Today was my 36 week appointment, and all is looking great! Emma's heart rate was 145 bpm, nice and strong. She is head down and the doctor estimates her current weight at around 5.5 lbs. Dr. Rush said she doesn't anticipate "that I'll have a huge baby." So that was good news!
As far as progress goes, we're looking good there, too! This may be TMI (too much information) for some of you, so if you don't want to know the details about dilation/effacement, etc, then NOW is the time to stop reading!
At today's appointment, Dr. Rush said that I'm about 2 cm dilated and 50% effaced. Yay! Go Emma! I'm thinking that all of this walking around at work is paying off-- maybe she'll make an earlier than expected appearance! It'd be nice if she'd wait until after her Daddy's week off between jobs (to give the poor guy a break for once), so we'd be fine with it if she shows up anytime after the 11th of July (38 weeks of gestation).
I asked Dr. Rush about the knuckle pain that I've been getting (to the point where I can barely move my hands for about the first 15 minutes after waking up in the morning, and my fingers tend to want to "snap" up straight from a claw-like position---attractive, eh?), and she said that it's some water retention combined with mild carpal tunnel that pregnant women can get. She said it should subside 4-6 weeks after birth (yay, I get to wait that long). She also said that the water retention combined with the 5 days of 100 degree heat is the reason that my hands, face, and feet are starting to get a little puffy. Seriously, I'm soooo hot right now (note the sarcasm).
As soon as we can get one, we'll put a picture up to show you the 36 week belly. Brian has been extremely busy at work lately (poor guy didn't get home til 2:30 am last night due to multiple surgeries he was stuck in), so we've been slacking off on getting pictures.
Onto the weekly check in...
How far along am I? 36 weeks, 2 days.
Total weight gain: Total of 24 lbs.
Sleep: Not so hot last night, but otherwise ok.
Movement: All the time. Kicks to my right ribs are her favorite!
Labor Signs: 2 cm dilated, 50% effaced. We'll see how long I walk around like this!
Belly Button in or out? Definitely out.
What I miss: After a conversation at lunch today about a co-workers trip to Spain, I'm missing sangria!
What I am looking forward to: Ongoing progression to labor!
Weekly Wisdom: Nothing new-- any advice?
Other news? Brian finishes up his fellowship year at NC State on Wednesday! His brother, Evan, is coming to visit from Wednesday night to Sunday and they'll get to spend some guy time out in Charlotte on Friday at a whitewater paddling (kayak) center. My friend Laurie plans on "babysitting" me on Friday-- just in case! :)
To Do List: Pack Labor bag, continue weekly appointments, continue reading my books.
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