Showing all posts by Sherry

My non-stress tests were great this week.  Very active baby, and strong heartbeat.  More Braxton Hicks contractions.  Everything is good.

Now that I’m 36 weeks, they want to check my cervix every week for any dilation that could be happening which will indicate how close I could be to the beginning of labor.  This week the doctor said I’m about a half centimeter dilated.  Not very much at all, but she did say my cervix is very soft which is really good.  She said the baby’s head is very low which is what’s softening my cervix so much.  She said, “I’ve seen women with soft cervixes dilate to 4 or 5 centimeters really quick.”  So that’s a good sign I may go into labor before I have to be induced at 39 weeks!

I also got an ultrasound done this week to get a better indication of the weight and size of the baby and everything is around the 50th percentile for 36 weeks pregnant!  Right now the weight estimate is 5 lbs and 15 oz… so almost 6 pounds right now.  Not bad at all!  Her head size, shoulder size and abdomen size is also right on target so right now the doctors have no concern about the baby being too big for a normal vaginal delivery!  Yay!  Oh, and they even saw on the ultrasound that Josephine has really long hair!  She said it’s actually touching the back of her neck.  She said, “It’s at least an inch or longer!”  I have to get the hair bows ready! :)

My blood pressure again was low.  108/60 I think she said.  Still not much swelling in my feet or hands.  I am a touch under 151 pounds so I’ve lost a teeny tiny bit more weight.  It’s amazing to me that with this pregnancy I haven’t gained a pound, and I’m 4 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight.  I think cutting the carbs and weighing all my meals to prevent blood sugar spikes has really helped keep my weight in check as well.  It feels good to know that I’m only 18 days away from my due date and my weight and health are under control.

36 weeks belly pic…

 

What baby looks like at 36 weeks…

Your baby is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. She now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. She’s shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered her body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected her skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Your baby swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of her first bowel movement.  At the end of this week, your baby will be considered “early term.” (Full-term is 39 to 40 weeks. Babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term, 41 weeks is late term, and those born after 42 are post-term.) Most likely your baby is already head-down.

We have begun looking at homes finally.  My house is only 1008 sq ft and it is jam packed with stuff.  Faith’s closet is already packed with her own things, and I have no room for Josephine’s things.  The garage is already filled with Faith’s extra toys that don’t fit in her room (and I have given away as much of her stuff as I possibly could.)  There’s just no more room to grow in this house.  I HATE the thought of moving out of this home.  I fixed it up myself and the whole experience was a life changing journey for me.  I really wish I didn’t have to sell it, but there’s just no more room.  I have the urge to nest so bad right now with baby only a few weeks away from being born!  I want to clean and organize but I simply can’t. It’s like an itch that I can’t scratch!  There’s no room to put things away.  All the closets are packed.  I have no basement for storage.  It’s making me miserable.  I have a clutter-filled home and all I want is organization and SPACE!

I feel like crying every time I think about leaving my neighbors.  I love love love my neighbors.  I want to keep them.  I want them next to me.  They are my friends and they have made me feel like my house and this neighborhood are truly my home.  Even though we are looking for another house right here in town, and will probably be only minutes away from them, it won’t be the same :(  I know wherever I move, I’ll never be so lucky again to have such awesome neighbors in all the homes that surround me.  It will definitely be a very bitter-sweet move.  Who knows how long it may take to find the right home though… I still may be here for a long time :)  And I’ll be thanking God each day for the time I have left here in my first home and in the best neighborhood anyone could ever ask for.  Ok, I feel like locking myself in the bathroom and having a good cry now.

This week has been a bit different than the previous weeks.  I’ve been having more Braxton Hicks contractions, and a couple of them have been painful.  I hope this will continue so my body goes into labor naturally.  My blood pressure is still normal/low but it’s climbing up a little more.  My last blood pressure reading at the doctor was 112/80.  At home when I take my blood pressure, it is usually low 90’s/60’s.  Thankfully I still don’t have high blood pressure!  My urine samples have also been normal.  I lost another pound and now weigh 151.  At my last appointment, they measured my belly and it measures at exactly 35 weeks… so no big baby yet.  However, the doctor would like to take an ultrasound at my next appointment just to make sure of her weight.  An ultrasound would give us a better estimate of her size.

