We're Making Progress!

I had my weekly appointment today, and am now 2-3cm dilated and 90% effaced. Whoohoo! Of course my OB couldn’t ballpark when labor might begin (as it could be anyone’s guess), but she did say she thought it would be unlikely that I would need to be induced. I’m hoping she’s right about that! Everything else was pretty routine. My blood pressure was normal, Wyatt’s heartbeat was 156bpm and my belly measured 37cm. I go back next Wednesday, and hopefully I’ll have made some more progress by then.

This morning my boss and co-workers in my department surprised me with a little shower. I haven’t mentioned my job since starting my temp position back in April, have I? I’m still at MSU (at least until Friday) working in the Facilities Maintenance department. It’s actually my second position there, as I was asked to work for this department on my last day of my prior placement. As such, I work mostly around middle-aged men. I kind of forgot about this as I opened a few gifts today and held them up for all to see. Since there were roughly 3 women and 10 men in the room, I really didn’t get the Awww! response that one would expect from a typical shower. It was funny to me because I forgot that a bunch of men could probably care less! The highlight of the celebration, of course, was the cake. Delicious! I was very grateful and touched that they would take the time to celebrate with me, and will miss the people that I’ve gotten to know there over the last several months.

So that’s the update for now. We are now beginning to be on “Wyatt Watch” so I will be sure to keep you all informed if anything happens from here on out!

Love,
Ashley

37 Weeks- Full Term!

As of now, Wyatt is no longer considered premature or preterm! It feels so good to know we've reached this point and if he were to be born now, his lungs would likely be mature enough to fully adjust to life outside the womb. But I'm still hoping he'll wait a bit longer. :) It's still so strange sometimes to look at my belly and know there's a baby curled up in there. I try to picture what position he's smooshed himself into, but I really can't. All I know is his head is down and his bottom is on top. Other than that, I'm purely guessing what small parts I feel gliding along.

Although I'd like Wyatt to stay put for a little bit longer, I do finally feel like I'm prepared (for the most part) for his arrival. At least in terms of physical items. We've pretty much gotten everything rounded up that we plan on taking with us to the hospital:

Let's see...Overnight bag? Check. Boppy pillow? Check. Diaper bag? Check. Video camera? Check. Feeling prepared to bring home a baby whom we will raise for the next 18(+) years, hopefully without driving him crazy or completely losing our minds in the process? Let me get back to you on that...;)

Here's the latest belly pic:

We’re getting very excited for Wyatt to join our family!

Love,
Ashley

The Appointment Gods Do Not Like Me.

Today’s post will be a mix of an update and rant. It began with my OB appointment, which was at 10:00. When I arrived, I was told by the nurse that my doctor was not in yet. She had to perform a c-section followed by a visit with another patient in the hospital. I completely understood that, but was still irritated since this has happened a handful of times before (once for another delivery and not sure why the other times). She then weighs me, takes my blood pressure, and listen’s to Wyatt’s heartbeat. All of those looked good. The nurse tells me to wait a bit and she’ll try to see if she can contact my OB. At roughly 10:25 she informs me that my OB will not be in for another hour or so. I told her that I had an appointment with our Pediatrician scheduled for 11:30. She calls their office to see if they can get me in sooner, but they can’t. So I reluctantly agree to go at 11:30 and then come back after it’s done. She promises me she’ll put me at the front of the line when I return.

After wasting some time at Wal-mart, I arrive at the Pediatrician’s office. I’m hoping it will be a very quick meeting so I can get back to the OB asap. I’ve been nervous about getting checked, and putting it off further in the day only increased my anxiety. After waiting 20 minutes in the lobby, I was told that the Pediatrician was also running behind and it would be another 30 minutes or so. At that point I was done. I decided to cancel and re-schedule my visit for Sep 8th. Talk about frustrating! I was glad my blood pressure had already been taken, as I’m pretty sure I would’ve been at hypertension status by then.

I arrived back at my OB’s office around noon and finally got to see her 20 min later. She checked me and I am currently 1-2cm dilated and 60% effaced. So it doesn’t look like Wyatt will be making an entrance in the immediate future. At least I hope not! She also measured my belly, which was right on track at 36cm.

My next appointment is next Wednesday, and I will be checked again to see if I’ve made any progress. Let’s hope the appointment gods are a little kinder to me that day.

Love,
Ashley

36 Weeks

I'm 36 weeks today, which means one more week until Wyatt is considered full-term. Whoohoo! I've noticed more Braxton Hicks contractions lately, which I know is par for the course this late in the game. Sleep has also become more difficult to achieve in recent weeks. For the past several nights I've woken up every 1-2 hours to either use the restroom or roll over to my other side. When I do roll, I notice that many times my hips will pop. Apparently this is caused by the increase in hormones which relax the hips and joints to prepare them for childbirth. It's good to know my body is getting ready for that. Of course, the times I actually try to make my hips pop (such as last night when they were hurting and felt out of place)I can never do it..only when I randomly move at night!

My next OB appointment is this Wednesday. I'll have my first check to see if/how much I'm dilated. While I'm not looking forward to this at all, I am curious to see where I am. We also will be meeting Wyatt's Pediatrician that day to visit with him and tour the office. I will be sure to post an update following both appointments to let you all know how they went.

That's it for today. Here is the latest belly pic:

Love,
Ashley

35 Weeks and Visitors

This weekend Keith's parents came down to Springfield to visit us. We had a good time, and tried to show them what the area has to offer (within the limits that I could handle!). On Saturday morning we went to the Bass Pro Shop (did you know it originated in Springfield?) and in the afternoon we explored Fantastic Caverns. We took a guided jeep tour of a large cave, where we were able to see limestone formations, stalagmites and stalactites dating back thousands of years. It's pretty impressive. Yesterday we spent the day touring the Table Rock Lake and Branson areas. It was a busy weekend, and hard to go back to work today!

I am now just over 35 weeks along. It's hard to believe that we only have roughly a month (or less) to go. It really is a milestone for me, as I delivered Ethan at exactly 35 weeks. I've found myself stressing a little bit in the past few weeks, I think because I feared that Wyatt could also come that soon. I felt a need to get everything prepared before hitting the 35 week mark (though I'm still not finished with it all), just in case. I don't know how soon he may make his appearance, but I'm hoping he can hold out until 37 weeks when I'm considered full term. Though it would be really nice if he could wait longer than that so I can have some time between my last day of work (Sep. 2) and his arrival to sleep in a little!

Here’s the latest belly pic:

Love,
Ashley

Appointment and Anniversary!

Today I had my 34 week appointment. It was another relatively quick visit. Wyatt's heartbeat was 146bpm, my belly measured 35cm, and my blood pressure was still good. I managed to gain 4lbs in the last 2 weeks(yikes!) but since I had only gained a pound at my last visit, I suppose my body is doing some catching up. I'd like to believe Wyatt received 3 of those pounds, but that's wishful thinking :) My next appointment is in 2 more weeks, and then I will be going weekly! Crazy!

Today is also our 3rd wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's already been that long! It really has flown by. I'm sure there are days (particularly at this point, as I am quite hormonal) where Keith might beg to disagree...;) We celebrated this weekend with dinner at an Italian restaurant downtown. The food was excellent, and we finished it off with an amazing piece of triple chocolate cake. I should say, I finished it off...Keith only had maybe 2 or 3 bites. I'm thinking this is what may have contributed to that 4lb weight gain! It was a great evening, and this pregnant girl couldn't have asked for anything better!

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful hubby Keith. Here's to many more years of wedded bliss!

Love,
Ashley

34 Week Pic