39 Weeks

So I have 2 more days until my due date. I had what will be my last doctors appointment this morning and once again for the 3rd week in a row there was really no progress. My doctor decided that we should plan an induction for next Thursday. So unless this baby comes on her own over the next 6 days we will head to the hospital Thursday morning to begin the induction process. Funny thing is the baby is doing all she needs to come out and meet us, but my body is just not ready to let her go. The doctor said her head is super low and ready to come on out. The only things keeping her from coming out is my closed cervix.

The doctor said she will start the induction by giving me some medicine that will hopefully help to open my cervix. Should it work she thinks my labor will go quickly since the baby is so low. That was the only good news we got today, but I will take it because a short labor would be amazing.

38 Weeks

2 Weeks to go.....hopefully!!!! Chad and I had our last baby class this week!!! It was our labor and delivery class. This weeks class focused on C-sections, while last week was all about vaginal births. I realized after the class that they are very smart to talk about vaginal deliveries first and then tell you all about C-sections. During last week's class on vaginal deliveries we watched a video which showed 3 vaginal births. After watching the first birth I just looked over to Chad and said I do not want to go through that. I was so stressed out about pushing out this baby until this weeks class. Watching a c-section made the vaginal birth look much more appealing. Even though I may not have a choice in the matter, I really hope I do not need to have a C-section.

We also had a tour of the birthing floor. The tour was a little freaky because it made it all so real. At our hospital, I will first be checked in to a LDR room, where I will labor, deliver and recover. These rooms are very nice and the nurses seem like they will be great. About two hours after delivery, they will move us to a postpartum room. These rooms were not quite as nice, but they are private. One unique thing about my hospital that I am not to crazy about is that they have a rooming-in policy, meaning the baby will be in the room with me at all times. The hospital does not even have a nursery for the babies to go to. If for some reason I do need the nurses help, they will take her, but they will only really do it if her or I are struggling. Because of this, I know I will be very eager to come home. I figure if I need to take care of her I much rather do it at home where I will be a lot more comfortable.

I had my weekly doctors appointment on Thursday and once again had no progress. These appointments are really starting to get discouraging. I know I still have a week left until my due date, but almost all of my friends who have already had babies had to be induced and I am really hoping to just go into labor on my own. My next appointment is Friday the 19th, which is 2 days before my due date. Luckily, my doctor is on-call all next weekend so I would love for my little one to come then so that she can deliver me. Despite all the craziness I had during this pregnancy when it came to switching doctors, I now feel everything worked out perfect in the end. I love my doctor I have now and would be pretty disappointed if she is not there.

How far along? 38 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 30 pounds.....Ugh

Maternity clothes? Yes, although I prefer to spend my days in sweats.

Sleep: Pretty good except for Friday night when I was woken up by Braxton Hicks Contractions

Best moment this week: My manicure and pedicure.

Movement: This little girl does not stop moving. At my doctors appointment my doctor was amazed that she saw the baby 's leg go from one side of my stomach to the other.

Food cravings: Orange Juice.....finally something healthy!!!

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: I have had some contractions, but nothing consistent

Belly Button in or out? Is flat a choice?

What I miss? Mojitos....I have been dying for one.

What I am looking forward to: This baby coming out!!!

Milestones: I am officially full-term

37 Weeks, 9 Months and Full Term

Wow, it's March, and Chad and I will be having a baby this month!! This week I am officially full-term meaning at this point the baby is fully developed and it is safe for her to arrive at anytime.

My doctors appointment on Tuesday was pretty uneventful. The best news was that I passed my Group B Strep test. Other than that, there has been no progress since my last appointment. My next appointment is next Thursday. I have a feeling there won't be any change before then, but I am planning on starting an all out walking fest after that appointment to help things along. The only reason why I am not starting before then is because Nutmeg is getting her stitches out on Wednesday and I want to make sure I can go to her appointment, but after that, I will be very eager to get this baby out.

Chad putting together the pack and play.

How far along? 37 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 28 pounds.

Maternity clothes? Yes, although I prefer to spend my days in sweats.

Sleep: For some reason I am always exhausted. Chad thinks I am not really falling into a deep sleep at night even though I feel like I sleep ok.

Best moment this week: Having a massage.

Movement:

Food cravings: Milkshakes

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: Nope...unfortunately

Belly Button in or out? Is flat a choice?