Dr Perry is my favorite doctor.  She listens to me much more, and does not rush me at all.  She really takes time to explain what’s going on, compared to all the other doctors.  With gestational diabetes, I have had more questions, and different symptoms that I’ve never experienced before.  When I talk to my other doctors, I’ve heard things like, “Ok, well I have other patients waiting, so …”   and that’s within a few minutes after the doctor entered my room!  I have mentioned to the other doctors about having an ultrasound just so we have a better picture of what to expect upon delivery, and they have said it’s not necessary as long as my belly is measuring normally.  Dr Perry, however, wants to be a bit more thorough which I really appreciate.  She sat with me for a while simply looking over my chart, asking questions about my blood glucose numbers, my previous heart palpations I’ve had in the first-trimester, etc.  She just seems genuinely focused on her patients, instead of just getting through the day.  I hope I will have her when I deliver.

Something Dr Perry told me that the other doctors didn’t is that with gestational diabetes, even though my belly may be measuring right on schedule, the baby could still have broader shoulders or a larger tummy which could still make it difficult to have a natural delivery.  This is why she would like an ultrasound done just to see the baby and make sure everything is ok.  Like I said before, a bigger baby can pose risks to the baby and myself.  The baby could experience trauma during delivery if she gets stuck.  She could break bones or have permanent nerve damage to her arms or neck.  So knowing as much as we can about her size BEFORE delivery is very important.  I’m thankful Dr Perry suggested an ultrasound.

35 weeks belly pic..

 

What baby looks like at 35 weeks…

Your baby doesn’t have much room to maneuver now that she’s over 18 inches long and tips the scales at 5 1/4 pounds (about the size of a honeydew melon). Because it’s so snug in your womb, she isn’t likely to be doing somersaults anymore, but the number of times she kicks should remain about the same. Her kidneys are fully developed now, and her liver can process some waste products. Most of her basic physical development is now complete — she’ll spend the next few weeks putting on weight.

 

It was exactly 4 years ago today that I announced what our first-born daughter’s name will be on my blog – What’s in a Name?

After realizing this, I thought now would be the perfect day to announce our second daughter’s name.

It actually took us a long time to come up with a name.  I never rushed it, figuring that God would let us know which names were right for her when the time comes.   We never agreed on any names for a good long time, and when we did agree on some names, we weren’t too crazy about them.   After searching the meaning of Josephine Ruth, we knew it was meant to be.

Josephine is a feminine form of Joseph, which is derived from the Hebrew Yōsēf  which means “God will add, God will increase.”  This is exactly what we prayed God would do for us; add to our family.

The name Ruth is a Hebrew name. In Hebrew the meaning of the name Ruth is: Companion; friend.  This is also why we prayed for another child; so that Faith will have a life-long companion and friend.

I love the story of Ruth in the Bible.  Ruth celebrates the family and the way it continues through many generations. Ruth, a childless widow at the beginning of the story, became the great-grandmother of Israel’s great king, David.  Her devotion to her mother-in-law, and her faith in God was evident in her words, “Do not persuade me to leave you.  For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live.  Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.” Ruth 1:16

This is what I pray it will be like for Faith and Josephine.  A friendship that will never end, and an unwavering faith in God.

“Two are better than one.  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

This week’s 2 doctor appointments went well.  Blood pressure is still low.  Blood sugars are still within normal range.  I weigh 152.  Not gaining weight, but not losing weight anymore either so that’s good.  My feet are starting to swell some, but not much.   I have been wearing compression socks to help with that.

One new symptom I’ve begun having is very sharp pains in my groin area.   Baby’s head is bearing down and putting lots of pressure on my cervix.  When this happens, I can begin to dilate in preparation for labor.  The doctor examined me at my last appointment just to make sure that I wasn’t beginning to dilate.  I have dilated just a teeny tiny bit; not enough for the doctor to think that my body is preparing for labor.  She said at 34 weeks, if I go into labor, they won’t stop my contractions and just let the baby come.  The baby is now fully developed enough that if she does arrive early, she shouldn’t have any long-term health issues.  I hope my body doesn’t go into labor until 39 weeks… and I really hope I don’t have to be induced.  I’ve been feeling Braxton Hicks contractions for a couple weeks now.  When this happens, the pressure in my belly is uncomfortable but not painful.

I’ve begun getting my hospital bag ready.  Just 5 more weeks left!  God willing!

34 weeks belly pic…

 

What baby looks like at 34 weeks…

 

Your baby now weighs about 4 3/4 pounds (about the size of a cantaloupe) and is almost 18 inches long. Her fat layers — which will help regulate her body temperature once she’s born — are filling her out, making her rounder. Her skin is also smoother than ever. Her central nervous system is maturing and her lungs are continuing to mature as well. If you’ve been nervous about preterm labor, you’ll be happy to know that babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems generally do fine. They may need a short stay in the neonatal nursery and may have a few short-term health issues, but in the long run, they usually do as well as full-term babies.