Hello Due Date!

My 40 week midwifery appointment went well. It was short and sweet. Blood pressure is great, weight gain is good, measuring at 41 weeks still, and baby is seeming to be doing well. His head is resting on my pelvic brim, where he seems to go up and down, but again she isn't concerned at all. He is moving lots, and at for charts and percentile it would appear Im well above the 90th percentile for how he is growing, weather or not that correlates with how his sizing actually is, I suppose only time will tell. She told me that most mom's will have their baby within 10 days of their due date, so we just keep on waiting! I had a few people ask me while we were out and about today when my due date is, and the look on their faces when you reply "Today." is too funny.

Other than that we're doing well. Eli was up early this morning, and after being up for 25 minutes I put him back to bed at 6:30am. He slept till 7:15am, came into our bed, and fell back asleep with me until 9am. I laid there and watched him for the majority of that time, and forced myself to just be quiet and do nothing. Who knows when Ill have that opportunity again!!

Had some contractions this evening, but they seem to have tapered off. Im hoping maybe theyll continue over the next few days and then when its actually time to have the baby it'll be short and sweet cause Ive been laboring for a few days! Probably wont happen that way, but its worth wishing!

Keep you posted!!

40 Weeks & Waiting

Just a quick update, but we are still waiting. This weekend was full of family time, and getting stuff done around the house. I have my 40 week midwifery appointment this afternoon, so Ill keep you posted/updated!!

Hope you enjoyed your weekend!!

Chiropractor adjustment

I decided a few days ago that making an appointment to go see a chiropractor probably wouldn't be a bad idea. Since baby hasnt dropped yet, I thought maybe there might be a possibility that something is out of line with my pelvis. The appointment went very good (apart from Eli throwing a huge tantrum upon leaving!!) and the chiropractor that I saw was able to make a few adjustments.

He told me that the round ligaments on my left side were very tight, which can make it difficult for baby to drop, and also cause more pain for me. Lots of tightness. He was able to adjust that, and make a few adjustments to my middle back. Overall my neck and shoulders were good. That surprised me because usually its my shoulders that I have some issues with.

Upon getting up this morning, as well as in the middle of the night to pee, I noticed that it was way easier to waddle myself to the bathroom, my hips and back didnt feel anywhere near as tight as they did before the adjustment. Around 9:30am though, I started having some crazy round ligament pain on my left side. If you've been pregnant you know that this nagging pain is really no fun at all. I tried stretching it out, taking a bath, laying down for a few minutes... nothing really helped. Finally it went away on its own, but continues to come back. I called my midwife and left a message just asking her to call me. Im curious to find out if there is a correlation between the pain Im having and my chiro adjustment. Baby is still moving, and the pain has subsided somewhat. The chiropractor said to me a few times before I left, "Well we'll see what this weekend brings for you." So we'll see.

We have a weekend with basically no plans, and Im really looking forward to it. Its cooler today (and very smokey too, apparently theres a fire about 900KM away from Edmonton!!) but Im feeling way more comfortable than I had been earlier in the week. There was a crazy thunderstorm the other night, which kept me away from 12:00amish to 4:30am. It was a long night. Eli slept through it, which surprised me, but me on the other hand could not. Next week is also supposed to be cooler, so thats a huge relief. I shouldn't complain, as I dont have much longer to be pregnant, and should just enjoy it while I can. I feel like Im a comment magnet everywhere we go though, everyone has a comment about the heat and being pregnant and good luck and blah blah blah. Kind of funny, but after awhile gets exhausting. It'll be nice when I can go out and not have people stare at me.

Tuesday is my due date, and we continue to wait. We'll see what this little person decides to do over the weekend, but if I go MIA past Monday chances are something has happened.... maybe we had a baby!! Enjoy the weekend!!

