Which brings us to today, finishing up week 38. Technically, I should be ready to go at any time now, but my doctor said it will probably be at least another week. Externally, nothing much has changed in the last couple of weeks, but internally, it’s been like the opening ceremonies for the Olympics:
Lumpy has “dropped”, i.e. he’s moved down into launch position. His head is downward, and working its way into my pelvis. This is good news in and of itself, but also because my organs are now able to start receding downward, so I can fit into normal bras again, and I’m not so short of breath. Heartburn has been easing up as well. On the other hand, I constantly feel like I’ve been riding a bike for eighteen hours, and I’m having more and more trouble walking like a human (vs. a duck).
My cervix is effacing and juuust starting to dilate. Effacement is when it gets shorter and thinner. I actually didn’t know before that it did this. I’m really glad it does, though; it makes the dilation process a lot easier, as pictured here(relatively SFW cross-section illustration).
My boobs have finally caught wind of the rumor that they’re going to have to start pulling their own weight. Over the last couple of days, they’ve begun to get a little bit puffy and sore, much like you do when your vacation is over and it’s time to get to work. They’re clearly not interested in making Employee of the Month, though. They’re just looking to show up and do the minimum required. So no fancy bra-filling or cleavage making - these ta-tas are only here to (hopefully) lactate and go home. Oh, well.
I gained the last little bit of weight, topping it off at around 30 pounds, which is just about perfect for my starting weight and height. At least I don’t look it, apparently. I was telling a friend that carrying all this extra weight is kind of tiring, and she said, “How much is it - like 5, 6 pounds?” :dubious: Yeah. Just about.
Anyhoo, the next you hear from me and Lumpy (on this particular topic) will be in the Doper Babies thread.
So if you have any questions about me, Lumpy, pregnancy in general, my pregnancy in specific, or would like to offer parenting advice, now’s the time.
New babies often emerge looking like an unripe lizard. If the doc say’s it’s not quite ready yet and suggest putting it back in for another couple of weeks - say no.
For me, it was nothing so poetic. It felt like gas. And because I’m pretty much constantly farting anyway, it took a while for me to be sure. Of course, now, it’s like something out of Alien. But yeah, that’s the best way to describe those first movements: gas bubbles working their way through my intestines. Cute, right?
Sadly, no. I was really looking forward to having that happen, but I found that I by the time I could actually tell there was a person there, I was already pretty acclimated to the idea. It’s just really… normal. I’m carrying a baby around, like you do, except that the carrier happens to be inside my body rather than strapped onto it.
As weird as pregnancy has been, I was hoping it would be much, much weirder.
Woo! Have fun with the baby-making! That was my favorite part of this whole thing. And seriously, try not to let it become “my monitor says I’m at peak fertility, so we have a 12-hour window in which to copulate - aaaand GO!” I don’t know that it will affect your chances of conception one way or the other, but it’s just more fun to have lots of hot sex than lots of perfunctory sex.
We’re getting packed, little by little. Really need to get around to finishing that up, now-ish. So far, we’ve got:
cord blood collection kit
items for back massage
slippers
camera
a stuffed cat, since I can’t bring my buddy. We took a childbirth class, and the instructor asked us what helps us relax after a stressful day, suggesting that we bring those things to the hospital. Everyone else said music, tv, punching pillows, etc. I said “kitties”. :rolleyes:
We’ll also add:
outfit for the kid to go home in
nursing top for me
bathrobe
extra underwear
toothbrush and toothpaste
MP3 player
extra batteries
snacks
And that’s about it. We’ve got the carseat installed (we’re not allowed to take the baby home without it), and we’ll probably bring the laptop. It seems like a lot for what will hopefully be a very short stay, but better to have something and not need it than vice versa. I’ve already told my husband, though, that if I end up having a C-section and have to stay a few days to recuperate, he should go home immediately and get the Xbox. Those radioactive ghouls aren’t going to kill themselves.
A bathing suit for Mr. Dorkness to shower in, if you think he’ll shower in your room and the bathroom doesn’t have a closeable door. Our hospital specified that moms could shower naked in the attached bathroom, but not dad.
