Oh, hey due date...

Spoiler alert: I'm still pregnant. Annnnnnd this post is long.

When I last posted we were going in for an induction. We got to the hospital, and got settled in our room, I scarfed down a sandwich because they told me it would be the last time I could eat until after delivery, answered a bunch of questions, and started getting hooked up to all the lovely machines (IV, fetal heart monitor, contraction monitor and BP cuff). After all that the on call L&D doctor came in to check me and come up with a "game plan."

I hadn't made any progress since my last appointment. I was still about 50% effaced and 0 cm dilated, contracting about every 2-2.5 minutes. The doctor talked with us about all the "labor and delivery possibilities" so we understood what methods may be used during induction and what to expect. He wanted to get me started on pitocin so I got hooked to yet another lovely tube and was told that I would have to stay in bed but could get up to use the restroom. I already knew I was going to be sick of the bed in a hurry. I think I was tangled in my gown and all the tubes coming out of me within 5 minutes.

My blood pressure got checked every 20 minutes, and the nurse came in just about as often to update stuff on the computer and occasionally bump up my pitocin. I wasn't feeling anything, so was actually able to get some rest in between the periodic checks.

After about 11 hours on pitocin the doctor came in to check me again to see if progress had been made. I figured something HAD to have happened...I mean it'd been 11 hours, despite the fact I still didn't feel pain. Well....we were at the same point as when we came in. The doctor talked to use again about the next possible steps, and I told him again that the foley bulb sounded TERRIFYING.

They were happy that the baby was tolerating the pitocin so well, and also mentioned that my BP had not been high AT ALL since being admitted.

The doctor came back in with his attending advisor and started with "We've been looking over your chart...." Immediately I thought the next words were going to be "since things don't seem to be progressing we'd like to prep you for c-section." THANKFULLY I was VERY wrong.

They talked about how I really am a healthy person, and the baby was doing very well. They said "you are already at a pretty high dosage of pitocin....we can continue with the induction which realistically could take another 3 days. We know you made arrangements to come in and perhaps have family already on their way OR we feel comfortable that you and baby are stable enough that you can go home, and come back when you spontaneously go into labor."

Call me naive, but I didn't EVER consider this would be an option! I thought inductions led to the inevitable....a baby being born one way or the other.

I looked over at Tim and we both quickly agreed we wanted to go home. Seriously, what a blessing. We would much rather not force things that obviously aren't ready to happen. And how exciting is it that my BP seems to not be an issue again!?!

So here is what we learned:

1. My body is holding the baby hostage. This little girl is stubborn. She's calling all the shots.
2. Tim should bring a blanket next time. Covering up with my spring coat wasn't ideal.
3. If I had to wait 3 days without eating, I would probably give myself a c-section.

Fast forward to today. Baby girl's due date and our 40 week appointment. No changes. Our doctor is working L&D Wednesday night so wants us to come in then to get monitored (make sure baby is doing well, that amniotic fluid levels are sufficient etc.). If we are both healthy we can give her until Friday to come out on her own, but if not we will have a no-turning-back induction. IF by unfortunate chance things don't look ideal on Wednesday (once babies are overdue there is concern about the placenta not functioning as well or baby releasing meconium) then our doctor will start the induction that night.

But hey, who knows, little girl could come before Wednesday on her own. Tim HAS said all along that she is going to be an April Fools Day baby.

Induction Tomorrow

This will be my last "official" pregnancy photo. It was taken today at 39 weeks 2 days. I'm feeling good but am anxious starting to get really nervous for tomorrow!!

I'm being induced prior to the baby's due date as the result of some blood pressure concerns. Although, this was certainly not part of our "birth plan" and I will likely have to adjust a lot of my preferences, the end goal is the same....healthy and safe baby and mama :)

I don't know quite what to expect but trust my doctors and am so happy to have my wonderful husband there to support me (we're both nervous!)

We will update everyone as soon as we can. Just think our next post will have real pictures of our little lady!!

Baby is coming!!

