17 September 2010

Still Pregnant

Officially past the 39 week mark and I'm still pregnant despite all the conviction that I would deliver a few weeks early. This is probably due to two factors: bed rest and the flu.

At my 38 week appointment with midwife Jill, my blood pressure had spiked a bit. It was still in the safe zone, but getting close to the start-to-worry point. She asked me to come back in a few days to check it again. In the meantime, I was placed on modified bed rest to see if it helped bring it down. Apparently it worked... I was back to normal two days later. So, they asked me to stay on bed rest and avoid stimulants. No caffeine, no chocolate and no cinnamon. Normally, they probably wouldn't have bothered with bed rest this late in the game, but they know I would prefer to avoid any form of induction (including stripping the membranes). My blood pressure was a little high again at Wednesday's appointment, but not as concerning as last time. This time she felt comfortable asking me to check it at a Walmart or Walgreens and call my numbers in to her. I think she has noticed the pattern... my blood pressure spikes when she checks it but is much lower when the other midwife Marijke does it.

Rosst has been sick for over a week now. On Saturday I started to pick up a few of the symptoms. We've both been miserable and barely getting any sleep. He probably would have recovered by now, but lack of sleep combined with two extra hours of work every day does not help a person get over a cold quickly. According to Jill, she has seen many women completely stall in progress when they become sick. The body knows when you are or are not ready to take care of the baby.

The timing was a bit of a disappointment for my side of the family... it meant that Xander did not come on Dad's birthday. It would have been a wonderful way to pay homage to a wonderful man, but it just wasn't meant to be. This little dude insists on his own special day!

03 September 2010

Pregnancy: Week 37

Well, we made it safely into full term. The appointment with our midwife Marijke went as well as usual. She was chatty as ever. When she checked Xander's position, she informed us that she's pretty sure he's going to come "a few weeks" early because he is well into position and has dropped considerably since she last saw me. Eeeep! Hoping we at least make it through to Wednesday. Ross would lose his vacation pay and his overtime if he misses work tomorrow or Tuesday... we'd take quite a hit. I'm really still hoping to make it to the 16th, which was Dad's birthday. That would only be a week early, though.

The pelvic pain has not been as bad and I'm having fewer Braxton Hicks. I am getting a new pain... sharp jolts in my lower back... usually a moment or two after I get a headbutt to the pelvis. Most likely Xander is hitting a nerve, but it makes me panic slightly when it happens because a similar symptom was the only reason my mom knew she was in labor with my little sister.

Should be posting baby pics any day...