You know those women who say how much they love being pregnant and could be pregnant forever because they feel so great...yeah, I'm not one of them. Physically, I've hit a wall. The last month of pregnancy is hard y'all. I'm tired, having a lot of back pain, and overall, just really uncomfortable. But I've also never been so happy and felt so blessed, so as much as I want to moan and groan, I can't complain because I know all my aches, pains, and exhaustion are so worth it.
How far along: Today starts week 38.
Trimester: Third...I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Gender: Can't wait to meet our little GIRL!
Size of baby: At our 36 week growth ultrasound, she measured exactly 6 pounds which is perfectly average (45th percentile).
Sleep: While I don't want to complain, this is one area I am struggling. I am exhausted. Sleep is pretty lousy. It takes me a couple hours to get comfortable enough to fall asleep, then when I do fall asleep, it doesn't last long because I wake up to go to the bathroom and then the process starts all over. The hours between 3 AM- 6 AM are usually especially difficult. Its frustrating being exhausted but not being able to sleep. I guess I'm just getting prepared to have a newborn!
Best Moments: Finishing the nursery! My mom painted the custom closet shelving that my awesome husband built in the double closets and I bought some storage baskets so I was finally able to get things organized like I wanted to. Little things like having diapers on the changing table and a sheet on the crib make it feel very real. We do still have to hang a couple pictures but everything else is finally done!
Miss Anything: Being comfortable and being able to move about and do things without feeling like I'm in an olympic event! Funny story about my week 36 picture...Its hard to tell but I am wearing boots. We were about to go out to eat with some friends and I was ready to break out the fall boots for the first time. Well being pregnant in the warm, summer months, I've just slipped my feet into flip flops and sandals all summer. I went to put on socks and realized after performing some contortionist moves and quickly getting out of breath that this was not an easy task or a possibility. I had to get Harrison to put my socks on my feet. He thought it was hilarious.
Symptoms: I had an appointment on Monday for my scheduled Non Stress Test. I wasn't scheduled to see the doctor or anything because I had another appointment for and office visit, NST, and fluid check that was supposed to be today. During the non stress test, I am hooked up to a monitor to track her heart rate and a contraction monitor. They like to see her heart rate be "reactive"...meaning it will be variable and increase with her movements. About 15 minutes in, her heart rate was just staying put around 130 and she wasn't moving much so they tried to use a little buzzer to wake up her up. Well apparently she's like her mama and doesn't like to be woken up so she wouldn't cooperate. Because of the non-reactive result, they wanted to take a peak at her on ultrasound. I also was having contractions through the non stress test so that bought me a doctor's visit to be checked for my progress. Long story short, she looked great and active on ultrasound. They even saw hair! When the doctor checked me, I am thin and dilated to 1 cm. So my body is trying to do something apparently!
Looking forward to: My second baby shower thrown by my mother's friends is on Sunday and of course, the day when our girl decides to make her debut!
Speaking of her debut, I am really conflicted about how she will make her debut. While there is no obstetrical reason for me to have a schedule c-section, it has been something I've been thinking and praying about for months because of my neck and back. I, as well as Harrison, my family, and my pain doctor, are all pretty concerned about the delivery and the possibility of pushing for a long time. Because of my surgeries and hardware, I physically would probably not be able to push for much more than an hour. If I had to push for 2 or 3 hours, I would be in agony and could even cause more damage to my neck. I am planning on getting an epidural for sure, but pain wise for my neck and upper back, we've talked to an anesthesiologist and unfortunately there isn't anything they could give me during labor and delivery for my neck pain. He actually suggested a c-section and my pain doctor thinks that would probably be better as well. My OB understands my concerns and has agreed to do a scheduled c-section if thats what we want to do. There really is no way to know how long my labor and delivery would be obviously, but from most people I've talked to, it seems that induction deliveries are harder on your body and you tend to push longer. So as of right now, I think the plan is to set a c-section date for maybe Monday, October 6 ( I would be 39 weeks 4 days). If I go into labor on my own before then, I will probably try a vaginal birth and just pray that it is quick and that I can physically handle pushing. This is a really hard decision and predicament to be in. I want to do whats best for her obviously, but I am also terrified of doing damage to my neck that would cause me more pain short and long term. I have worked so, so hard to make the progress I have with my pain and to get to the quality of life I have now. Thinking of starting off my role as a mom being in extreme pain, back on a lot of medication, etc., is a heartbreaking thought. Please, please be praying for us (myself, Harrison, our daughter, and my family) as we make the final decision and for the delivery, no matter what method it ends up being.
As always, thank you for your support!