Baby Update

I have been told that I need to update my blog. So... here are the baby stats as of Wed (3/10)

Gestational age: 38 weeks, 5 days
BP: 120/68
Weight gain: Minus two pounds
Dilated: 4 cm, 75% effaced

Everything looked great at my last appointment. Baby girl is still head down and I will never complain about losing 2 pounds. I was very glad to have made some change to 4 cm - and told my doctor after he checked me that if he had said 3 again, he was going to have to lie and make it at least 3 and a quarter. Most women I know - when they hit 4 cm are in actual labor - and are either at the hospital or on their way. Not me. Or Colleen. Apparently my body is taking after Leeners and will dilate without any major contractions. I am totally fine with this - but I would like baby girl to make an appearance.

I think the hardest part the past two weeks is just not knowing when I will go into labor. In many ways I feel like a first time mom again. Since Ephraim was induced so early (37.5 weeks) I really have no idea what to expect. Forrest tells me I am impatient. I tell him that he would feel the same way at 39 weeks pregnant. For the past week I have been getting contractions in the evening for a few hours. They will increase in strength and go from 8-9 minutes apart to around 5-6 minutes apart. Then, around 8 or 9 PM they will decrease to 20 minutes apart and then pretty much disappear when I go to bed. The first time they got to 5-6 minutes apart I got really excited thinking "this is it" and now I don't. I am beginning to think that my body will not get into a consistent labor rhythm until my water breaks (which is what Colleen's body does).

At my appointment on the 10th, Dr. Rice and I discussed the different options we have. He is willing to induce me this week if I haven't gone into labor on my own. (Is it really an induction if he is just going to break my water to see if that works - and not use pitocin unless necessary?) We will talk more about it on my appointment on the 17th. The one benefit of being "induced" is that we can then time when I take my heparin and my risk of increased bleeding is diminished. The only downside is that my mom is in town now and I would like to go into labor while she is here. Either way, I don't have to be patient for much longer - baby girl will be here soon!