Getting Closer...

Here's my picture at a full 36 weeks:
I had another appointment with my midwife (Kyanna) this morning. I've lost a pound since my last appointment and my blood pressures are still great. At 36 weeks now I'm measuring more like 33, but Kyanna said she's not at all worried anymore given the great report from the ultrasound. She would've been concerned if the ultrasound showed Baby measuring below the 10th percentile for size among babies her "age," but she was at the 89th percentile so she is GrEaT. :) Kyanna also checked my cervix today, which she doesn't normally do at 36 weeks but thought she should under my circumstances, and she said it is already thinning out and is dilated about 1/2 centimeter. She thinks I will make it to at least a full 38 weeks (especially since it's my first baby and first-time-moms' bodies usually take a while to do all this for the first time) but only time will tell. In the meantime, I am continuing to eat well, walk with the pups, keep the house nice and clean, and my hospital bag is packed and ready. :) I will be going for weekly appointments now for the duration of the pregnancy. My next appointment is next Wednesday, so I will update again then!

No Worries

Well I had another NST this morning and everything sounded great again. Then I had an ultrasound. The process at this hospital is such that the patient doesn't really get to find anything out for a while: The ultrasound technician takes pictures and measures everything (while the patient gets to watch but isn't told good, bad, normal, etc.) -- all of the pictures and measurements are then read by the radiologist -- then the radiologist's results or findings are passed on to the care provider (my midwife). So... I won't hear officially from my midwife until I go see her on Monday... BUT, the ultrasound tech told me "off the record" that while I may be measuring behind schedule, Baby is measuring ahead of schedule. At 34 1/2 weeks last Thursday, I measured more like 31 weeks. At 35 1/2 weeks today, Baby is measuring more like 37 weeks. The ultrasound measurements have her weighing in at about 7 lbs 8 oz right now! So I asked the lady why in the world I would be measuring small if the baby's measuring large and she said it has everything to do with the shape of the uterus, the position of the baby, the way I'm carrying, etc... and that basically she doesn't put much stock in the external measuring other than a means of making sure things aren't way off. So, I feel so relieved that Baby is doing great! I've had a gut feeling that she will be making her appearance a bit early, but after today that seems all the more likely. I'll update again after my appointment on Monday!!!

Good Report on NST

I had another non-stress test (NST) today. Again, Baby's heartrate looked awesome, accelerating just as it should with her movements and otherwise maintaining a good strong pace. I'm still feeling great too (besides the constant aching back). I walked laps around the dog park for 30 minutes today, which I do pretty often nowadays... it felt good and was of course great for the pups too. Anyway, not too much to update besides the good NST today. I have another childbirth class tomorrow night, which I am excited about. Then I have another NST and an ultrasound on Thursday so I will update again then for sure. Here's my 35 week picture! Not too much longer!!!

Just a Little Bump in the Road

First of all, here's my picture from this past weekend - right at a full 34 weeks! Still growing and growing! I figured out how to set the timer on my camera so I can take pictures of myself, so I will probably be doing that every week now that we're coming down the home stretch. :)

I had an appointment with my midwife today and my weight is up again (about 30 lbs total now) but I'm measuring a little small. I'm about 34 1/2 weeks but I'm measuring more like 31, which is not terrible but is a little more variation than she would like to see. She said the small measurement could be simply explained by Baby's position (which seems to be pretty low) and the fact that I'm a decently tall and non-petite gal. But, she ordered another glucose test and an ultrasound to see exactly what's going on. I did the glucose test right after my appointment today and scheduled an ultrasound for next Thursday morning (the soonest they could fit me in). Then I went back up for a non-stress test where I was basically just lying there for 20 minutes with monitors on to track Baby's heartrate to make sure it was going up and down normally. It stayed around 137-140 when she was still and would go up to the low 150s when she would move around, which is exactly what is supposed to happen. Then a doctor used an ultrasound-type machine to check the amniotic fluid level and that looks great as well. So... while we're waiting for the results of the glucose test and ultrasound, I will have two more non-stress tests next week. Aside from all that, I am still feeling pretty good (except for some back aches) and am still staying active substituting and walking with the pups at least 30 minutes each day. Baby has also been very active and she is definitely head down and pretty low right now. I will keep you all updated with everything I find out from my up-coming tests and appointments. Keep us in your prayers, please!

Started Classes!

Me: Well I am about 33 1/2 weeks now and am still feeling mostly good. I've had a hard time sleeping over the last week and my back is hurting more than it has before, but overall I'm okay. Last night I started Childbirth Classes! It will be 2 hours every Tuesday night for 4 weeks. It's less Lamaze-oriented and more educational as far as covering everything you might can expect from things that may happen in the last few weeks to positions you can try throughout labor. There were about 10 couples in the class and then one other lady whose husband is deployed too. She and I have actually met and spoken a couple times at the dog park, so we're going to hang together without our husbands and be each others' class partners. :)
Pups: I had a few friends over Monday night and one lady has a 5 month old little boy. She laid him on the floor and BB and Pancake were so gentle with and curious about him. They sniffed and gave kisses without getting too rough or playful and weren't scared at all (and they didn't scare him either, hehe). BB would kind of jump back when he would kick his feet suddenly or make a strange noise, but she was more startled than afraid.
Daddy: Richard and I have been talking via instant messenger online every couple days or so. It's hard with the time difference (which was 8 hrs but is now 9 hrs since they do not observe the Daylight Savings nonsense). For instance, we talked last night at 11pm my time right before I went to bed and it was 8am his time and he was about to go eat breakfast. Anyway, he is really excited about becoming a dad in just a few weeks! It's so awesome... I can't wait to send him pictures and do online video chats.
Well that's pretty much it for now. My next midwife appointment is November 13, so I will update then!