40 Weeks and Overdue!

Well, it’s official…Elle has passed her due date and is now overdue! I had a doctor appointment Tuesday (10/23), on Elle’s official due date, and everything looked GREAT! My fluid level was still high (9 AFI), Elle scored an 8/8 on her biophysical profile right away (she moved her diaphragm multiple times…it was amazing to see!), and I was dilated to 2.5cm (which increased one centimeter from the week before)!!!

Since all measurements looked so positive, the doctor was fine letting me stay pregnant a while longer, in hope that I go into labor naturally. The doctor did require that we leave the appointment with a scheduled induction date, just in case Elle doesn’t decide to come on her own. But the doctor let us schedule the induction for the latest possible date, so that was wonderful. Now we can still leave it up to God to deliver Elle on His schedule, as long as it’s before next Tuesday, October 30^th, at 8:30am.

Phil and I are SO excited to meet Elle, and so is Rock. We pray for her everyday and are so thankful for God’s provision and health for both me and Elle. I can’t wait to see what she looks like: hair color, weight, length, family resemblance…and I can’t wait to get to know her unique personality and teach her how to love unconditionally. We are no longer anxious about her arrival. Instead we’re dreaming and hoping and smiling about every unknown to come, and thrilled that God has created this perfect little girl for us to love and to raise in His likeness.

Elle Marie come to me! I love you so much already!

Still pregnant and loving it!

I can honestly say I am enjoying each day that I’m still pregnant with Elle. I’m 39 weeks along now, which is two weeks longer than my last pregnancy already! Elle is approximately the size of a watermelon and my doctor appointments, along with Elle’s ultrasounds, have been going really well. We are feeling more and more prepared for her arrival on the home front as each day passes too.

Monday night, during the Broncos football game, I started to have a few contractions (three to be exact)…probably because the game was very exciting in the second half! The contractions were some of the first that I can say with confidence were in fact contractions! I now have a contraction counting app on my phone in case real labor contractions begin! That experience was the first indication that neither Phil nor I really know what to expect from “going into labor naturally,” rather than being induced. Luckily, my weekly doctor appointment was the next morning, so I was able to ask all of our labor questions while I was there.

I was able to ask how natural labor typically starts and how to know when to go to the hospital. I told the doctor I plan to work until I go into labor, so she gave me some guidelines to know when to leave work and go home. It was very helpful! So, if I have contractions regularly for an hour straight, even if the contractions are not painful, I’m supposed to go home and rest to see if they intensify or subside. If the contractions intensify into real labor, I’m supposed to use the 5-1-1 rule to know when to head to the hospital…contractions should be 5 minutes apart (from the start of one to the start of the other), lasting for 1 minute each, for a period of 1 hour. And those contractions should be painful enough that I can’t talk through them…I should have to stop talking in order to breathe through the contraction. The doctor also reminded me that my water could break, which would signify the start of labor, but that only happens in about 10% of pregnancies. I was still 1.5 cm dilated and no more effaced than last week, so there was no indication whether I’m closer to going into labor from those stats.

Also at my Tuesday appointment, Elle was measured to be in the 30^th percentile for size and was estimated to weigh 6 pounds, 14 ounces. The ultrasound tech gave Elle a score of 6/8 for her biophysical profile this week because Elle wasn't moving her diaphragm to show her practicing breathing, so she received a zero for that category. Consequently, I had to stay at the doctor’s office for a non-stress test (NST) to make sure Elle was doing well. She passed with flying colors, so no worries there! Also, the doctor had a hard time getting an accurate measurement of my tummy because Elle has dropped down into my pelvis, which I didn’t realize until she told me. Very interesting…

My fluid level was still above 10 AFI, so the doctor simply scheduled my next Tuesday appointment (which will be my due date), and told me if I didn't go into labor before my next appointment, we’ll have to have “the talk” about possibly inducing me. Since my doctor induces patients by 41 weeks along, that means Elle should be here within the next two weeks…no matter what! We are SOOOOOO excited!

Uncharted Territory

Now that I’m 38 weeks along, I’m officially in uncharted territory! I wasn’t pregnant this long with Rock, so Elle and I are into our very own bonding time and it has been so fun. My belly is larger than it was with Rock but Elle is still running out of room it seems. I can feel every little movement, including her daily hiccups. But all of the movement is good because it shows the baby is still healthy and active, and a lack of movement may be one of the earliest signs that complications have developed. So, I enjoy every jab, push, smear, poke, wiggle, jolt, and flutter.

At my doctor appointment this week, the ultrasound tech did something new during the appointment…a biophysical profile. Evidently, she watches for four categories and assigns a score to each: fluid level, general movement, diaphragm movement (to see Elle practice breathing), and muscle tone. There is a maximum of two points for each category, for a grand total of eight points. Elle scored an eight out of eight! So that was great news! My fluid was still up at 10 AFI, Elle was moving a bunch the entire time, and we got to see her practice breathing a few times. Her muscle tone was good, which they determine by how clenched her hands are or how tight her arm is bent, etc. Elle’s arms are always bent during the ultrasounds, with her hands up around her face. It’s adorable, but doesn’t make for a good picture when the ultrasound tech takes a screen shot to print for us to keep. So we have lots of arm and feet pictures instead.

