Happy 39 Weeks, L Bean!

Well, Labor Day came and went without any labor.  How poetic would that have been?

I had a doctor appointment last Friday, and I had my first internal exam!  Friend Sarah tagged along for this appointment.  She's seen me naked or half-naked more times than I can count, so her being present for the internal exam was al natural.  I thought for sure the exam would be very uncomfortable, but it really wasn't so bad (I'll spare you the description I gave my husband - you're welcome).  Doc checked-out L Bean's heartbeat via ultrasound first.  All was well.  He also took a peak at the placenta, which was visibly maturing.  And then he tried to measure his head.  I say "tried" because his head is so low in my pelvis that he couldn't get a good read.  I won't tell you how low the ultrasound wand was while he was trying to get the measurement, you can just use your imagination. 

After the ultrasound, it was internal time!  I'd been feeling pressure on my cervix all week, so I was hoping that SOMETHING was happening.  According to Doc, I was 1+ centimeters dilated and VERY effaced.  So THAT'S what I had been feeling all week.  Neither of those measurements mean all that much, as many women are dilated and effaced for weeks before they go into labor.  L Bean is very low in my pelvis - good job, little man!  Doc told me that he thought I could go at any time.  ANY TIME.  And sooner rather than later.  After the exam, there was some bleeding. This is totally normal, although I did waltz right back into Doc's office to have this confirmed.  About to get TMI, avert your eyes boysss: The blood was mucusy, so I was hoping that Doc dislodged my muscus plug.  No dice.  It's still plugging strong (so gross, but I couldn't resist).

I'm now convinced that L Bean is stubborn like his momma, because he seems pretty darn comfortable.  An induction date (no, I'm not going to let you in on the secret) has been set if I don't go into labor on my own.  There IS an end in sight.

The weekend was spent like this: Wait.  Wait. Waiting. Clean. Wait. Laundry. Wait. Dinner with brother and SIL. Wait.  Clean (things that had already been cleaned). Wait.  Dinner with brother, SIL, and mom (spicy food).  Wait. Wait. WAIT.  We threw-in another labor inducing trick over the weekend, but that's PRIVATE.

Oh, and did I mention that I'm sick?  Husband was sick all week, and it finally caught-up with me this weekend.  So really the weekend went like this: Wait. Blow nose. Wait. Wait. Drink water to sooth throat. Blow nose. Sniffle. Wait.  Try to sleep. Wait. Fail to sleep AT ALL. Wait.  Husband moves to couch because he's coughing.  Wait. Try to sleep.  Fail to breath through nose.  Day dream about taking Benadryl to help me breath and sleep. Wait.... you get the picture.  39 weeks of being healthy, and my immune system picks NOW to get lazy. 

My emotional climate this weekend was like a roller coaster.  My poor husband.  The waiting is excruciating.  I don't know how women stay sane when they actually PASS their due date.   Not feeling well and not being able to sleep magnifies every emotion.  And then add-on a healthy does of general discomfort from being very pregnant.  That Dairy Queen Blizzard last night made me feel better for a bit... and then I felt bad for a different set of reasons.  My spirits seem better today.  I stayed-home from work in an effort to jump-start feeling better and to catch-up on sleep.  There's nothing good on TV and the house is already spotless, so I may go a LITTLE crazy by the end of the day.  I keep telling myself that I need to enjoy these last days of having L Bean all to myself.  I am truly going to miss being pregnant, so I'm trying to switch my attitude.  Easier said than done, but progress is being made.

At dinner this weekend with brother, SIL, and mom, we went-over our expectations for the hospital, visitors, and updates.  And then being home, visitors, and updated.  And the phone calls and texts to update.  It's so hard to coordinate something that is such an unknown.  For once, my Type A self has a "well figure it out" attitude.  Aren't you proud?!?!  Crazy, I know.