What I miss? Having energy

What I am looking forward to: Our hospital tour

Milestones: I am officially full-term

Nutmegs Home

Chad and I picked Nutmeg up from the vet on Saturday. On our way to get her I was so excited, but also super nervous. Nervous because the last time Nutmeg had surgery (on her knee) I had to go pick her up alone and she was in much worse shape than I could have imagined. When we got to the vet Nutmegs surgeon met with us before they brought her out. She went over her surgery again with us and even showed us a picture of her liver. At first I could not look, but Chad said he thought I could handle it so I took a peak. It was so scary to see the actual bruising on her liver. Her liver has two sides a right and a left, her left side was the one that was damaged and it was all blue and purple. Her right side was all pink, just how it should look. Nutmegs doctor spoke to us about what her diet and activity level should be for the first couple of days. Once we reviewed everything I asked her how she would look when I saw her to prepare myself. She said she looks good and will probably be super excited. She mentioned that Nutmeg was very noisy during her stay. Apparently she developed a loud cry/yelp and would use it when anyone entered the room. I asked if it was because she was in pain and the doctor said not at all.... she just likes attention.

As Nutmeg was coming down she heard us and started with the crying. It was so amazing to see her and she looked much better than I thought she would. It really helps that we cannot see her incision. She was so excited she even tried to jump on Chad. Nutmeg was very eager to leave so the vet helped us get her into the car. I gave the vet a hug for saving my baby and we left for home.

Since Saturday Nutmeg has been doing well. She was very nervous when she first got home. She would follow Chad and I everywhere. I think she was probably afraid we would leave her. Saturday night she slept well and has been more relaxed and sleeping a lot the past two days. She is not crazy about her new diet, which are mashed potatoes mixed with a little bit of her soft food. At first we were giving her mashed potatoes and a little boiled chicken, but once she had a bowel movement we were told she could have her regular food instead of the chicken. Well Nutmeg is not a fan of the potatoes and will only eat them if their is chicken in them so I have had to put a little chicken in to get her to eat. Considering she will eat anything we drop on the floor I am quite surprised that she has been so picky :O)

We have to bring her back to the vet on Wednesday night to get her blood work rechecked. Then a week after that she will have her stitches removed. I am just so happy to have my snoring machine back home with me :O)

Nutmeg

Chad and I had a big scare in our lives this week with our puppy. It all started Tuesday evening when we picked Nutmeg up from doggy daycare. We had brought her there so that she could play with other dogs and get some of her energy out. When we picked her up, Nutmeg was not her usual feisty self. She seemed very tired and lethargic. The owner said that she seemed tired in the afternoon so he put her in her crate to rest, but he said other than that she seemed fine.

When we got home we tried to feed her and she did not want her food, which is so unlike her. She did drink a ton of water, but within 5 minutes, she threw it all back up. We figured she was just so exhausted so we placed her in her crate and left her while we went to our childbirth class. When we got home, she had thrown up little more in her crate, but she got up when we opened the door and she went right for her water bowl again. She drank some water, but again it came right back up. I decided to take her to bed to let her rest and see how she was in the morning. At about 5:30 am, I heard her licking a lot so I got her some water. She immediately went for it and it immediately came up again. She threw up 3 more times so I called the doggy daycare to see if anything else happened to her the day before. The owner said prior to looking tired she was running around with the other dogs and seemed fine. He suggested I call the vet to have her checked since she was probably dehydrated from all the vomiting. He also mentioned that with her tendency to put rocks in her mouth it sounds like she may have a blockage in her stomach.

I immediately called the vet and they said to bring her right in. I explained to the vet all that had happened and that she tends to put rocks in her mouth. The vet said our best course of action would be to x-ray her belly and then do some blood work. We waited about 15 minutes and the vet came out with an x-ray in her hand and my stomach immediately dropped because I knew she was going to show us something. Sure enough, the x-ray showed she had a rock in her tummy. The doctor said they would have to remove it and I just lost it. Bulldogs do not do well with anesthesia. It is always a risk because of their small airways. I also was not happy that the vet is not staffed 24 hours a day and that she would have to be left there alone overnight. Our only other option was to go to a 24 hour hospital with a specialist which was an hour and a half away. Knowing how bad Nutmeg does in the car we did not think it would be good to transport her so we decided to keep her at our vet. They brought her in so we could say goodbye to her. I was such a mess and so worried. I told her she had to be ok because she is going to be a big sister. The vet promised to call as soon as she was done.

About 20 minutes later the vet called to say Nutmegs liver enzymes were high. She thought it might be due to all the vomiting, but she wanted to let me know before they did the surgery. 15 minutes later she called again to tell me that they had started and Nutmeg's abdomen was full of blood. They did not know where the blood was coming from, but she said it was a lot and they would try to find and stop the bleeding, but she did not know if they could. At that point I thought I was going to lose my dog. I got off the phone and called Chad and all I could do was pray until they called me back. An hour and a half later the vet called to tell me the surgery was over and Nutmeg was awake. She said she lost a lot of blood and that it had come from her liver, which was bruised and lacerated. I immediately asked if it was from the rock and she said there was no way for the rock to damage the liver. The two were totally unrelated. The vet said Nutmeg's injury was so bad that they would have thought she was hit by a car but knowing that we had her in daycare, the vet said the only thing that probably would have caused the damage would be another dog ramming into Nutmeg. The vet said they would have to monitor her blood levels to make sure she did not need a transfusion and just hope that she improves.