A notebook, in case you and Mr. Dorkness care to keep… well, not really a journal, but sort of a timeline of how things progress. It was surprising how fuzzy our memories got for us, and how quickly it happened. Besides, it will help keep the story straight for later when you, as we did before you and every other new parent ever has and ever will, want to bore the shit out of everyone you know with all the details of the experience.
A blank thank-you card, or maybe a gift card or some other token, for nurses you especially like.
…the hell? Fortunately, we’ll have a private room, with a bathroom door and everything, and we live just a few minutes from the hospital, so if it came to that, he could just run home.
But seriously, WTF?
Well, sure. I’ve been doing it for the last 9 months; why stop now? Coming soon to SDMB: Ask the Chick Who Just Went Through Labor - and Has Detailed Notes!
That’s a really good idea, thanks! And thanks for the luck - I’m afraid I’m going to need it. Just had a visit with the OB, and she said Lumpy looks to be around 8 lbs, and his head is at least 10 cm. That will be fun. She said if I don’t go into labor by my due date, she’ll induce right away, rather than waiting a week, because he’ll just get even bigger and harder to deliver. So one way or another, he’s coming out within the next week and a half. Get ready for pictures of Gigantor-baby!
I had to be induced (and ended up with an emergency Cesarean anyway, but that’s another story) and NOBODY warned me that inductions can take days. And they don’t always work all that well even then. My doctors and nurses made it sound like “We give you these drugs, and these things happen, and then you go into labor” but it’s really not that simple, unfortunately. If you have to induce, make them tell you not just an abstraction of what they want to happen, but details about what you should expect to happen. Not worst-case crap, just reality. It’ll help you pack your bag.
More unsolicited advice:
Find out ahead of time where you can get good take-out food near the hospital, even if the hospital has a decent cafeteria. Even if you don’t want it, your husband might.
Be prepared to be unprepared for how much you don’t know and how much utterly conflicting information you will get. I don’t know if that makes sense… people told me “You’ll be exhausted, and it’s all very overwhelming,” but I didn’t really understand. I don’t think you can.
Some actual questions:
Are you planning to breastfeed? If yes, do you know if the hospital has lactation consultants and stuff like that?
What’s the hospital’s baby-having area like? What’s your suite going to be like?
Do you have a written birth plan?
How do you feel about pain meds and epidurals and such?
Thanks for the advice. I guess I did know that about inductions, but it’s good to bear in mind. I’ll be sure to discuss it with my OB if it comes to that. But even so, I’m pretty much expecting to be exhausted and overwhelmed, as you say. I’m just going to try to roll with it.
As for take-out, luckily, the hospital is right across the street from a strip mall with a ton of restaurants and a grocery store. We’re set.
Yes, and yes. We took a breastfeeding class they hosted, they have someone who will come to my room, and we can do consultations later by phone or on a home visit. So far, they seem very supportive.
It’s pretty rad. We’ll have a private room for labor and delivery, and then another one for recovery. As long as I don’t have to be on a monitor or anything, I’m welcome and encouraged to do whatever is most comfortable. They even have a support bar over the bed so I can squat if I feel like it. The kid will stay with me in the recovery room (unless he’s in the NICU), and there’s a fold-out couch so my husband can stay, too. It’s like a tiny hotel room.
No written plan - it’s basically, “We’ll see how it goes.” That applies to everything from meds to epidural to a c-section. I’ll do my best to go without, but if I’m really not able to handle it, or if my doctor is concerned for my or Lumpy’s well-being, then we’ll do what we have to. My goal is just to help Lumpy out into the world in whatever way is healthiest for both of us.
I’m not pregnant (hell, I don’t even have kids), but it’s my understanding that all the size estimates they give you towards the end are worthless. My sister too got GigantorBaby estimates with all of hers in the final weeks - like 10+ pounds - and each kid came out at just about 8 pounds exactly.
Hopefully your GigantorBaby estimate is similarly off.
Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet? Have you had the baby yet?
(Be prepared for a lot of this in the next few weeks, especially if you go overdue.)
