One More Month

With the month countdown ticking, I am starting to feel very pregnant. I am not horribly uncomfortable, but I definitely feel large and immobile these days. My biggest complaint is having to spend so much time inside during the summer in my dark cave-like house. I get up early and walk Eros before the heat sets in so I get a little sunshine, fresh air, and exercise, but then it is back to the cave for the rest of the day. I keep all the blinds closed and lights off to keep things as cool as possible. I am also starting to feel Braxton Hicks contractions much more frequently these days. They don’t necessarily hurt, but they are a bit uncomfortable. I am trying to embrace each one because it means my body is preparing itself for real labor which is a good thing.

We had our 36 week doctor’s appointment on Tuesday. The good news is that baby is in the correct position for a vaginal birth so I am very happy about that, and praying that he continues to stay that way till he is ready to enter the world. The doctor also said after feeling my belly, that if she had to guess she felt like Kyle was currently 6 lbs which is right on track for an average size baby. We were also sent up to Labor and Delivery to have baby Kyle and I’s heart rates monitored for 20mins because Kyle’s heart rate was a little on the high side when she checked it on the Doppler. It is normal for babies heart rates to spike up, but they wanted to make sure it would eventually go back down and that he was not in distress. So I got myself hooked up to the fetal heart rate monitor and got to listen to baby Kyle’s heart beat for a full 20mins, while I was a bit nervous to have to be sent up for monitoring, it was neat to hear him beating around in my belly, and after a few minutes of sitting in the chair and drinking lots of water his heart rate was back to normal. I had been working a fundraiser for the Army out in the sun most of the morning prior to my appointment and probably did not drink as much water as I should have been, which is what the doctors said contributed to higher than usual heart rate. So, lesson learned, pregnant women need to drink A LOT of water in the summer and stay out of the heat as much as possible. I thought I was doing a good job of staying hydrated, but now you won’t find me without my giant hospital grade water bottle strapped to my arm. My next appointment is in two weeks for my 38 week appointment and then I go every week after that until he is born.

The doctor told us we should also make sure we have everything prepared for his arrival, because really the baby could come any day now. I packed my bag for the hospital last night and Matt installed the car seat so I think we are ready to go should he decide to make an early arrival. However, I keep telling him he needs to keep baking for a few more weeks. Matt and I decided that if he comes early he will have his father’s personality and if he comes right on time, he will have his mothers. Luckily neither one of us tend to be late people so let's hope he does not decide to pick up that trait. We will just have to wait and see…