Bumpdate - 37 Weeks

FULL TERM

Let's have a baby!

I kid.  Baby is nowhere near ready to come out as far as I know.  And I'm fully prepared to keep baby in for another month.  We are firmly in Leo territory now and we need to get all the way to Virgo!

So, before the bumpdate let me update.

I do NOT have gestational hypertension.  I was apparently just uber stressed last week and it elevated my blood pressure. I've had my blood pressure taken 3 different times this week by 3 different professionals and it is back down to a reasonable range somewhere between 119-127/80-83 .   And in case anyone is curious your blood pressure is considered high if the top number is 140+ OR if the bottom number is 90+.  For reference my blood pressure was all the way up to 138/88 last week, just on the brink, measured several times by several different people, Eek!

But we're back to normal now...let's hope it stays that way!

And since I brought up the whole subject and a few of you had questions I will address the issue of my high blood pressure and what that would mean for my homebirth.

In response to those who inquired about an induction and a homebirth, the answer is that NO you cannot be induced and have a homebirth.  And the reasoning is simply that once you make birth a medicated event whether it be through contraction inducing or drug pain management, birth is no longer the "normal" event that homebirth midwives are trained in.  If you are being induced or have an epidural you WANT to be surrounded by Dr.'s or hospital midwives who see medicated births everyday and who are trained in handling medicated birth complications and know what is "normal" under those circumstances and what is not.  A homebirth midwife does not know what an induced birth looks like in the way that she knows what a "normal" unmedicated birth looks like and she is not the one you would want overseeing the event.

Gestational Hypertension is a condition in which things can go wrong very quickly, it can easily turn to preeclampsia with little or no notice and cause problems for both mama and baby.  If my blood pressure had not gone down or gone up or goes up again I will take the advice of my midwives and if at any point that includes "we need to get the baby out" I would not hesitate to throw my homebirth plans out the window and go to the hospital for an induction and the subsequent epidural.  I would NEVER try to have an induced birth without an epidural by the way.

Yes, I would cry and be very upset about not getting my homebirth but I would never try to do it in unsafe conditions, and gestational hypertension or preeclampsia are both considered unsafe conditions for a homebirth.

Appropriate birthing people, appropriate birthing.

I am writing a whole post about homebirth and appropriate birthing I promise but I just wanted to address this one question.

So, on to the bumpdate:

How far along: 37 weeks, we have one fully cooked baby.

Weight Gain:  I think I'm up a pound, which is up 23 lbs, which is 145 lbs.  At my appt yesterday she weighed me in at 148 but that was the afternoon and we all know how hospital scales are WRONG!  But whatever even if it's right that's up 26 lbs. total. By the way excessive weight gain at the end of pregnancy, ie. like 5 lbs in a week, is another sign of high blood pressure and yet another sign that I DON'T have gestational hypertension as I haven't struggled with my weight at all through this pregnancy.

What's Up with My Body:  Argh.  End of pregnancy sucks.  I'm about to spend a fortune in the next few weeks on acupuncture and a chiropractor to try to maintain a certain level of comfort.  My rib still hurts even after a chiropractic adjustment so we're going back, probably several times...I don't want to be worrying about my rib while in labor, it seems to make ideal laboring positions painful ie. sitting on the toilet is supposed to be a great laboring position but this position kills my back right now!  And while my blood pressure seemed to have evened out before I made it to the acupuncturist, I forgot how much I like acupuncture and will be going back a few times over the next few weeks, apparently if we get to the point of needing to get baby out sometime after 41 weeks acupuncture works great to induce only if you've been getting acupuncture regularly beforehand.  This makes no logical sense but I like acupuncture and I obviously need help relaxing!

And CONSTIPATION AND HEMORRHOIDS continue to be the bain of my existence.  I thank you all for your hemorrhoid treatment suggestions...I'm giving them all a whirl, so far NOTHING is helping but I will keep you updated.

Pregnancy Revelations: I think everyone has ideas about how they will handle pregnancy, whether they will enjoy it or not and what part of their body they're most worried about through pregnancy.  My preconceived notions of pregnancy were SO WRONG.  I thought I would HATE pregnancy as it seems all the women in my family hate being pregnant.  Turns out I don't mind it at all, even enjoyed it through the 2nd trimester and well into the 3rd when the bump was at it's cutest.  I also thought I would be uber sick at the beginning, didn't happen.  And I thought I would get much fatter.  I thought I would just eat and eat and eat and not care  and gain a bunch of weight and then worry about it after the pregnancy.  I'm not a weight yo-yoer so I was pretty confident I would be able to lose the weight but I definitely thought I would pile on weight during pregnancy.  I never in a million years would have imagined that my worst and most frustrating symptoms would all have to do with MY ASS.  Constipation and hemorrhoids literally never occurred to me.  Just goes to show you that you really just have no idea how your body will handle pregnancy.

Signs of Labor:  At my hospital midwife appt yesterday I had planned to not take my pants off and thus would have no idea if I was dilated or not.  I don't think it matters at this point and really doesn't tell you anything and I feared the stripping of the membranes without permission that I always hear about.  But I had to get a pap because there was a test they did not do earlier in my pregnancy and they wanted in my records just in case I end up delivering at the hospital. So while she was doing the pap she asked if I wanted her to check my dilation...I said sure...why not, SINCE YOU'RE ALREADY DOWN THERE.  I'm dilated to...ZERO.  I'm not dilated at all, baby is staying in for a bit, though the BH contractions have started to pick up.  By the way I hate them much less now and don't even pay any attention to them anymore as there's really no point, so what if I have 4 in an hour or more I'M FULL TERM NOW!  I'm also constantly on the lookout for my mucus plug, no longer in fear of seeing it too early, instead it's like "OMG could that be my mucus plug???"  So excited!

Things I Still Need to Do Before Baby:  Nursery is not quite done...though very very close.  We started freezer meals...there is exactly one in the freezer right now.  Ha!  But one is better than none!  AND REALLY THAT'S IT!  My birth tub comes today, my birth kit is all ready, the house is being cleaned as we speak, I have enough diapers, onesies and receiving blankets to keep baby warm and happy until we buy it girl or boy clothes ;-)  We have a pediatrician picked out,  in-home newborn visit requires only a phone call after baby is born, I have things ready for postpartum care on my poor perineum and hemorrhoids, fridge and cupboards are stocked (for now, obviously this one is continuous and needs to continue to STAY stocked).  I have even bought a belly bandit and nursing bras for myself!  I think I'm all set!  Or am I?  Am I missing something vital?

Baby: Baby looks great, still roughly 6 lbs or so but apparently I'm measuring on the smaller side now.  I THINK WE ALL KNEW THIS.  Everything is still "normal" and I'm growing fine which is actually what they're measuring, growth from one week to the next...I just have a little belly.  The hospital midwife actually measured me WAY small at only 31cm which was crazy small, but the homebirth midwives have me at 35cm, so WE'RE ALL GOOD.

Bumpdate:

Oh look, a well fitting maternity dress, one of the THREE that I have.

I told you I like the belly better bare...but no underwear shots, instead I give you post yoga shots.