Elle is estimated to be the size of a watermelon now and her heart rate was 133 bpm. She has not “dropped” at all yet, but I was still 1.5 cm dilated and 70% effaced. I think I even had my first real (and painful) contraction on Sunday during the Bronco game. I tried to sit up from a laying position and my tummy hardened and the most intense pain took over for a number of minutes! It only happened once, but it made my abdominal muscles sore the rest of the day! And Monday, I walked on the treadmill during my lunch hour, but stopped early because of the tightening and pain I was experiencing. I made a mental note that walking might be a good way to put me into labor if/when I’m ready for Elle to come out! For now, I’m enjoying every day she continues to grow and I’m in no rush to evict her yet.

I have doctor appointments scheduled for the next two Tuesdays…at 39 weeks and 40 weeks pregnant (the last one is my due date of October 23^rd). It will be interesting to see if I have to schedule one more appointment, or if she’ll be here in the next few weeks.

Fun fact: I’m officially counting down by days (instead of weeks) until my due date now, since Elle’s estimated date to arrive is only 11 days away!!! We can’t wait to meet her!!!

Phenomenally Full-Term!

I can’t believe this is the day I checked into the hospital to be induced with Rock during my first pregnancy! And with baby Elle, there’s no sign of induction in the near future! I’m excited to have two very different experiences.

I am officially in the final month of my pregnancy and Elle will range in size from 18.9 to 20.9 inches and will weigh in the range of 6.2 to 9.2 pounds. She’s the size of a winter squash and is considered full-term now that she’s 37 weeks! According to all of the stats from my Tuesday doctor appointment, Elle is healthy and my fluid is still in a normal range (at 10 AFI), so there is no reason to be induced. Elle’s heart rate was 124 bpm, my blood pressure was low, I just passed the 30 pound mark for weight gain (which is more than I gained with Rock, but I’m not worried), and my tummy measured perfectly for 37 weeks along!

The doctor checked my cervix again this week and there was no change in dilation, but I am 50% effaced (instead of 40%). And they reminded me to get my flu shot before Elle arrives since she can’t get one after she’s born. Hopefully my shot will help keep her healthy.

My 37-week email was very accurate about the current symptoms of pregnancy, specifically: heartburn, stretch marks, trouble sleeping, and an overwhelming need to be “nesting.” I drink a liquid antacid nearly every night before I lay down to sleep and I definitely have some new purple marks on my hips (still no stretch marks on my tummy though!). Additionally, tossing and turning all night is a new plague (primarily caused my discomfort and my mind racing). The strongest ‘symptom’ is the nesting though. I can’t seem to sit down if there is something on my “To Do List” that I feel needs to be done before Elle arrives. And it’s the same sensation at work. At home we’ve been decorating the nursery, cleaning, organizing, washing clothes, and trying to get mentally prepared for all of the “what-if” scenarios of going into natural labor. I have never experienced going into labor anywhere other than the hospital, so I have no idea what to expect. And it’s an added level of planning for a spontaneous event when you have a toddler. We have to have a bag packed for Rock and babysitters lined up for each scenario, since we’ll be in the hospital for a few days when Elle arrives. Who knew there was so much to think about during the wee hours of the night! Right?!.

We know God is in control and we take comfort in that knowledge. We will continue to work toward having things organized, but know that whatever God’s plan is, we’re along for the ride! And we are thrilled for all that is to come (even the tough stuff).

Lord, please continue to protect our family and help bring Elle into this world healthy. Please allow me and Phil to be the parents you want us to be…for both Elle and Rock. And we pray that Rock is excited to welcome Elle into our family. So far, he definitely is! We just pray that his excitement continues once she arrives.

36 Weeks and Counting...

Last week was a crazy week! Not only was work insane, but my doctor appointment on Tuesday was a complete shock (again)! For some reason, those two things wiped me out mentally and physically, so this post is definitely late!

I am currently 36 weeks pregnant and Elle is the size of a honeydew melon. Most of her body’s systems are in working order for her debut and she’s just putting on weight at this point. I am starting to get more uncomfortable with strange pain and pressure inside my body, but that might be because I’m starting to dilate!!! Yes, I was dilated to 1cm at my appointment last Tuesday! That feat took me two days in the hospital on induction meds to accomplish last time!

My entire appointment last Tuesday went really well and everything I found out that day made it sound like I may NOT have to be induced this pregnancy! Phil and I discovered Elle is estimated to be in the 22^nd percentile for her size right now (approximately 5lbs 7oz), so she’s not a large baby, but neither was Rock. My fluid levels were above 13 AFI (wow!), blood pressure was still low (102/70), my tummy measured 35.5 cm (at 36 weeks pregnant… right on where it should be), and Elle’s heart rate was 130 bpm.

When the doctor check my cervix, she said I was dilated 1cm and 40% effaced (which is the thinning of your cervix that has to happen before birth). The baby hasn’t “dropped” at all, so she’s at a negative 3 station still, but we’ll see if there are any changes at tomorrow’s appointment!