So, updates on the joys of "week 39":
- Still at 0 centimeters
- Still have a baby who is sitting up high on my lungs
- Still having crampy fun Braxton-Hicks, usually at the 3:00 a.m. hour
- Found new stretch marks yesterday - that was lovely.
- Still can't put on real shoes anymore, so I love wearing flip-flops now that the weather has changed.
- Still need a pedicure (although thanks mom for trying!)
- Still getting up 10+ times a night to pee
- Gained 0 pounds for 2 weeks, then went and gained 5 pounds from Friday to Wednesday. Go figure.
- Still have no idea how "big" this baby boy could be because the doctors enjoy a good mystery
- Still trudging to work and trying to earn a dollar
- Boobs are still growing. I wonder what comes after 42F? Any guesses? Let's all guess when my boobs will stop growing. It's like a perverted Price Is Right game...don't let the little yoddlers fall off the cliff...guess now!
- Still very bitter about having no positive movement towards getting this little baby out of me (although I still love you Benjamin...mommy just doesn't always like you as much.)
So, I go back to the doc on the 30th. You know, 1 day before my official due date. The only highlight is that I get a sonogram, so that'll be neat. Of course that sonogram will help them badly guesstimate the weight of the baby, which could be scary. If I'm dilated at all, then she says she'll strip my membranes. Yeah, that sounds fun and totally not painful at all. However, if I'm not, no worries...we'll go another week and see what happens. It's really so easy-breezy, why on earth would I be upset about the prospect of another 2 weeks. Silly pregnant woman.
8 comments:
Wow. Hearing about your pregnancy is the best birth control imaginable! ;)
I'm afraid to ask...what does "strip your membranes" mean exactly?
Membrane stripping sounds like a breeze. Bring a cocktail and some reading materials.
You still haven't popped that kiddo out yet? The past few days I've been driving and I'll think, "I wonder if Stace is in labor?". Um, apparently not. Also, stripping your membranes sounds fabulous... is that even a real term?
From the web, as only the web describes things best:
Q. What does "stripping of the membranes" mean? How is it done and how is it different than breaking my water?
A. As you probably know, the bag of waters is inside the uterus, and the bag is composed of membranes. The membranes tend to cling to the wall of the uterus until after the baby is born and the placenta is expelled. As the cervix begins to soften and open (dilate) at the end of pregnancy, the part of the membranes that was over the cervical opening can be felt through the opening when a vaginal exam is done. "Stripping the membranes" is done by inserting a finger between the membranes and the wall of the uterus to loosen the membranes from the wall. Sometimes, this stimulation of the uterine wall can help to start labor. Sometimes, the loosening of the membranes allows more water to collect in front of the baby which puts more pressure on the cervix and perhaps labor is stimulated that way. The procedure can be a little uncomfortable for some women. If the woman is truly near delivery, she often gets a contraction as a result of the procedure.
Usually the practitioner tries not to break the bag of waters when the membranes are loosened. Breaking the bag of waters commits the woman to delivery, perhaps before the baby is ready to come. Although stripping membranes is not considered a form of induction, the hope is that it is a form of stimulation of labor. Done too early, it has no effect, but if the body is nearly ready anyway, it can give a little jump-start to the labor process...
PS - It can sometimes take multiple strippings to get things going...
I wonder if I could drink a little wine with the stripping...that could make me more relaxed. Hmm...
In my stripping experience I've always needed wine to get the show going =) hehehe...if you know what I mean!
Oh, I feel your pain. It truly is miserable waiting and being so uncomfortable. It was so frustrating to have the doctors "let me go" way past all of my due dates! Good luck and I hope you have Benjamin soon!
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