37 Week Update and checking off the "To Do" list...


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Thank God for productive days....

The highlight of today, of course, was my 37 week check up. I had gained yet another 2 pounds (what in the world!). It's packing on here at the last minute.... My weight gain total is at 31 pounds now. I'm hoping it plateaus after this week...but if not, oh well.

Collen was pretty active; his heart rate was in the 160s. My midwife estimated him to be between 7 and 7.5 pounds, but she said we could do an ultrasound just to check (more on that in a moment). She also checked to see if I had made any progress since last week. I'm a full 2cm and 50% effaced (sorry if that's TMI....I feel weird typing it, but it's important to know, I guess). She said his head seems engaged, so he's definitely in position.

I have been having sporadic contractions but nothing consistent. I haven't even had many braxton hicks contractions. So, hopefully my body will get in gear soon and get things going!

On to the ultrasound....

She measured his head first. And whoa, buddy, Collen has a big noggin. I looked up on the screen as she was measuring to see, gestationally, how big it was measuring. I am 37 weeks 2 days; his head is measuring at 41 weeks. Eeeek!! I called Jeremy and thanked him, very sarcastically, for passing on his immense head size to our son. She never officially told me how large his head was measuring, but she used the term "healthy" to describe it. And I said, yes....his brother had a "healthy" head too, but not THAT "healthy."

Sidenote: Ayden's head was his biggest feature in the womb, too, but once monthly check ups started, his head always measured smallest. Perhaps Collen will follow the same pattern....

Next, she measured his abdomen, which was described as being plump. ;) I like a cute, plump baby belly...

Then, we took a look at his face. As you probably guessed, we found all sorts of cute chubbiness....cheeks so chubby that we could barely see his eyes.

Oh, weight! I almost forgot. So, as I said, my midwife predicted 7-7.5 pounds. I told her we'd see how good she is since Ayden fooled all of them last time! They had predicted 6.5 pounds for Ayden on the day he was born. He turned out to be 7lbs 14oz! So, I was not at all surprised today to learn that Mr. Collen is a whopping 8 pounds! So, if he follows Ayden's pattern and comes at 39 weeks, we're looking at a 9 pounder. Yeah.....fun times ahead.

I asked the ultrasound tech. to check the fluid, umbilical cord, and placenta to make sure all looked well. She said I had plenty of fluid (woo!), the umbilical cord looked good and was just floating around in there (woo!), and the placenta looked beautiful....like it hadn't aged at all (big sigh of relief and another woo!). I didn't care that he was 8 pounds....potentially going to be 9 pounds at birth....I just needed to know that conditions inside were still favorable for him and his viability.

So, it looks like a lot of walks are in my future. I'll do what I can do help him along, but it's really up to him! We briefly discussed induction because of his size, but elective inductions can't be scheduled before 39 weeks. I'm not a big fan of inductions anyway because of what I've heard about pitocin and babies in distress during inductions. We decided to see how things look next week, and if I haven't progressed more, we may look into helping things along a little bit.

I found out that I did test negative for the Group B Strep, which was surprising since I was positive with Ayden. My midwife explained that if it is not present at the time of the test and you are a carrier, it can take 5 weeks for it to travel through the digestive tract from the time of the negative test result, so it shouldn't be a factor this time around. Yay! That means my water could break and I wouldn't have to worry about rushing to the hospital to get antibiotics in me. I'd still need to rush, but not as urgently. Whew....a big relief.

So, after my appointment, I headed out to take care of my "To Do" list. I'm proud of all that I've accomplished this week. With Jeremy working, I've had to take care of getting things in order with the new house....contract, earnest money, other decisions. I've had to make the phone calls, send the emails, and verify information. I've also been on the phone harassing people about getting Collen's insurance in order and making sure mine is taken care of. The following was checked off of my list today:

1. Drop off signed contract and earnest money check for house.

2. Drop of paperwork for Collen's insurance....all things should be covered on our end, just have to wait for them to get their stuff in order.

3. Meet with insurance agent for my insurance (since my coverage from work ends on 9/1) and find a reasonably priced plan - done, and feel satisfied with my decision. Decided to stick with Blue Cross since they've done a good job for me so far. Also got a homeowner's insurance quote while I was at it....

4. Have lunch with Lauren and catch up on some girl time. :)


I'd say that's a pretty productive day for a waddling pregnant lady carrying around an 8 pounder. ;)



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7 comments:

  1. Would you have ever thought you'd say "the placenta looked beautiful"? hahaha :)
    Glad to hear all the good news! Will be praying for 8 pounder, err I mean Collen. And patience for you and Mr. as the big day approaches. All in His good time!

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  2. So happy that everything's looking healthy and normal. Still praying that everything goes well with labor & delivery! Blessings!

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  3. I'm so excited for y'all, it's almost here!!!

    Praying for you :) Kelley

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  4. How awesome. I am glad that Collen is looking like a big, healthy, soon-to-be-bouncing baby boy! I can't wait to "meet" him. Good luck with all the new house stuff. How amazing that in God's time this house became available. God Bless!!!!

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  5. You had QUITE the productive day!!!

    I laughed and laughed at the fact that John has a very small head (in comparison to his family's very large, round heads) and was praying that would come in handy for me!! Of course, with the c-section, didn't really matter, and with him being 22 inches, I may have been focusing on the wrong thing anyway! I look at some of the little outfits we had for his first few weeks and realize they'd be highwaters on that boy!

    Not too much longer!!! I only got to 4-5 cm and 50% effaced and that was after nearly 24 hours of induced labor at almost 41 weeks!!!

    SO excited for Collen to come!!

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  6. I found your blog through the Faces of Loss blog, and I just wanted to say that I am so, so sorry for your loss. I lost my first daughter, Ada, at 24 weeks in my pregnancy for a reason that we'll never know. I went on to have another baby girl a year and 6 days later, and now she's just over a year old. I am so glad to see that you are expecting your own "rainbow" and that's wonderful that everything is going well. I can't imagine what all you have been through, but I do know what pain, grief, and despair feel like. I know what it's like to feel like you did ALL of the right things and you prayed for your child's health only to lose him. Now that it's been over 2 years since Ada's death/birth, my life is pretty good and I am doing very well. I love both of my daughters so much! Still, I have days when I cry and miss Ada so much, but those days are much fewer and farther between than they used to be.

    I know this is quite a rambling post, but I basically just wanted to say hi. I may be a stranger, but you are not alone in your grief. Ayden's story made me cry and I will be praying for you and the new life growing inside of you. :)

    I have a blog too: http://lifeafterada.blogspot.com

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  7. No way was I that productive at 37 weeks - you should pat yourself on the back (and then request a foot or shoulder rub from your husband). I'm so glad to read that all is well with Collen. While big babies aren't always pleasant for Mom in the delivery room, it means he's going to be a healthy, chubby, perfect size for squeezing! I'll keep hoping that he stays put until you're settled in the new house...and the second you say, "OK, now he can come!," the contractions will start :)

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