Going to the hospital!

Well, my complaining is at an end - I broke my water this morning. I am not in labour yet though... The downside is that Greg will think his lame "weak amniotic sac" theory actually has some basis in reality. The upside - Lucy should be with us soon!!!
It's funny because yesterday was the most active kicking/punching/pushing day that Lucy has had in a dog's age and I was lamenting the fact that my pregnancy seemed to be progressing backwards.
Anyway, must run.

37 week OB appointment

So, today was my first full-term OB appointment. I failed my initial blood pressure check (but not the retest) - the retest was still higher than average but normal. There was also protein in my urine sample, which can be indicative of toxemia/preeclampsia or other issues.
Because of the urine results, I was given a requisition for a battery of additional urine and blood tests - primarily to verify kidney function. It's precautionary, but I was also advised to try to get the test done today at a quick lab, in order that the results may come back before the end of the week.
I was so surprised by the urine results, that I completely forgot to ask about the results of my group B strep test, nor did I remember to ask for a medical note to put my gym membership on hold (even though I wrote this down in my planner, so as not to forget).
I am now measuring at 40 weeks (not the anticipated 39). I don't see how my uterus can get any bigger without breaking all my ribs and pulverizing my organs. Certainly, I have felt craptastic all day long. I had bajillions of Braxton-Hicks contractions this morning (spanning three hours or so), and have spent almost the entire afternoon uncomfortable due to Lucy's positioning.
On the positive side, my weight gain seems normal, and Lucy's position and heart rate are good. And of course, it is wonderful that Lucy won't be premature.
Someone in the clinic had their pager go off, and it got picked up by the doppler during the heart rate measurement. It was mildly amusing and made a funny sound.
Emotionally, this has been a challenging week because Rebecca has been teething heavily and her behaviour has at times been frustrating. I feel house-bound because I am so physically incapable of controlling her that attempts at other activities are too daunting and too risky. It is depressing, because taking care of Rebecca is really the only task I have some ability to accomplish these days. Oh, I can fill the time at home, but it gets tedious very quickly. Also, I have certain standards of parenting that I set for myself, and these are becoming unattainable. I am in Limbo, and I would like our new life to start. I would like to be released from my discomfort.

Uncharted territory

Well, tomorrow I am at full term (37 weeks), so unless Lucy appears in the next four hours, she is going to be my first non-premature baby. Maybe this means that certain things will be easier! Maybe I won't have to stay in the hospital so long, and maybe they won't force me to wake her up every two hours, and maybe she will have mastered the suck/swallow reflex properly. Who knows?!?!
Unfortunately, I am not convinced that this uncharted territory means my blog will be full of unique insights (as opposed to rewarmed thoughts from the last time). My big revelation this morning was that the combination of cankles and oedema make for easier (i.e. less bloody) leg shaving - none of those awkward little divets and angles.
To sum up: I am super-uncomfortable and I want this to be over. Handling my toddler is becoming exceptionally challenging when she chooses to be difficult. You don't realize how often you simply have to dominate them physically (not in a scary or nasty way - in a "let's be safe" way, or in a "despite your temper tantrum, it's nap time" way). It took me ten minutes to get Becca into her car seat this morning. By the end I was ready to cry and scream at the same time, and my back was killing me. My inability to exert physical control means that I am reluctant to do a lot of things with her that I would like to. It's o.k. if another adult is with me, but otherwise, it's no-go. The weather has been sunny and gorgeous, but I don't even dare take her to the park because if she's tired, or refuses to leave, and bribery fails, then I am screwed. And frankly, I wear out before she does. The same applies to any place she finds interesting or fascinating and does not involve a cart with a belt - museums, malls, fields etc. Grocery trips were o.k., but when she fights getting into the car seat, or into the cart, it is frustrating beyond belief. Things will be so busy once Lucy arrives, it would be nice to spend fun time with Rebecca now while I still can do so easily. And I don't want fun time to be exclusively indoors. Maybe I just have to be more realistic about my limitations.

Goodbye boring ticker

I am officially removing the floating baby ticker. It doesn't do anything, and really hasn't been entertaining for months now.

Clean my fingers!

Rebecca's got two fully formed sentences that she uses regularly now.

Sentence #1 is from Dora: "There he is!" or, alternately "There it is!"

Sentence #2 is much more interesting: "Clean my fingers!" or, as we've heard once "Clean my fingers please!"

The reason #2 is so cool is that it's something we've never said to Rebecca. I've never asked her to clean my fingers, obviously. So that means she knows the meaning of all three words, and has put them together correctly.

I'm anticipating taking dictation of the first chapter of her first novel soon. (She still doesn't know how to type yet.)

36 week OB appointment

I had my 36 week OB appointment today. When I was pregnant with Rebecca, this was the last appointment I ever had. So, if I make it to 37 weeks gestation, everything will be a new experience for me (which is strange to contemplate when I feel like an old hand at this pregnancy thing). My blood pressure and urine tests were fine. I am weighing in at a ghastly 211 lbs. Yikes. However, it seems to be due (in large part) to a big increase in my edema over the past few weeks. This is completely normal and expected, and since my urine and blood pressure are fine, it is nothing to be concerned about. It does mean that I have cankles, but this is not terribly distressing since: (1) I know how fast they go away, (2) there is still considerable snow in the yard, (3) there is no pathological reason for it. I had my Group B strep test - about as comfortable as I remembered, but better than the postnatal 6 week internal. Actually, lying down on the examination table and getting off it again were arguably more painful than having a foot long q-tip take an exploratory journey into places I can only presume exist, because they are otherwise obstructed from view by a massive belly. Phew. Also, did not pee on my hand when collecting urine sample today - I am so proud. I am still measuring two weeks ahead - since this has consistently been the case for 11 weeks now, I no longer think it would be reasonable to chalk it up to instrumental error. Also, as I mentioned before, this is exactly what happened with Rebecca. My OB joined me in wishing that my body has the wisdom to expel this baby sooner rather than later since we are looking at another big baby, and I am in considerable discomfort. He said that if I haven't had the baby by my next appointment (37 weeks), then we will go for another ultrasound. I am presuming that the purpose of this would be to get another read on the baby's size - I am also hoping this means that if it looks mega-macro, we might have a discussion about induction or other interventions of some sort.

Home from work now!

I am now at home! It's wonderful - I am 100% more comfortable being able to lie down whenever I need to, and I can wear my baggiest, trashiest maternity wear. This has already paid off.
Clearly though, I have lost the baby pool as we are now in April and there is no Lucy. So - it will be for someone else to win the prize. My belly doesn't look like it will last to mid-April... it seems to be expanding horizontally now.
I have been wondering whether the baby has dropped, because I have had a serious increase in the edema in my legs, and a dramatic drop in heartburn. I will have to see what the obstetrician says tomorrow.
In other good news - I was excused from jury duty!