39.5 week picture

Hot, hot, hot

It has been extremely hot the last few days! Most days its in the 30's, but it feels warmer than that. Our house is hot, however I know the duplex would be even hotter if we were there still. Generally, during the day Im not too bad, but in the evening's I can't sleep. Its way to hot. I think this is the first time in our marriage that Ill wake up in the middle of the night and be sweating and over heated and Andy is covered up with the blankets. Im not usually a warm person but with the heat the way it is, I am hot!!

Yesterday we had our 39 week appointment with Cathy and as I mentioned before she came and did a home visit. We showed her around, and explained to her what we were thinking as far as a birthing pool, where our washer & dryer are, and how the oven works. We continue to wait, and our baby seems to be very happy to just hang out. He continues to float around, and still hasn't dropped. His head is down, and he switches which side he likes to hang out on. Cathy laughed because each week he is on a different side. She isn't concerned that he's doing this, and that he hasn't dropped. She mentioned that often times with second baby's this is completely normal, and when labor starts he'll move down. With first babies they tend to drop weeks and weeks before their due date, but with second thats not always the case. Makes me feel a bit better.

This kid is always moving though, my stomach looks like theres an alien inside of it, and the movements are getting stronger and stronger... painful actually. Im hoping when I go into labor the weather will be a bit cooler, but we'll see what happens.

For the time being we continue to be patient (although its getting harder, since Im not sleeping well and am feeling more uncomfortable) but I know God's timing is perfect, and thats what Im counting on. He'll come when he's good and ready.

Ive had a few people ask me how far"over due" our midwife will let me go. Generally, she has no problem letting mom's go to 42 weeks, which in the medical world is pretty much unheard of. She continues to do monitoring during those 2 weeks after my due date, and will also send for some tests (non stress test, and a bio physical profile) to make sure the baby is doing well, and there are no concerns. At 42 weeks however, she'll have to consult with an obstetrician, and because Id be so far over my due date at that point a hospital birth would be what she would encourage. Again, there are other natural ways we can try to induce labor, but under pretty much no circumstances am I willing to be hooked up to a pitocen drip and go down that route again! Im so glad we've chosen to have a midwife, and her beliefs and opinions as well as training makes so much sense to us! Im excited to have her deliver our baby, and support us through the rest of the pregnancy.

Keep you posted!

Not much longer

We're still waiting around for a baby to arrive, although we have another week till Im considered 40 weeks. Either way, we're ready, and enjoying the time the 3 of us.

This past week I also had a orthodontist appointment, and I knew he would say we'd have to wait a bit longer. There is a tiny little gap that needs to close up, and thats all we're waiting on! They put on a new chain... one that is a bit tighter. I had an option for just a regular chain to go across the top of my braces or one thats going to be tighter. She told me that my teeth are going to be sore and tender for a bit, but it might be the push it needs. Im okay with the pain and tenderness if it means we close that little gap! So the tight one went on. My teeth are sore but nothing that I cant deal with... and wouldn't ya know, I can already see that the gap is almost closed, and has moved in the past 5 days since I had my adjustment. My next appointment is in mid August, and we should be able to make an appointment to have the braces removed, and we're good to go! I can't believe its been almost 2 years since I had them put on. Im very excited to have them off thats for sure!

Really, its not much longer till we have a baby and not much longer after that till the braces comes off. Ill keep you posted! My next midwifery appointment is on Monday, and Cathy will come to do a home visit, and then we keep waiting!!

38 week midwifery appointment

Alright, quick update cause Eli is napping & I'd like to lay down too, just cause I can!!

Had my 38 week midwifery appointment this morning. All is well. I have lost a couple of pounds again but she isn't concerned about it as long as Im eating... which I am. Blood pressure was great, and baby's heart rate was good and strong. He is still flipping from side to side, and hasn't really dropped too much more, however she still isn't worried about it. Because he was moving around before she checked his heart rate, it was a bit higher (his heart rate that is) and she said thats exactly what they want to see. When babies are busy, they're heart rates should be a bit higher than just at a resting time. She measured my uterus, and was shocked at home much I've grown from last week to this week. Last week at 37 weeks, I was measuring 38 weeks, and now at 38 weeks I am measure... 41 weeks! She kind of laughed even because she couldn't believe it. We may be in for another good sized baby. Next week, Cathy comes to our house to do a home visit, and check out the place to kind of familiarize herself with our home, and for the time being we continue to wait.

