Doctor Visit Today

36 weeks is the start of the 9th month. (I hit 36 weeks today!) We are in the home stretch now, but then again they say the 9th month is the longest month of your life! Each day moves so slowly and you think the baby will never come. Unfortunately, I have already been feeling that the last several weeks! Since the end of last week I have been so very tired and uncomfortable and haven't felt like doing much at all. That is so frustrating because I still have a lot of work to do to be ready for Emma! However, I have to listen to my body and chill. Hopefully, some more "nesting" energy will kick in over the next couple weeks so I can finish washing Emma's things and cook meals to freeze.

Brad and I went to the doctor this afternoon. FYI - I am now at the point where I begin weekly visits. Brad was a little late because of a lack of parking, but made it just in time to hear the baby's heartbeat. We were listening to the heart and Brad started talking. When he started talking, Emma's heart rate increased. The nurse said she was responding to her daddy's voice. How sweet! Then, the doctor checked the position of the baby, which is still head down. Yay! She estimated that Emma probably weighs about 5 lbs right now. She said that she's a little smaller than average, but that this was likely due to genetics. We agreed, since Brad and I are little people. Anyway, she'll put on a little more weight over the next 4 weeks. Hopefully she'll make it to the 6 lb mark and that's TOTALLY fine with me. I'm not up to birthing a 10 lb baby! :) (Brad weighed over 6lbs and I was 7lbs 11 oz) Looks like my body is preparing for labor. I am 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. I won't go into all the details about what all that means, except to say that things are happening and my body is getting ready. I still have a ways to go, but we are on the right track. My previous doctor had told me that she would induce labor if I went to 41 weeks (which is a week overdue) without delivering. I asked my new doctor if she had the same "policy" and she said yes. They typically want to go ahead and get labor started if the baby is a week late because after that there's a greater chance of problems for the baby. However, she also said that at this point, she didn't really think induction would be an issue because it looks like things are progressing naturally. I hope so! Looks like Emma will at least be on time! Next week (at 37 weeks) she'll officially be full-term. It won't be long!

Tiffany