A lot has happened in the last 48 hours and my mind is all over the place so this may be a bit of a spastic post! I'm going to try and put together a more logical post with important info tomorrow :-)

I had my 39 week appointment on Thursday. Baby's heart rate and growth were great, but my BP was no bueno. I was 50% effaced and 0 cm dilated. Although my BP wasn't outrageously high, it was high enough that the doctor doesn't feel comfortable overlooking it anymore. My BP was high in the first trimester, and then it leveled out wonderfully in the second trimester. Starting at my 38 week appointment it was on the rise again.

The doctor had me go get some blood work done and give a urine specimen to check the protein levels in my urine. She gave me paperwork about inductions and told me she was passing along my file to the scheduler, and although I knew this was real, I didn't totally take it seriously. Can't explain it.

She told me she would call me shortly and let me know if I needed to do a 24 hour collection. Well, within about an hour she called and said I did need to go ahead with that.

Keep in mind I'm at work at this point, so I'm thinking great...my second to last day at work and I have to walk around here with a jug of my own pee. Wonderful last impression. But I also thought it was ridiculous to go home. Soooo picture me carrying this box around the office (to disguise my "supplies) with me anytime I had to use the restroom.....yep, for real.

I got a couple "Aww packing up your stuff?" to which I replied..."uhhh not exactly." Hahha.

Fast forward to Friday, my last day of work....I had to leave at noon to drop off my 24 hour "collection" to the hospital. I dropped it off, went and got a pedicure and then came home to try and nap because I was truly exhausted, had a headache and a little bit of cramping. I never got a call from the hospital so I assumed that meant they would just call me early next week and we'd set up something for her due date or that I didn't need to be induced at all.

Around 10am this morning, I was just sitting down to watch Pretty Little Liars after the Comcast repair guy left and I was thinking of a few errands I would run, then the phone rang and it was the hospital. A super peppy doctor informed me that "we have you scheduled for Monday morning!" I said "Oh wow, okay." Then she told me all the details about when to arrive etc. MONDAY. MONDAY. As in less than 48 hours from the time of that phone call. HOLY. CRAP.

Since that call my mind has been racing. I need to do this, I need to do that. OMG. What does one do in their last 36 hours before being induced?!? We're going to have a baby within a few days. There goes my plan to have the next week off work to relax ;-)

So for the rest of the weekend (Tim is at work until 5pm today), I'm going to do a final cleanup of the house, pick up a few things from the store (could be one of the last times I don't have to tote baby with me...ahh!), relax (yeah...right) and think about what life will be like this time next week (picture me eating a subway sandwich, sushi and a margarita....haha).

Baby and I will be home for Easter (score!!) Hmm, maybe I'll put in an order to the Honey Baked Ham Company now....

Baby girl is due NEXT WEEK

It is so weird to say "I'm due next week." Holy cow. 

Things that have been happening around here lately:

- Parking my car at work or in the garage and not being able to FIT OUT THE DOOR. Sh*t just got real, as the kids say. This rock hard belly can't be sucked in. I've dried off the side of my car with the bump (not by choice) on more than one occasion. 

- Leaning to grab something in the cabinet above the stove and setting my belly on a burner. Yep, the burner was on. Talk about not being aware of your own body!!

- Grunting and having to do a 1-2-3 to launch myself off the couch when lying down. 

- Baby girl recognizing her daddy, mama and Taylor Swift's voices. Her movement either indicates she loves us, or she is desperately scrambling to cover her ears. 

- Nesting and resting. It's really one extreme to the other. One day we go crazy organizing (thank goodness hubs is so handy), getting rid of unnecessary items and cleaning and other days it seems beyond exhausting to even stay awake for an hour long TV program. 

- Having some physical signs that things are progressing and baby girl will be joining us before we know it...

I feel pregnant

As of late, everyone I come into contact with has a comment about the bump. Perceptions go from one extreme to the next. For example, today I was told that I don't look pregnant at all from the front or back. Two hours later I was told that my bump looked like a mountain. It's funny how everyone has their own idea of what 7 months pregnant looks like.