Here are a few pictures & Im off to take a nap!!

 

38 Weeks

 Roasting & Eating marshmallow's. Eli didn't want to get too close to the fire

 

Our new living room set up. Mirror was freeee, and ikea shelves were $.50 each!!

 

38 Weeks - Canada Day Weekend

This week I am 38 weeks. I have my midwifery appointment tomorrow, so I dont really have too much to tell at this point. This weekend was Canada Day, and a long weekend for Andy. Both Eli & I love it when Andy is home. So nice to have the extra company and Eli is so content with his Dad. Its the best of both worlds for all of us!

Saturday morning I made breakfast for us, and then headed out to my parents place to do some cooking with my mom. I decided I wanted to do some frozen meals before the baby comes so we at least have something in the freezer. My sister is doing something called Meal Train (I think!) for us, and its a program where you sign up to bring hot meals to people. Its an online tool, and you pick when you want to sign up for a hot meal, say what your bringing & what time, and then drop it off! This will be a huge help for us, and I am so thankful that she's willing to put it together. If you decide you'd like to help our in any way, please leave a comment, and Ill make sure she gets in contact with you. Some of you may already have had her contact you. So in between the hot meals during the week, I think its a good idea to have some frozen meals on hand. We got started around 11am, and finished around 2pm, and boy did we knock off a lot of food! We made 2 pizza's, 2 large lasagne's, 3 broccoli casseroles, 2 sweet n sour chicken, and then a container of cooked, cubed chicken for salad's or whatever else we might need. I think that should be more than sufficient. I feel like I am totally in a nesting stage, because the need to have everything organized and in its place is just crazy! Maybe because we're having a home birth I feel like everything has to be clean and tidy, so that if I go into labor I wont be stressed about the mess.

Saturday evening we went over to my mother in law's place to visit and have dinner. It was such a great evening, we went for a walk, had ice cream, played in the park, and visited! Eli loves his Nana, and always has so much fun when we spend time with her.

Come Sunday morning (Canada Day) we woke up to dark clouds in the sky. I made a nice breakfast again, this time with bacon, so neither of my boys were complaining, and we got ready to head off to the parade. This year I was excited to get Eli out because he's a bit bigger now and I think can do more of the stuff, like sit through a parade. Well by the time we needed to leave it was pouring buckets. We stayed in and watched a movie. I thought maybe once the rain stopped we could head out to take in some of the festivities, but the rain didn't really stop for a long enough time that it was safe to venture out without getting soaked. We ended up staying home all day. Andy and I organized our living room, and re arranged it. We set up the office area as Eli's playroom with all of his toys, and made the living room way more comfortable to sit and relax in. I officially love it. Ill post pictures soon of it.  My parents and sister came over in the evening and we had a BBQ ( would you believe the rain cleared up of course around dinner time and it was beautiful & warm out!!) and then finished the evening with a walk down to the lake by our house. Eli likes to pretend to go fishing in it.

Today we've spent getting ready for the week. Laundry, picking up a few groceries, tidying the house.... again, and nap time for me & Eli. I also love nap times on the weekend, because generally Andy won't nap, so when Eli wakes up and I continue sleeping its not the end of the world!

This week will also go by really fast, so its a short week for us, but because I do have a few appointments, midwifery, car check up, orthodontist, and on top of that Iam volunteering to turn the spray deck on by our place every afternoon when the weather is nice enough! So it'll be busy!

Ill keep you posted on what happens with my 38 week appointment tomorrow, as well as update some pictures. Just a matter of getting them off my phone! Hope you all enjoyed your weekend!!