37 Weeks! Full term :)

Pregnancy Highlights

 

 
How far along? 37 Weeks, for those still learning this is considered "full-term" so she make her grand appearance at any time!
 
Size of the baby? A 6.5lb, 20" long, Watermelon!

 

Maternity clothes? All.the.time.
 
Stretch marks? No new ones
 
Weight gained: I lost 2lbs, so total weight gain is 8lbs now
 
Sleep: We're doing alright
 
Best moment this/last week: As my previous post stated, I had a trip to the hospital on Tuesday because my blood pressure was up when I went in for my doctor visit.  Every thing checked out fine (thankfully).  I was happy to hear her heartbeat continuously for those 2hrs though, usually I only hear it for a few seconds at the doctors office so I was enjoying it.  It was also interesting to see the contractions on screen, I found clarity knowing what I have been feeling from time to time are actually Braxton Hicks and not some other strange pain.  I don't know if it was the stress from the hospital visit or what, but I had SO MANY of those practice contractions Tuesday after leaving the hospital it wasn't even funny.
 
Movement: This is the most active she's ever been.
 
Food cravings: Nah
 
Gender/Names: GIRL! Persephone Layne Jones!
 
Labor Signs: Lots and LOTS of Braxton Hicks
 
Belly Button in or out? Still in
 
Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing my wedding band
 
What I miss: Nothing.
 
What I am looking forward to: Meeting this little girl finally...hard to believe she's been cooking for 9mos - where does the time go?!?

 

Weekly Wisdom: During my recent trip to Target (Thank you all for your suggestions, my bag is now packed!!) I decided it was probably time to buy a nursing bra.  I haven't had to buy any new bras this entire pregnancy, but really all that proves is the bras I do have are just REALLY warn out.  I wasn't sure what size I should get because my boobs haven't blown up yet, so I went with the size of my current bras and well...that just didn't work out.  If I thought I had uneven boobs before, I was mistaken, because they're extremely uneven now.  For whatever reason my right one is about a cup size smaller than my left, so I'll be going back to swap for a bigger size and hope that works through the duration!

Hello hospital!

In honor of keeping it real on the blog here's how my day ended...

I had a doctors appt at 3:45, felt perfectly fine. When the nurse checked my BP though it was 160/100!! I looked at her and said "Wouldn't I be laid out on the floor right now if that were true!?". And she agreed it was a nervous reading. Anyway we proceeded to the exam room and the doc listened to her heart beat and measured my belly (142bpm and measuring 38cm).

He said he wanted to send me to the hospital for monitoring just to make sure all is well with baby. So then I started freaking out of course!

I called Hardy to let him know where I was headed and that I would keep him posted. I headed to L&D and checked in. It was apparent they were having an insane day, but my nurse was so so sweet and made me feel comfortable.

I was put in a room and they hooked a monitor up for Persephone's heartbeat and another for contractions. They also hooked up the BP cuff. They took a urine sample and drew blood and we waited....

I also had a clicker to push every time I felt her move. One thing that kept me laughing in all of this is when she moved hard enough you could hear it on the heart monitor, as a result I would laugh and the monitor would get really loud.

I was surprised to see the contractions on screen. I knew I had been feeling them, but it was like I was more in tune with my body because I was at the hospital watching them. I took it as a lesson though, at least I'm
100% positive of what they feel like!

My BP improved the longer I sat there, in fact at one time it was 112/68. Her heartbeat was perfect and her movements were great too. Blood work was all normal and there wasn't any protein in my urine (if there was it could point to preeclampsia)...so they sent me home.

The interesting thing is, I swear I've felt more practice contractions today especially since the hospital visit than any other day before now. Luckily I have an app that I can keep track of them with. Doctor did suggest I cut back on work, he didn't "order" bed rest, but just said it might be best...so I need to find out if Aflac pays on preterm labor...if they do, maybe I should take off sooner than planned.

::sigh::

Final preparations

My head can't quite grasp what's to come in the next days/weeks/months/years.  To describe it as overwhelming feels like an understatement.  But people have been doing this for years, right....so why sweat it?

 

I got all of Persephone's clothes, burp cloths, socks, blankets...etc washed this weekend.  I was also able to wash the cloth parts of the swing and bouncer we were given.  I probably could have just wiped them down or hand washed them, but it was much easier to just toss it all in the washing machine and let them get beat around for a few minutes.  For her we're all set...we have diapers/wipes/clothes/bath supplies/bassinet/pack n' play all ready to go.  The last thing I need are crib sheets, ha ha, thank goodness those are easy to pick up.

 

I obviously need to pack my hospital bag as well.  I've read a list of items you should bring, but thought I would ask my fellow bloggers:

 

-What were your essential must-have's when you went into the hospital?

-Were there any items no one ever suggested, but you definitely needed?  (even embarassing ones)

-Any items you brought that weren't necessary?

-What type of clothing did you bring for yourself for post-delivery?

 

I'm all ears!  Or in this case eyes....

 

36 Weeks!

Pregnancy Highlights

 

 
How far along? 36 Weeks! I've made it 9 months and have entered "the home stretch".
 
Size of the baby? A 6+lb, 20" long, crenshaw melon

 

 
Maternity clothes? Nothing but...
 
Stretch marks? No new ones
 
Weight gained: 10lbs
 
Sleep: It's gotten better, but it could be the Benadryl ha ha
 
Best moment this/last week: We REALLY loaded up with some goods at my baby shower last Saturday.  Without a doubt, she will be one of the cleanest babies in Hall County - we got sooooo much bath stuff.  We also got a ton of clothes, all of which were adorable, but with my moms advice, I've kept the tags on most of it just incase she doesn't fit into every thing.
 
Movement: I can tell she's running out of room. I still feel her very frequently, but it's more like rolls -vs- blunt punches/kicks.
 
Food cravings: Water, ice water.
 
Gender/Names: GIRL! Persephone Layne Jones!
 
Labor Signs: Still an occasional Braxton Hicks.  I'm still monitoring my BP twice a day at work and it's always within "normal" range, until I go to the doctor and my anxiety cranks up and they always get a high reading.  He wasn't too concerned with it this week after I showed him the log I've been keeping.  I'm officially 4 weeks away from my due date and the "weekly" visits have begun.  I had my first "crying spell" this weekend, Saturday night I guess I was just overwhelmed with every thing and realizing soon there will be another human being in our house...I had to let out a few sniffles.
 
Belly Button in or out? Still in
 
Wedding rings on or off? Still wearing my wedding band
 
What I miss: Nothing.
 
What I am looking forward to: Keeping the house clean (until she gets here of course lol).  We did a pretty deep clean pre-baby shower thinking some family would have stopped by to look at her nursery, but no one did.  Oh well, they're missing out and I'll turn it into a positive that it was good motivation to tidy things up a bit.

Nursery additions

This weekend my parents came back for my baby shower and my stepdad was sweet enough to hang the tree decal on the nursery wall that was empty. It looks so good.

My plan is to hang small frames with character photos and Disney quotes. Only a few...so she'll have her own family tree so to speak.

The red rocking chair was actually my Dad's when he was little. He and my stepmom re-painted it to fit Persephone's room.

My Nana also made a quilt for her crib. Hardy's Granny also made a quilt so this child will surely have enough blankets!!