At this stage the baby alone is gaining 1/2 a pound a week! I don't really feel the extra weight/strain on my body, but it's definitely visible! It seems like what I wear has a huge effect on how pregnant I look. I've noticed that sometimes those comfy, flowy outfits actually make me look 10 pounds bigger. Mirrors should be outlawed.

In addition to feeling pregnant because of all the growth, I've also been having some little dizzy spells lately (yet I thought it was a good idea to wear 4 inch heels to work today). The dizziness isn't anything huge to worry about, but I do need to work harder on reaching that GALLON OF WATER a day quota. Dude. That's A LOT of fluids. I was also advised to eat small snacks every 2 hours. I've been pretty good about that, but as a result I'm not really hungry when it comes time for a "real meal" at lunch or dinner. So here's what happens as a result of that:

Tim: What did you eat this morning?
Me: I don't know Tim, I had a hard-boiled egg, some apricots. This and that.
Tim: Oh my god. You need to eat REAL FOOD. You are starving the baby. You need to have an actual meal.
Me: I promise I'm not starving the baby...

Imagine this SAME conversation repeated at least 3 times a day everyday :-)

Go 'head girl, go 'head get down

28 week check up was this past week and it could not have gone better.

I passed my glucose tolerance test (yay no gestational diabetes!)

Blood count was good (no anemia concerns!)

Baby's heart rate was 150 (doctor said she's a happy little girl!)

All measurements were right on track.

And baby is in the head down position. Although there is a chance she could still move around, the doctor said this is great and hopefully she stays that way.

Hanging out upside down for the next 12ish weeks sounds fun, right?

Soccer Mom

According to my pregnancy tracker my uterus is the size of a soccer ball. Ummm....has anyone come into contact with a soccer ball lately? They aren't small!!!

When I wake up in the morning my tum-tum tends to look and feel smaller, but as the day progresses the bump grows. By the end of the day I have such a sense of fullness, and I certainly can't pinch an inch on this belly.

I thought this was scary, but then I realized it's going to get bigger.  Terrifying territory up next.

Oh and, what about the other organs in my abdominal cavity?!? Thanks to the baby cavity, they have to be squished right?? In the words of OMC, how bizarre, how bizarre.

Speaking of soccer, someone's kicks sure are getting more powerful...

The bean is now more like the size of a beanSTALK. She's about a pound and half and 12 inches long. Footlong anyone?

I wonder what she's up to in there all day. Tim thinks she's trying to break outta there and that's what all the movement is. Maybe. Or maybe she's doing yoga. Or breakdancing. Or preparing her gymnastics routine for the 2032 Olympics.

24 week appointment

Today was our 24 week appointment. The little girl is absolutely perfect - growing just right, strong heartbeat.

Although...I think she was a BIT pouty that her daddy couldn't make it to the appointment, because she had her back turned to us during the sonogram, which she has never done before! Little punk.

My weight gain is on track (doesn't make the amount any less scary though!) and good news is that my blood pressure was the lowest it has been the whole pregnancy! Whoop whoop.

We talked about epidurals and labor pain management. Ahh! This is happening. I was traumatized by my first period, the word cervix makes me physically ill and I break out in hives when I see "medical tools." The doctor told me about labor tubs and I asked if I could wear a bathing suit. I'm sure this is going to go realllllllllllllllly well.

Thank goodness I love the heck out of our little girl, because I wouldn't go through this for just anyone ;-)

Feeling baby move...

Judging by our ultrasounds we have a future break dancer on the way. Tim said it looked like she was trying to break out of the womb, LOL.

It was strange to see her boppin' around, twisting and turning because I couldn't feel her at all. But over the past couple weeks I have been starting to feel movement. It is still fairly random, and not clearly defined (I certainly can't tell if she's kicking me, punching me, or doing somersaults) but it's something!

I was told because I have an anterior placed placenta it more or less creates an extra little cushion/buffer between, so many women don't feel strong movement until later in the pregnancy because of this.

What I can feel is pretty crazy though. It makes me jump every time. For real. Not because it's intense, but because it startles me. It's like a little flutter-pow-random-spasm feeling. You know exactly what I'm talking about right? Haha.