That night, the vet called and said that Nutmeg was alert. Her red blood cell count was stable, but her platelets were still low. Given all the blood she lost, the vet felt that her low levels were probably due to all the clotting her blood needed to do. They told me to call back the next morning at 7:30 to get an update. That whole night I did not sleep. I just kept thinking that my puppy was there all by herself and I worried that she would not make it through the night. I set my alarm for 7:30 am and immediately called the vet. The vet said Nutmeg was very alert and she already had gone for a walk. They were going to do her blood work again so the vet told me to call back at 9:30. When I called back the vet said her red blood cells where still good and the platelets were still low. Nutmeg's white blood cells were also a little high so they gave her antibiotics. The vet said she would call me again that night.

When the vet called, she said Nutmeg was doing well. She has had some water and a little bit of food and she had gone out a few times. She even said that Nutmeg should be able to come home tomorrow night (Friday) or Saturday. I could not believe it. A part of me is nervous to take her home because of the trauma she has been through, but the other part of me just can't wait to have her in the house again.

The vet called this morning and Nutmeg's platelets have started to come up and she will be coming home tomorrow. The vet said her energy is up and our biggest struggle when she is home will be keeping her calm. We will also have to make sure she does not slip or fall which could re-injure her liver. Nutmeg also ate some food today. Apparently they fed her mashed potatoes and some other soft food. I immediately thought that Nutmeg must be loving her new diet. The vet said she definitely got her appetite back which is no surprise to us. The vet said she will call us in the morning with Nutmeg's latest blood test results and we are scheduled to pick her up at 1:oopm. I am so excited to bring her home, but am also nervous. I remember when she had her knee surgery I was constantly worried that she would hurt herself again I know I will probably have that same feeling again. I just hope baby H stays put for the next three weeks so that I do not have to worry about taking care of a newborn and doggy :O)

36 Weeks

I had my growth ultrasound yesterday and was so excited to see our little girl again. Chad came with me to the appointment and prior to going in we both guessed baby H's weight. Chad said 4 pounds 12 ounces, while I thought she was 5 pounds 6 ounces. Well she blew both of us out of the water. According to the ultrasound, her estimated weight is 6 pounds 8 ounces. Not only that but her head is measuring a little large (lucky me). The ultrasound confirmed that she is in position and my cervix is shortening. Once again she was moving around like crazy during the ultrasound. She was so active, the tech had a hard time measuring her leg bones, which to no surprise were right up in my ribs.

After the ultrasound we saw my doctor. I told her how concerned I was with the babies size and she said not to worry because at this point she is still in just the 50th percentile. Funny thing is I am still measuring small (just 32 weeks), but the ultrasound confirmed that is definitely wrong. The doctor checked me for the first time to see if my body has made any progress and she found that I am 50% effaced and 1cm dialated. It is not much, but it does mean that my body is starting to make progress towards getting our baby girl out.

Last night we had our second labor and delivery class and our instructor was one of the nurses from labor and delivery. She was super sweet and covered a lot of good information. We reviewed the stages of labor, relaxation techniques, pain management options and breathing. I really hope that when I am in labor our instructor is working because she was just great.

How far along? 36 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 28 pounds.

Maternity clothes? Yes, although I prefer to spend my days in sweats.

Sleep: Yes and I am soaking up every minute of it while I still can.

Best moment this week: This was a bad week. Nutmeg had to have surgery (which I will explain in a later post) luckily she made it through and should be ok. So the best moment will be when we get to take her home.

Movement: During our ultrasound she was moving around a ton as usual. The tech had such a hard time measuring her legs.

Food cravings: Nothing

Gender: Girl

Labor Signs: None

Belly Button in or out? Is flat a choice?

What I miss? My doggy :O(

What I am looking forward to: Getting our doggy home.

Milestones: Being 50% effaced and 1cm dialated. It is something!!

Valentines Day!!

I wanted to post the picture from our Valentines dinner. As I mentioned in my previous post we went to Table for dinner, which was so yummy!!! Over the past six months Chad and I have done a lot of complaining about how there are no good restaurants in Midland. We knew Table was considered the high end restaurant in town so we figured we would save it for a special occasion. I left dinner wishing we had not waited to try it because it was so good and we will probably not be able to go out to dinner again for a long time since Baby H will be here in 4 weeks!!