Saturday, April 13, 2013

The 36th week

How Time Flies when we're having fun...or something like it.   

This last week has been another crazy one.   My belly has started contracting, mostly Braxton-Hicks, which people say aren't painful, but really, they can be.  In my case, this week, they haven't been too bad, I can tell my body is just revving up for the inevitable.  The problem lies when Baby starts stretching out and irritating my already irritable uterus.  That's not been fun.  It really takes my breath away.   Even the boys comment now, is Baby J not being nice?!  Is he kicking you?  They think it's funny how much personality their baby brother already exhibits while still inside my tummy.  Sam is particularly hysterical.  This week he started tickling my belly in an effort to jump start his baby brother.  What's really hysterical is how Sam will stick his little index finger into my belly button and wiggle it around to tickle the baby.  Sure, a belly button is easy access.  

I finished watching Alias and took up watching Call the Midwife, a British miniseries set in the early 50s in poor eastside London.  It's Great, Well-Done, and Addictive.   But I've decided that it is too much pregnancy stuff for me to watch.  The tragic parts don't bother me so much, I'm not catastrophizing..yet, I'm just feeling woefully unprepared.  Good thing my body knows what to do.  I was talking to Lisa about it, about how my Birth Plan simply consists of Go have a c-section.  Just keep going to the doctor until they say Go.  She said, I can't decide if you are High maintenance or Low maintenance?

This week, I'm declaring myself kind of low maintenance...at least as far as the doctors are concerned.  I went in Monday for an Ultrasound.  I didn't see a doctor, which I must tell you, I don't like those days as much, they don't take my BP, which frankly is my worry.  But they do check the baby, and they score him based on how well he does his tricks.  I learned this week, he is up for 8 possible points, 2 each for heart rate, breathing movements, tone (stretching each limb and I think how many times he boxes a bladder or kicks my ribs) and fluid, they check to see the quantity of amniotic fluid.  He scored perfectly.  And he was head down this week too, which is good.  But he has one leg up and head down, so he really his Boxing my bladder and kicking my ribs, not just euphemistically  Not that it makes much of a difference for a c-section, but it's easier on the doctor apparently to pull him out head first.  



He's still sweet, and growing, and full of cheeky cuteness. 


Can you see how much he loves to keep his hand up by his face?  Every Time!

 

Now in this last one, you can really see how he's got that one leg up by his head, and his arm.   
Mommy's little gymnast!

Did I mention it got  Bloody Hot this week?  I've been hot, and that leads to uncomfortable, which leads to being grumpy, and having very little that is nice to say.   Thus I haven't been writing a lot.  It got up to 80 and Tuesday I just lay like broccoli, I didn't know why until I had dreadful issues at naptime, it was so gross and hot in the house.  It didn't occur to me to open windows, and turn on all fans until the evening.  I've never been this pregnant in the heat.  Both previous boys all the heat came while I had morning sickness, which is also not fun, but this being 900 million months ass pregnant when it's getting to 80 is Very Uncool.  

Frankly I'm feeling like he can come any time now, because I have been uncomfortable enough with the BP issues, the shortness of breath, I don't think I can take hot and sweaty too.  My camel is very full and we just don't need any more straws.  

We go in twice a week for ultrasounds/non-stress tests, to see how I'm doing.  I saw the doctor on Wednesday too.  This was also a really good visit.  In his Ultrasound Baby did all the things he should do, PLUS every two weeks they do an estimate of his weight.  His estimated weight was 6 pounds and 13 ounces!  I couldn't believe it had been such growth...that's a bit more than an ounce a day.  Must be the Gatorade! 



But his cheeks are sure filling out.  And his head was still down, cuddled up with that one leg.  


In addition, my blood pressure was 110/75.  I was so surprised that I made them check it twice.  I really didn't believe them.  I was a little shaky at the time, but perhaps that old normal is my new low.  Though really overall, I have been feeling pretty decent this week.  So as long as my pee is still good, I'm going to run with it.  I feel like I'm just waiting to start pushing protein.  And we have no idea when that's going to happen, so we try to continue our lives, but it's really hard when there's this giant On Call thing going on all the time.   I have trouble planning much more than a day or two in advance.  But this week, we made a Decision.  
Eric's ENT feels he needs surgery.   His head is full of snot and crap again, and they did a CT scan, and they feel he needs to get roto-rootered. Understandable, Eric's headaches are back, and he's not too much with the thinking.  The last surgery didn't fix it all.   So we're going to go for it.  We're scheduling his surgery for next Friday.  It's a risky bet, betting that we can get Eric fixed up before the baby comes.  But we figure easier to do it now, rather than later.  Pray it goes that way.  

1 comments:

SuperSillyAunt said...

Jeremiah had his hand up by his face when he was born :-) That's why he was more difficult to push out. I can't wait to meet this little guy, but I want him to be good and keep growing and developing in there. He could stand to gain another pound before he's born.