Second doctor visit this week...

Went to doctors again on Wednesday since my bp was high on Monday. I was so stressed that morning and my feet were a little more swollen than usual. My bp? 120/70. Goes to show ya, stress is not the cause of my bp rising as it does. Dr. figures the practice labor on Monday caused the bp to rise. Did intern exam again and he found I was 1cm dilated--so some progress. So to help things along, he helped separate the sac from the cervix called stripping my membranes. It sounds worse than it really is. I had more cramping last night but they were more of the practicing ones which are different from Brickson Hicks, which have been with me for a while. I am hopeful my body will be ready to deliver--she seems ready at the "door" and knocking often enough! My emotions and energy level was all over the place yesterday, so I believe I have entered a transitional stage of sorts and I need to just keep focused on my body and my baby's needs. My doctor called today to report my urine test came back without signs of protein which is good news. So the waiting continues. Had a friend, Leslie, from work come over today. I talked her ear off--poor thing. I loved the visit though, I really needed the company. And tonight, Cora is coming for dinner and I think the company will be good for both Diana and I. Plus it is fun hearing the news from work. Tomorrow I go to the doctors again for another bp check, so I will keep you updated.

38 weeks today

Well, it is 38 weeks today and I have started having some prelabor signs. Sunday started cramping a little which lasted a couple of hours and then stopped. Yesterday the cramps came back much stronger and then had contractions with it. The contractions were coming every 7 minutes so we got excited. But they stopped after about 3 hours. Just long enough for us to get excited and work on finishing the packing of the hospital suitcases. Oh well. The practice labor will come and go, but it does mean I am getting closer to starting real labor. I have not dilated yet but am 50% effaced and the baby is engaged in my pelvis already which is a good sign. My blood pressure however has gone back up despite my bed rest--142/82. The doctors warned me that my pressure might go up even on rest. So now there are watching my urine again and I am to go back to the docs on Wednesday to check my blood pressure, labor progress, and results of my blood work. Hopefully, my blood pressure will be normal again and/or I will be in labor within the next couple of days. The waiting just got more interesting!

Still have twigs and now can see veins in my feet!

As my blood pressure continues to go down with the bed rest, I can now see veins in the top of my feet as the swelling continues to go down. I have lost another 2 lbs between Monday and today. At the doctors, my blood pressure was 110/70--where I normally am. The doctor even said it was lower that hers! Ha! This doesn't mean I can come off bed rest, it just means keeping my feet up is necessary to keeping my pressure down. And I am very happy to do so if it keeps labor and delivery from becoming dramatic and scary. We met yesterday with the Rabbi about the baby naming ceremony and I am so excited about it. The service is beautiful and deeply meaningful. We hope to have it on the eighth day but that will depend on when she arrives. My brackinson hicks (spelling?) contractions are getting stronger and more frequent and today I had minor cramps like a period coming on--these are good signs that the baby will come soon. Don't get too excited--soon equals anything from very soon to a couple of weeks. I am still hopeful for an early delivery as I am eager to meet her face to face.

Good news, bad news, and better news...

Well, a lot has happened in the last few weeks. My blood pressure was up two weeks ago but as I watched it at work I came back down which I was happy about. But by the following Wednesday, my pressure was back up and I was worried. The doctor made me come back on Friday for another check and to see what my blood tests revealed. The good news during that exam--the baby is doing great. She is still a she and is still head down! Her heart tones are in the health range and she is active as she should be. The bad news is I was put on bedrest on that Friday, the 18th since my pressure was up again 130/88. I have never had the bottom number so high before. It was so hard to go to work and tell everyone and pack some of my things up. My next doctors appointment I was worried about what they would say--my ankles looked good but I was still worried. The better news is my blood pressure was back down to normal 118/70. I also lost 5 lbs of fluid over the weekend too. Amazing. So I am playing in the computer a lot and working on my student's final evaluations from home. It is only 20 days due my due date but I am still hoping to deliver early rather than late. This week, I go again for a check on my pressure come Thursday. I am glad they are being so cautious which is helping me relax and trust that everything will work out. I am okay mood wise and am glad I got clearance to do some small things around the house like the dishes and clothes--meaning I don't have to be off my feet 100% of the time. I am still to be lying down and not active--but being allowed a little bit helps me feel productive around the house. Even when I visit the doctor, I can see how being on my feet for a short time causes them to start swelling again. I look forward to having my body back once she is born on many levels. :) I will try to post pictures later from our last couple of showers, as well as an updated picture of myself.

Almost 35 weeks or 1 month

On Tuesday, it will be 35 weeks till the due date and by Saturday is will be 1 month. I have been busy with work and the interns for the last month. Plus Diana and I have been busy with classes: childbirth prep, infant CPR, and breastfeeding. We keep working on the baby room and setting g up as much as we can. And we checked at the firehouse on our installation job of the child seat in both our cars. Found we did great with Diana's car but not 100% correct with mine, so we are glad we had them checked by professionals. Tomorrow is my work's baby shower and I am so excited to party with my co-workers! In a couple of weeks is Diana's work baby shower which will also be a blast. It is not the gifts that make it fun--although they often are so cute!--just to be able to celebrate what is happening with my body and how close she is to being born!!