36 weeks

How Far Along: 36 weeks 

Size of Baby:  According to yesterday’s ultrasound, she is already 6lbs, 5oz.   I did not weigh much more than this when I was born! 

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  +24 lbs

Doctor’s visits:   We started our weekly appointments yesterday and I had my first internal exam.   Dr. Serden was very pleased with how everything looks.   From this point on, there are 3 key points that the doctor will measure:  dilation (0-10cm—0 means the cervix is closed, 10cm means fully dilated and ready to push), effacement (0-100%- this is the thickness of the cervix—needs to be 100% to push) and position/station of baby in my uterus as she travels down (-5 is baby floating, 0 is at the pelvis/top of birth canal, +5 is crowning).   The goal is to get to 10cm dilated, 100% effacement and +5 station.   Although this all sounds highly technical, and despite all of the advances in modern medicine, there is still no exact science to this to tell us when she will come.   I can walk around for weeks with varying degrees of dilation and effacement.   Nature will take its course, and she will come when she is good and ready (although I would likely be induced at 41 weeks if she is not here by then). 

I am currently 0cm dilated, however I am already 80-90% effaced and she is already in the +1 station—meaning she is already very, very low and rapidly thinning my cervix.  The doctor said that this did not necessarily mean an EARLY delivery, but it did bode well for an EASY delivery, which is great news (although “easy delivery” seems like an oxymoron to me).  Her low position is good and bad—it is good because she is already in great position for delivery and making her way down.  It also explains why my belly has looked smaller (although seems huge to me).  The bad is just the added discomfort to me of her bearing down on my pelvis and bladder.   Amniotic fluids and all of her measurements look fantastic.   The doctor is also very pleased with my blood pressure (114/72) and weight. 

Symptoms/Feelings: 

All things considered, I’m feeling good.  I’ve been told that the last month is the hardest, and it is definitely very hard and uncomfortable, but I am trying to stay positive, RELAX and enjoy every moment with Brice and Dakota before our next adventure begins!   We are having so much fun preparing for our baby—as we put away her books and toys, we talk about what it will be like to read stories to her at night or what occasion she might wear a certain dress.   But as busy as we are with these preparations (and many other less fun preparations, like filing taxes, handling electrical work, getting the carpets cleaned), we are also trying to make time for ourselves and go to nice dinners, go to spinning class together, hang out with friends, enjoy long walks with Dakota and watch movies.                  

Health/Exercise:  It was a great decision to retire from running—the Round Ligament Pain has noticeably decreased.  I’m still walking (every day), going on the elliptical (1x/week), spinning (2x/week) and going to yoga (1-3x/week).   I’ve been using some of the prenatal workout DVDs at home, which aren’t very challenging, but still good. 

Eating has become more difficult.  My appetite has actually decreased, and I just don’t have very much room in my stomach anymore as all of my internal organs are a bit smashed.  I am having small meals and snacking throughout the day.  Overeating at this point is extremely painful.    

Preparations/accomplishments: 

We’ve been so productive! 

-          We took our hospital tour last week.   After seeing where we would be checking in, all of the hospital equipment, women in labor, and, best of all, the nursery, everything became a whole lot more real.   I am not sure if the tour added to my excitement or my anxiety…. Probably a bit of both.

-          We had our infant car seat installed.   It is so strange to look in the backseat and see a carseat there!   We would not be released from the hospital without it, so I’m relieved we took care of it. 

-          We put together 2 strollers—our awesome BOB Revolution jogging stroller (and infant car seat attachment so that we can use it right away, rather than wait the 6 months that is suggested without the infant car seat) and the Snap N Go, which is a stroller frame that the car seat snaps into.  Brilliant!   We also cleaned out the front closet to store these strollers. 

-          On the advice of the dog trainer, we started putting together a lot of the toys/equipment so that Dakota can start getting used to their sounds and presence.  We put together the Sleeper/Rocker, Cradle Swing and activity mat.   Dakota has shown no interest whatsoever in any of these, however she is dying to get her paws on the Sleep Sheep and Manhattan Whoozit toy.  Interesting… 

-          We registered for Cord Blood Banking.   After a lot of discussion and research, we went with StemCyte for a variety of reasons.   We hope that we will never have to use it.    

-          We started using and got our first lesson on our SLR camera!   We also got a small video camera and started using it as well.   I’m so impressed with the camera.   Even in the automatic mode and just point-and-shooting, the quality of pictures is noticeably better.  

-          A lot of progress has been made in the nursery and bathroom, but I am waiting until everything is complete so that I can post pictures of the final product.    

-          Our good friends, Darren and Benita, just had a baby in November.  They had us over to watch and participate in Rylan’s whole evening routine, since reading and hearing about what to do is entirely different from actually doing it.   We got to participate in 2 diaper changes, activity mat time, rolling over, bath time, bottle feeding, burping, bed time, and of course, 1 full blown melt down.   Fortunately, not even the meltdown scared us.