Week 37 Pregnancy Update

Nothing much to report this week. I had my 37 week appointment, which is exciting since it means I'm officially full term now. At the appointment, I had my vitals taken, listened to the heart beat, and found out that I tested "negative" for the strep b test (great news). The doc confirmed the baby is still positioned with his/her head down - which is also super. I don't have an appointment next week due to a scheduling mishap & the doctor's planned vacation, but the doc and I discussed it and she isn't worried since she trusts that I will call if something unusual and worrisome occurs. My next appointment is on Monday the 11th and at that appointment, she will measure me again to see how many cm I have dilated (if I have in fact not already delivered the baby). Depending on the stats and situation, we may "pencil" in more appointments for the week I'm due and the week following. For now, it's a waiting game. Kris and I are hoping for the baby to wait at least a few more days before he or she arrives - we're still working on names!!

Week 36- quick update

In a few days, I will officially be full-term! I had my 36 week doctor appointment today and found out that the baby has dropped and the doctor actually felt the baby’s head!! I am about 70% effaced and 1-2 cm dilated. Next week, I’ll find out the results of the Strep B test I took today. If it’s positive, I’ll have to have antibiotics during labor just so the baby is exposed to as little bacteria as possible during delivery. To date, I have gained about 26 pounds.

It's December Already?!

Monday marks the start of my 35^th week which means I now have only 5 weeks until my due date. I went to the doctors a week and a half ago and the visit went well. We heard the baby's beautiful heartbeat and chatted about the options of pain relief that will be offered to me, if I so desire during labor. Unless this labor is unbelievably quick, I expect I will seek some type of help. With Owen, I aspired to do without drugs, but it was such a relief once I caved. I still felt like I achieved my main goal, “healthy mom, healthy baby”. If in need this round, I will happily and much more quickly embrace the idea.

My next doctor appointment is in a couple weeks and then I will be seen a bit more regularly over the last four weeks. We are still working on baby names and don't really have a narrowed down list yet. We have a few names we're testing, but I'm pretty sure we'll be choosing a name at the hospital. For the last short while, I have been saying that I think the baby is a boy. I've felt that way primarily because the pregnancy has been so similar and it's really all I have to go on but we're excited to find out and meet the lil' one.

Because I was curious, I pulled out an old photo from my pregnancy with Owen, when I was about 7-8 weeks from my due date. It's not a great profile shot, but conveniently, I am wearing the same shirt in a photo from this Thanksgiving (which was about 7 weeks shy of my due date). Check out the photos below.

As for Thanksgiving, we had a wonderful long weekend in Orange with my family. My brother-in-law, Ryan happily agreed to take a family photo of us at a nearby park. Owen was not into the photo shoot at all- he only wanted to play with Charles and Gianni on the playground and run around the grass, but we managed to get a few nice shots of the three of us anyway (albeit they are without Owen's usual big grin).

November Doc Visit + Owen getting to know his baby bro or sis

Here is a quick update on my recent November doctor’s visit. I’m now at 30 weeks, my belly measures to 30 weeks, and I’ve gained 19 pounds. The best part of the appointment (as it is every time) is hearing the baby’s heart beat - it's so beautiful. The baby continues to be VERY active, but I'm enjoying this part as feeling the baby move is my favorite part of being pregnant. I also had my H1N1 flu shot to help protect me and the babe during the rest of the flu season.

We're not too sure if Owen really understands that a baby is going to arrive soon, but he regularly pets and kisses the baby/my tummy and says goodnight and such. Just now, he walked over to me, patted his belly, and said hi to "his" baby. Here is a picture from the other day when he was especially cuddly and into kissing the baby.