Frankly I'm proud of myself for not being totally freaked out by the whole thing. I've come a long way considering up until recently I would talk about pregnancy like it was a parasite-host relationship....a little "thing" feeding off the mother's flesh and blood. Yes, I'm that dramatic.  Talk about motherly instincts ;-)

XoXo,
The girl that vomited in her sex education seminar each year of school

Oh. My. God. Becky, look at her butt...

It is so big.

"Yes!! Lovehandles!!" - said no one ever. 

Seriously. Between the badonkadonk in the back and the growing-bigger-every-day baby bump in the front I don't even want to begin to think of what a side silhouette would look like about  now.

Mid-way through my 19th week and I'm at that awkward stage where I can still fit in my regular clothes, but I'm not loving the way they look. And let's be real, a muffin top isn't comfy OR attractive by any means.

My work pants are more comfortable than my jeans, but nothing compares to the beloved yoga pant or sweatpant. Ahhh <3. Some days my mind even plays tricks on me and I almost convince myself that it'd be perfectly acceptable to go out to dinner in sweatpants. Who am I?!

A friend and coworker who recently had a baby this past year gave me all of her maternity clothes. How freakin' awesome is that?? It's like I hit the new wardrobe jackpot. The outfits are adorable and beyond comfortable. Thank you Liana!

The secret to a good night's sleep

I was surprised over that past couple weeks when I started to have trouble sleeping at night. I can't stay comfortable, and seem to get pains in my legs (mostly in the hip area and ankle area). In my head, these issues weren't supposed to kick in for at least another 10 weeks...full speed ahead, apparently!

I knew that sleeping on your stomach was obviously a no-no during pregnancy, but I didn't know until more recently that you shouldn't sleep on your back either beginning in the second trimester. Sheesh. Talk about limited options.

Tim had heard about "pregnancy pillows" so he suggested we go look. Enter the Boppy Total Body Pillow. I may or may not have thrown a hissy fit about spending $50 on a PILLOW, but after one night I realized this magical $50 pillow was the secret to life a good night's sleep.
 
                                          


It's so comfortable and really seems to take the pressure off of my achin' joints. Soon I'll fill out the area that is designated for the baby bump, but for now Rocky thinks that's his new snuggle spot.

The pillow has a removable slip cover that can easily be washed so that's a big perk as well. 

The only downside I see to this pillow is that it's like having another person in the bed. Oh and the first night I didn't quite have the swing of things when it came to flipping over onto my other side. Definitely found myself tangled in blankets on more than one occasion....but I'm happy to report I have that under control now, haha. Small victories.

Telling the management team at work...

Today I announced to the rest of the management team at work that I'm pregnant. Because I'm awkward and was nervous for some reason, I had to enlist the help of others (thank you Su!).

Su had the fun idea to cut up strips of pink and blue paper and have each person pick one as part of a "team building exercise."Then she said "okay now you have to tell us if you think Erin is having a boy or girl." There was a pause and then the outburst of "You're pregnant?!!?" It was really fun and my Operations Manager brought in cupcakes from Hello Cupcake to celebrate (I had shared the news with her last week).

                                                      

It was really nice to feel so supported and to have fun with it. I'm lucky to have such wonderful coworkers.

And I have the sneaking suspicion that another one of my coworkers may be up to some shenanigans when it comes to spreading the word to the rest of the staff ;-)

xoxo

Erin

The beginning

We figured since we're on the opposite side of the country from most of our family and friends a blog would be a good way to keep everyone in the loop!

We found out I was pregnant on July 28th. It was important to find out that day because we were planning to celebrate our birthdays the following day, and well, I needed to know what kind of drink I could order. That margarita will just have to wait until next year.

We wanted to wait to announce the pregnancy until we felt we were in the "safe zone." Currently I'm a little over 14 weeks along and things are going well. We got to hear the bean's heartbeat August 28th and September 25th and it was perfect <3

I'll make sure to do a separate post about symptoms and cravings but overall I think I've had it pretty easy so far!

Love you all,

Erin and Tim