not sleeping as well as I was before. It's been pretty hard to fall asleep lately even though I'm very tired at night. When I am asleep, it's kind of fitful the first couple hours and I'm up to pee at least twice. I get my best sleep in the morning hours. I'd like to sleep in until 9 everyday, but that's not an option, so I do fine waking up at 7.

Still no swelling. It's been hotter than hell the last couple days with heat indexes in the 100s. We stayed inside Monday, but had to venture out in it a few times yesterday and it wasn't that bad since we were just in and out of the car. I'm still wearing my wedding rings :) 

I had a midwife appointment yesterday and that went well. I didn't ask what my blood pressure was, but it couldn't have been high or she would have said something. I go back in a week anyway, so I'll just find out then. Baby is still head down! My fundal height is right on track. I had a pelvic exam and Sheryl asked if Stella was born early. I told her that she was 2 weeks early. She said, "Looks like this guy might decide to do the same. I can tell by looking that you're dilated a little already." I was going to decline a cervical check, but since she was down there already I figured what the hell. She said very surely that I am 2 cm and my cervix is soft. Of course, that's not uncommon since this is my second baby, but it's still a little alarming! I was mentally prepared for her to tell me I'm still locked up like Fort Knox down there. I'll be elated with whenever he decides to come because he'll be ready, but I don't want him to come early! I want to be pregnant longer this time! Who knows, maybe I'll walk around continuing to dilate for 6 more weeks and he'll be late. That would make for an easy delivery! I'm an incredibly impatient person. I think I've been very good at suppressing that this entire pregnancy. The not knowing right now is driving me up the wall though! I'm not on the edge of my seat yet, but once 38 weeks is here I'm going to assume I'm having a baby anytime.

I can definitely tell baby doesn't have as much extra room as he did before. His movements are a lot more noticeable and it just feels like he's more confined. He's very much on a schedule. I haven't noted times during the day, but it seems like every night between 10:30 and 11 he wakes up and starts dancing around for at least a couple hours. I told Erik we're going to have a night owl on our hands just like his mama.

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Baby is the size of a honeydew

17.2 - 18.7 inches

4.2 - 5.8 pounds

35 weeks

35 weeks

159 pounds

There are only 35 days till my due date! When did that happen?! 

This is not a first thing in the morning picture, but I don't feel huge yet this afternoon so it must be pretty close to how I look when I wake up :) 

I still feel great. I'm not generally uncomfortable. I'm definitely not miserable. I'm still sleeping pretty well. I still have lots of energy. I know I keep saying that every week because I keep expecting for a wave of exhaustion to kick in. Thank goodness for staying healthy and active, I suppose! 

My hips are starting to bother me a bit and I'm having some crazy sacral pain, but my chiropractor helps take care of that. I feel really lucky that it's taken this long for any pain to really start bothering me.

I noticed a small bit of swelling starting the other day in my hands, I felt like my face was kind of puffy when I woke up and toward the end of the day my ankles felt tingly like they should be swollen, but weren't at all. I re-evaluated what I'd been doing and realized my water intake was pitiful. So, I started drinking enough water and the next day the swelling was basically gone.

I've been nesting like crazy lately. This is a good thing for my house! It's actually clean most of the time. I cleaned the entire upstairs this morning. I don't think our upstairs bathroom could be any cleaner than it is now. I kept thinking that the next time I clean up there will be the last time before baby is here. It was kind of eye opening that this is really happening! 

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Baby is the size of a coconut.

17.2 - 18.7 inches

4.2 - 5.8 pounds

34 weeks

34 weeks

158 pounds

Belly is 40 inches around!

I'm still feeling great. My energy is still up there, but my pelvis/back gets sore quite a bit quicker these days. It's getting harder and harder to get out of bed in the morning. This is probably a direct effect of my not being able to fall asleep until the middle of the night lately. 

Once I do get to sleep, I'm sleeping well and staying pretty comfortable. A few nights ago, my hips started bothering me and I thought, "Oh no, not already." When I should have been thankful that I went this far into pregnancy without any hip pain. It didn't last long, though, and I haven't noticed it again.

I don't think I've been craving anything in particular lately. I've just been eating like normal and trying to drink as much water as I need. It's been so hot and I know I haven't been drinking enough. 

My belly button is definitely different this time! I don't think it's going to pop out all the way, but I think it'll get close. 

I was looking the other day and I don't think I have any new stretch marks. I can still barely see the ones from Stella. Looking back, I didn't notice most of them until after she was born.

I just got back from a midwife appointment and that went very well. Sheryl is back and was pretty annoyed that the lab didn't run my blood to screen my glucose test at all. She's not concerned about me retaking it since I'm staying so healthy. They didn't run some other test either, so at my appointment in 2 weeks she's going to draw a vial of blood and send it in again. Over the weekend I noticed a couple annoying headaches a couple of times. I woke up with one and then got another in the evening. One went away with Tylenol. The other didn't. I immediately started to wonder if my blood pressure was going to start acting up again like it did when I was pregnant with Stella. Knowing that worrying wasn't going to help anything, I stopped and made sure I was taking my magnesium supplement every day (I'm pretty forgetful with my vitamins). 

• My blood pressure was perfect today (110/78).
• My fundal height is right at 34cm.
• Baby is, in fact, head down. His body is on my left with his butt up under my left ribs and his feet are kicking out my right side. He flips and flops a little bit, but that's his main position :) 
• His heart rate was in the 130s

 Basically, everything is perfect and I couldn't be more thankful for such an easy, healthy pregnancy.

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Baby is the size of a butternut squash

4.2 - 5.8 pounds 

17.2 - 18.7 inches

33 weeks

33 weeks

158 pounds

I totally slacked last week's update. Oh well :)

I feel great again. That cold was terrible and annoying for almost 2 weeks! I've still got lots of energy during the day at least. I'm starting to have a hard time waking up in the morning, but I'm sure that's because we've been staying up kind of late. 

I'm still sleeping well and staying comfortable all night. It's starting to get difficult to turn over in our giant cloud of a bed. I wish Stella's bed was a queen so we could just switch her for a few months. It's only a full size though and nowhere near big enough for Erik and I and I refuse to sleep with her because we've just gotten to a good place with her sleeping by herself.

I think baby is finally staying head down most of the time! I'm pretty sure he flipped on Sunday while I was doing my spinning babies routine. He's got his head down, body on my left and his feet on my right just like Stella did. I'm pretty sure Stella started out with her body on my right and feet on my left and then flipped over. I'll (hopefully) always remember that because my stretch marks on my left are bigger than on my right side. After being worried about him being like this I did some reading, I learned that this position is the most favorable (other than his back being out) for starting labor. He still kind of floats into a couple different positions in there, but at least I know he's not stuck. Before he'd flipped, I was starting to have a terrible pain on my left side where his head had been sitting. It was like he was stretching whatever skin/muscle was right there and it was horrible. 

I had a prenatal appointment last week and that went well. Sheryl was gone in Germany, so her back up nurse practitioner was there. My blood work results came back, but she didn't see any result or report of my glucose tolerance test. Hopefully they just forgot to send it because I'm NOT taking that test again. My iron is a little low (not surprising) so she suggested I start taking an iron supplement. I still need to pick some up and start taking it... oops. 

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Baby is the size of a durian?? WTF is that? 

4.2 - 5.8 pounds

17.2 - 18.7 inches