Obstetrician Visit

Well I went for my weekly check up today. The official 36 week visit. My obs. checked my cervix and as she put it "This kid's way up the gabba." Roughly translated (although I didn't know at the time) is that her head is floating quite high up. Which means she is content to stay in there a while longer. All I can do is have serious talks with her and tell her how miserable she is making mummy all cooped up in her warm eggshell. I need her head to drop further so I can at the very least be induced or have my obstetrican try and kick start labour for me. I don't mind holding on for another week because at the very least I will be full term and won't have to worry about her being a premature bub. But it is however testing my sanity. I am still getting the constant contractions, which are not only uncomfortable but painful as well. I am so big everything is becoming increasingly difficult. The rib pain I am experiencing now is depriving me of sleep. And of course there is absolutley zilcho I can do about it.
Not to mention I still have a 21 month old little girl to waddle after. Although most days its her that keeps me sane. She at least, is a joy to be around, with her constant chatter and cute little antics. I am thankful that although a little toddler bundle of energy, she is not a difficult child to deal with. She is such a happy and obedient child. I am making the most of it while it lasts!! I am hoping that she will still be the same when number 2 comes along. Even more so am I hoping that her good behaviour will rub off on this baby.

Well I am once again having regular painful contractions, probably residual irratibility from the obstetrician checking my cervix, which is no less comfortable then sitting on a very sharp fence post. I guess I wouldn't mind holding out another 2 or 3 weeks if I knew these contractions were at least helping me to dilate. It seems I have a very stubborn cervix. I know I should be thankful considering there are women out there who have incompetent cervix's and lose babies as a result. They usually have to get those awful sutures in place to hold the cervix shut. I seem to have to opposite. I remember with DD it took forever to get my cervix to come down and efface. I just know by 38 weeks I will be begging for something to happen. I am so scared that I will have to push out a 9lb baby and have a fourth degree tear, or worse a c-section because I won't be able to push her out at all! Every one keeps telling me, it's amazing what we can survive. I know of people that have survived far more amazing feats then a painful and difficult birth. Such as the man who fell 11 stories and lived to tell the tale, or the women that was brutally beaten and raped, and then left for dead. But don't you think, as character building as the whole experience was, they would've rather NOT have gone through it all????? I am not saying I don't want to go trough birth, I know I have to, but I DO want to make it as easy as I possibly can thank you very much.

Pregnancy #2 @36 weeks

This is when my baby girl India was in hospital. She has Impetigo on her face. Poor baby. But you gotta love that smile.
24 weeks pregnant. What a practical sized bump!!
32 Weeks above. OMG and I still have another 8 weeks???? Yeah I know Huuuugeee
Well this is my first blog attempt. Way late in the stage of pregnancy but I will, copy and paste some of my entries from my online pregnancy diary in here. The picture above was taken at 32 weeks. Yeah I know...huuuuge....
So far I have had a fairly good pregnacy without complications. Have had some really bad sacro-iliac pain related to mild Symphasis Pubis Dysfunction. That seems to be bearable at this stage in pregnancy. I am not in a wheel chair as I thought I would be. Although walking around shopping centres is now just a pipe dream for me. After 10 minutes of it, I am extremly tired and sore. But I mostly attribute that to carrying around a very large bump. I wouldn't mind one of those funky old people motorised scooters. I could totally pimp it out with mini mags and a fully sick sub woofer. I could put a toddler seat on it and blast the wiggles from the speakers. Haha.

Anyways back to pregnancy. Since that is what is happening right now in Reenie's corner. I am now huuuuge and just want this baby out. I am 36 weeks tomorrow (3rd March 08) but am convinced she (yes a she) is at least the size of a nice full termer. India was born at 37 weeks weighing in at around 7lbs (3120gms). I am already much bigger then I was when I had India so I am convinced I will be giving birth to a teenager.
Up until about 2 weeks ago everything was going well. I started to get very regular and painful contractions. Needless to say at 33 weeks, it was too early for baby to come out. So off to hospital we went. At about 3 am of course. I was monitored for about an hour and was given the all clear to go home after things dissapated. Then a week later, we trekked back again to hospital as I was having much more stronger contractions. My obstetrician (who is wonderful) came in after I was admitted and had me on Nifedipine and Valium to slow things down. She of course wants me to keep the baby in until at least 37 weeks. She checked my cervix (which was a LOVELY experience) and confirmed that the contractions at least had not softened or opened it up. Good news. So all that pain and discomfort for nothing. It was confirmed that I have what is known as an irritable uterus (IU). Sounds like nothing more then the equivalent to the occasional fart or belching attack, but it is quite significant. Why? I hear you ask. (If you are actually bored enough to read this far). IU quite often leads to pre term labour. Which is what my OBSGYN was concerned about. She ordered me to rest as much as I could with toddler in tow. Which is what I am trying to do. My DH (dear husband) has been very good and looking after DD (dear daughter) when he can and cooking yummy dinner despite his busy work schedule. I have also got my brother and girlfriend living just behind us in the same townhouse complex, so they are on call when I need them. Plus I have MIL (mother in law) and FIL living just a few minutes around the corner.
At the moment I am still having regular painful contractions but I feel now a trip to the hospital isn't worth my time and energy. When they start getting too much to bear, I will go back. I have been to hospital 3 times now. And I now know enough to know that if baby is moving around and I can still talk through a contraction then everyting is okay. I am hoping labour will start by itself once I am 37 weeks. But knowing my luck, I will end up carrying her to term!! I will however be begging my Obsgyn to get her out at 38 weeks at the very most because this is driving me spare!!
I can't sleep well either because the pressure on my ribs is the most horrible burning pain. Plus now carpal tunnel has started. I am just tired of every night wondering if, tonight will be the night. I guess all pregnant women at my stage of pregnancy wonder that, but they don't get the pains and niggles to go with it. That is why women in my condition end up at the L&D rooms to and froing from home. It feels like the real thing. Then all of a sudden it stops. At least if I am gonna be in pain I want it to be worth the effort!! I would like some energy conserved for the real event and the recovery with a newborn and toddler!