Thursday, December 10, 2009

Wee One Update

Today I am 33 weeks! Just 4 weeks until I am considered term, and 3 weeks after that until I will likely deliver my baby! Lacy and Rose both came right around their due dates, so I'm not expecting anything earlier than 39 weeks with this one.

The good news is the birthing center is almost finished! I walked around it today- they're just doing detail stuff like caulking around the giant whirlpools and such. They need to furnish it still and get approval from the health department, and then they're in business! Hopefully they'll have it all done in 5-6 weeks so it will be ready before I go into labor! It's going to be beautiful! I'm so excited! My city has needed a birthing center for a long time. The closest one is 30 miles away in a larger city, but there are two out-of-hospital birth midwifery practices in my city, so there is certainly a need being filled with this birthing center.

As far as I go... today my blood pressure was super high- 120/80. For me, that's really high. Normally I'm in the 90/60 range. Baby's heart was at 150 and is still head down. I was getting worried because I was feeling hiccups all over the place over the last few days, but I thought I was feeling his bum at the top so I wasn't sure. Sure enough, I was right- that lump I was feeling at the top of my uterus was indeed his bum.

The best news- I am measuring right on at 33.5 cm and I only gained 2 1/2 pounds since my last visit 2 1/2 weeks ago. Considering we've had Thanksgiving and lots of cookies and candies because we are in the midst of the Christmas season, I'm thinking that's pretty good! I would really like a baby slightly smaller than my Rosie, so not gaining two pounds a week (like I did in my 3rd trimester with both girls) is really encouraging. I'm not feeling as giant as I felt when I was pregnant with her, too.

I'm keeping my hopes up that this upcoming birth will be easier than Rose's. I ended up having several complications that emerged at once, resulting in a hospital transfer. My labor with Lacy was only 4.5 hours, and Rose's labor, which should have been shorter since usually 2nd labors are faster than first labors, ended up lasting 9 hours. I was exhausted and just done by the end, but once my (sunny side up) baby arrived, I was over the moon and ready to run a marathon (okay, maybe not quite, but I felt great). I'm hoping this time for a fast labor like Lacy's followed by an easy recovery like Rose's.

3 comments:

Jeff and Jessie said...

yay-good baby news!
You need to post another picture! I love watching the belly grow!

Emily said...

You know, I would have loved to have a nine hour labor. Just sayin.

Jenn Tobin said...

I am SO happy for you that everything is going so well!!!
Praying for an easy labor(in the birthing center) and recovery for you! Subsequent labors are supposed to be shorter. But all of my progressed to an hour longer than the last. But my first was only 2 1/2 hours, so it could only go up from there:-) By William, it was up to 6 hours. Still not bad, but I pray that yours is nice and short:-)