Reaching the End.

The past weeks have been a bit tougher than anticipated. DH's father unexpectedly-ish passed away. While he has been fighting cancer and effects of diabetes for sometime, he suddenly needed to go into the hospital to be placed on a ventilator. We were told he would come off and things looked good, only to find out the next day he had multiple strokes and heart failure. Needless to say he fought as hard as he could to make it to Magoo's birth, but his body just couldn't do anymore. I told him he had to watch over her because I could tell she would be a troublemaker like DH, so we know he will be there (probably egging her on at times knowing him).

In other news, Magoo is now full term and ready to pop out at any second. Of course she didn't come today - I was hoping the full moon would help things out. But everything looked good at our last appointment. We have our last ultrasound of the pregnancy this week and another appointment to ask questions and I have a lot! The hope is that her kidneys are at least not any worse since our last ultrasound and she will still only need antibiotics at birth and not a surgery.

Mainly, we found out this week I am GBS positive (Strep B, which for most adults is symptomless and harmless. It lives either in your bladder/genital area or intestine/rectum area and can be passed to the baby at birth. This could be potentially deadly to an infant). I was oddly surprised, when I should not have been. It comes and goes, so you aren't always positive, but it strikes people with compromised immune systems. So no surprise I have it. This means I already have to change my birth plan.

Initially, my birth plan included placing a hemlock in case of emergency, but not allowing IV fluids or IVs to be hooked up until an emergency so I was freer to move around. I will now need to get antibiotics every 4 hours until I give birth to her, meaning that I will be hooked up to the IV. The hope is that lets say the bag empties in 30 minutes, then they can unhook the IV and for at least the next 3 hours I can be free. I also want to know what antibiotics they will use because the ones most often used I will not have.

Overall, things are progressing well. We are still hoping she comes sooner rather than later to avoid an induction. DH will also have two weeks off to spend time with us prior to returning back to work, so ideally she comes on the 3rd. That means we have two weeks to bond as a family, get a schedule down and then he returns to work the same week my parents arrive. Plus Thanksgiving is the next week, so it would almost be like having three weeks off!

Until then, Halloween is only a couple days away. Maybe she wants to be a Halloween baby.

Mini-Wolverine.

My doctor called me last night to see how I was doing after I had emailed him some symptoms to see if they were normal. As it turns out, they are and are not. The weight of the baby is pushing on my vena cava - one of the main bloodflows in the body. Normally in pregnancy, its only bothered if you lay on your back. Mine bothers me sitting, laying on my left side, my right side, my back. Pretty much any position except standing - except I don't have the energy to stand and that can be painful on its own. I was told to stay away from any position that causes me to feel a rapid heartbeat, lightheaded, thirsty, dizzy, etc. Well that is pretty much impossible.

I also think homegirl may be sunnyside up or posterior (her face is at my tummy instead of my back) which causes back pain, back labor and quite possibly c-section dependent on the position. Reason being that the head has to go around my body's curves more and in an unnatural position so its harder. But currently, I feel like my back has been sliced apart and stabbed. Whether its just the giant belly or my girl takes after Wolverine has yet to be determined. I am pretty darn sure DH would be thrilled to have a female Wolverine.

Otherwise I am drinking lots of water, peeing a few times every night, having my first delivery dreams (I seem to be behind on those) and looking forward in 2 weeks to having a LOT of spicy food that may help with labor. Oh and, you know, rocking a few times in order to get off the couch or bed and grunting. Belly is overtaking body, but at least its only with a few weeks left.

Absentee Brain

I really thought I had posted in October, I specifically remember thinking I posted about having 27 days left until I am full term. Obviously, this was either imagined or forgotten (pregnancy brain has landed), but was well-intentioned. Today is October 10 so I have only 17 days until full-term.

In the past few weeks a few things have happened:

Ultrasound: Magoo's kidneys are not doing well. The doctor's call them 'juicy.' This means that they are backlogged and the urine is causing them to swell instead of emptying fully into her bladder. She will definitely need antibiotics at birth, an ultrasound at 2 weeks and quite possibly surgery. It isn't the end all, but isn't ideal. We have a follow up ultrasound in a few more weeks and hopefully they haven't gotten any worse (it isn't expected that they will get better at this point). Luckily, the doctors have seen worse, which is always good.

Appointments: Everything seems to be going well otherwise. At 37w she can make her appearance (though at this point if I went into labor it wouldn't be stopped). Ideally she comes around 38w. Because of my thyroid problems, I will be induced if by my due date she hasn't come. I have a higher chance for delivering a stillborn than most people, so letting her go over isn't in anyone's best interest. That means by November 17th (unless labor is crazy long), a baby will be here.

My next appointment is in a week. I am gaining an insane amount of weight (8lbs in 10 days) so I am a little worried to get weighed in next week. My blood pressure has also risen from low to normal, but it has to be monitored because if it continues to rise it will get too high prior to my delivery date.

Magoo has a head full of hair, a perfectly round torso, a seemingly lovely thyroid (though it hasn't been seen and we don't know if its functioning) and loves loves loves to roll around. My uterus and ribs feel it. She is also head down and ready to roll (I think she can still drop farther however, but at least things are started). I learned a few days ago that if the baby can drop into position in your pelvis, then its wide enough to deliver vaginally. So things are looking good there.

Until then, meeting other new Mom's, going out at least once a week to socialize and finish projects before her arrival. All the sewing has been completed (planned sewing at least), now I am trying to finishing the last knitting project I had planned and started. Clothes are washed, diapers are prepped. If DH gets the dresser sanded this weekend, I can paint it next week and maybe in two weekends we can have an organized nursery. I can only hope!