Pregnancy update

This info is just for me to remember, so don't feel like you have to read it. It's probably more than you wanted to know anyway :)

37 week appointment (October 20th): 2 cm dilated, 60-70 % effaced. Mild contractions off and on.

38 week appointment (October 27th): 3.5 cm dilated. Very painful contractions the night before. Membranes stripped in office. Drank castor oil. Cleaned out my system, but didn't increase contractions any.

October 28th (Thursday): Foot massage (something about reflexology and supposed to induce labor). The worst contractions I've felt and was thinking we would go to hospital. But it was late at night and I was really tired. I laid down thinking that maybe I could sleep a few minutes. I must have been exhausted (not surprising) because I slept the rest of the night (minus the usual getting up 5 times or so).

October 31st (Sunday): Since I hadn't had any contractions since thursday night, I decided she really wanted to stay in there and not keep trying to get her out during the weekend. Besides, I wouldn't want my birthday on Halloween, so decided she probably wouldn't either. But Monday, November 1st would be an okay day, so I drank double the dose of castor oil around 5 PM on Sunday. Caused a few contractions, but that's all. I kept waking up during the night because of pain in my hips and pelvis (I'm guessing they are still widening) and was hoping the hospital would be on the agenda today. But it's not looking good....

So for now, the plan is an induction on thursday, November 4th (39 weeks). The only reason I am allowed to be induced early is because of the severe back pain. It still hurts, but it sure has helped that I'm not working 13 hours a day and when it starts to hurt I can lay down and rest, rather than it just getting so bad that I can't function anymore that day. I have prescriptions for both Lortab and Ambien, but neither help me sleep for more than a few hours at a time (which is what happens without medication too), so I don't really take them anymore. I don't want a baby born addicted to drugs of course.

I thought it would be very appropriate to have a baby today, as last year on November 1st I was running the New York City marathon. This would just be a different kind of marathon :)

I am so ready to not be pregnant anymore. Very few clothes fit anymore and I'm really hoping the frequent peeing, acid reflux, painful/swollen feet, and back pain will go away (or at least decrease) after this baby is born. And I just want to hold her!

38.5 weeks

(November 1st)

My beautiful swollen feet. They look just as bad in the morning as they do at night. My toe ring looks a little squished, but I won't take it off until I absolutely have to (because I'm pretty sure it will break and it's been on for about 7 years).