Great Checkup!

As I mentioned in my previous post, we had an ultrasound and checkup on Friday.  Everything went great, although it was our longest appointment ever at 2 hours.  First we had our NST, which went fine, although baby was sleeping, so it took a while to rouse her and get her to cooperate--nothing a little ice water couldn't take care of :)  We then met with the doctor and he measured my uterus with the measuring tape.  I was a little shocked to find out I was measuring 39 cm (which is equivalent to 39 weeks--keep in mind, I'm only 36 weeks).  At our last appointment, Thelma Lou measured 37 weeks, which meant in one week she grew another 2 weeks worth.  Because of the GD, a big baby is a big worry, so I was nervous that the doctor was going to tell me the baby was going to be 10lbs or bigger--not something a first time mom wants to hear!

However, we went in for the ultrasound and the doctor did all of the measurements and gave us the most glorious news--our little princess weighs around 5lbs 14oz (almost 6lbs).  That's the 43rd percentile, which is perfect!  He said that her spine is lined up with the outside of my uterus, so she is just sitting all out front and pushing out, which is making me measure ahead.  What an answer to prayer!  With hopes of having a vaginal delivery, the possibility of having a big baby would complicate things, if not make it impossible.  We also found out that Thelma Lou is in the LOA position (head down, face inward, which is the best and most common presentation for a vaginal delivery)--music to Mom's ears :)

I also got "checked" for the first time--quite the experience, but really not as bad as some people had warned me.  Maybe they were purposefully making it sound worse so it didn't seem bad--if they were, it worked, so for that I'm thankful.  My cervix is still completely closed, mostly due to the fact that the baby's head isn't quite low enough to push and dilate my cervix.  So, for now, our little princess is staying where she is--safe and sound on the inside.  Things seem to be moving so quickly, and within a matter of weeks we will have our little girl here at home with us--we can't wait!  Thanks for taking this journey with us, we can't wait to show off our little princess once she arrives--we are sure she will be loved by many :)

37 weeks

The Homestretch

Being 36 weeks seems surreal.  The fact that our little girl could come ANY day is a crazy, yet very exciting thought.  I am starting to feel overwhelmed by the amount of stuff I still have to wash, put away, cook, etc in preparation for her arrival.  It will all get done, though--and if it doesn't, we will all live :)

We started taking childbirth classes a couple of weeks ago (they are once per week for 3 weeks).  While this has made Keith VERY excited, it has terrified me!!  When you are 20-30 weeks pregnant, the daunting task of labor begins to sink in.  However, when you go to childbirth classes, it is all but thrown in your face the reality that this baby has to come out--and soon!  I'm sure everything will be fine, but as a first time mom, I'd be lying if I said it doesn't keep me awake some nights.  At lot of it is anticipation, I'm sure--just wanting to know HOW and WHEN she'll be born, and what it will be like.  Keep that on your prayer list, please :)

The GD is going great.  My blood sugars have been well controlled by just modifying my diet, which is nice.  I go for NSTs (non stress tests) 2x/week which helps them monitor how well Thelma Lou is doing inside the womb.  So far, they have all been great.  At my last check up on Friday, she was measuring 2.5 weeks ahead, though, so the doctor wants to do another ultrasound--which will be this Friday.  I'm totally okay with getting another glimpse at our little girl, and so close to delivery, it'll be fun to see what she looks like :)

I have started to enjoy the discomforts of the 9th month.  I'm not sleeping as well as I would like to, and have actually resorted to sleeping on the couch, which is much more comfortable.  I sleep for about 3 hours at a time, get up and go to the bathroom, and then try to fall back asleep.  Work has been getting increasingly harder and I'm completely exhausted and swollen by the time I get home.  I'm still chugging along though, hoping I can make it to the end without having to be on bedrest, which would result in using more time off--another prayer request :)

We are so thankful for God's faithfulness throughout this entire pregnancy-keeping both the baby and I safe-and continue to pray for His timing and guidance as we near the end.  We are also thankful for all of our friends and family and the ways they have blessed us with prayer, gifts, and encouragement throughout this pregnancy--THANK YOU!!  Enjoy the new belly pics--she is definitely growing, nobody can argue with that :)

Crystal

34 weeks

36 weeks