Doctor Appointment Week 39

Today marks the start of week 39! It is now exactly one week from Tadpole’s due date. Will she come early, on-time or late? I’m still wondering that myself. Right now it seems she does not want to come early. But things in late pregnancy can change pretty fast sometimes, so who knows!

Why I say right now it looks like she does not want to come early is because of my doctor appointment today. Not much has changed since last week. My uterus is still measuring at about 38cm, and I’m still only about 25% effaced, and I still have not dilated as of 10:15 this morning. Tadpole was sure moving around when Doc. S was getting her heart rate, which was 148bpm. She’s a healthy little girl, just not ready to come out yet.

Though she likes to test and see if she can come out (or maybe she’s just thinking about it). Every once and a while she likes to basically headbutt me as if she’s testing to see if my cervix has dilated at all. We could say she’s curious about the outside world, but doesn’t want to face it yet. That doesn’t mean my body hasn’t been getting ready for her big entrance.

My Braxton Hicks contractions (practice contractions) have increased slightly. Previously to last week I was having about 1-3 a day. Now I’m having at least five a day, and an average of about 5-7 a day. There were a couple days this last week where I had more than that. In fact, I had a whole night where I was having contractions off and on, most of which were barely noticeable, but a few were slightly intense.

Last week on Wednesday night Andrew and I were lying in bed having our bedtime Bible time like always. Andrew is the narrator and Tadpole and I listen to him read (Hoshi joins us 90% of the time too). He starts off by reading a Bible story or prayer to Tadpole from one of her Bible books, then reads our devotional book, and finishes by reading a chapter or two from the Bible. Right before he started reading Tadpole’s book I started having some mild contractions that were lasting about a minute in length (a lot longer than my usual Braxton Hicks contractions). I was doing fine though, and Andrew’s reading was helping me to stay relaxed and not tense up my muscles.

Then I had a very unusual feeling accompany the contractions, a feeling that most women have experience: It totally felt like my period was starting. Sure a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions feel like the cramp feeling a woman gets when she’s on her period, but this felt like it was actually starting. My eyes shot open, Andrew was still reading, and I was like “umm, I’ll be right back.” He probably though I just had to pee again since it seems like I have to do that all the time now thanks to our little gymnast who loves to bounce on her mommy’s bladder. But that wasn’t the case. I officially lost my mucus plug a week ago.

What’s a mucus plug you ask? Well, it’s a “plug” (no it’s not cork shaped or plugged shaped – it is glob shaped) that is made up a mucus that is kind of a white/creamy color (it actually can be clear or slightly pinkish from a bit of blood) and has more of a stringy like texture than other discharge, and it blocks the opening of a woman’s cervix during pregnancy. It helps to prevent any bacteria from entering the uterus. Near the end of pregnancy it dislodges and comes out so the cervix can open and your baby can come out. It can happen anywhere from a few hours before the onset of labor, to a couple weeks.

Contractions continued throughout the night, and every time I woke up from a contraction or having to pee I kept thinking “is this it? Is this the start of labor? Or is this just an onset of practice contractions?” It’s so nerve racking not knowing! I was guessing it wasn’t anything though because the contractions didn’t seem to be growing in intensity or consistency. They stopped by the time morning came and Tadpole obviously still isn’t here.

Another thing my body has been doing is my stomach has decided to be upset when I’m hungry and after I eat, and sometimes in between too. It’s been going on since Saturday night. It’s really annoying… Not all pregnant women experience this, but a lot do. It’s due to your stomach getting smashed by your sweet innocent babe and/or changes in your hormones. Tadpole seems to think she can help easy my stomach pains by massaging my innards when my stomach is upset… Sadly it doesn’t actually help at all. But I appreciate her desire to let me know she’s there, work on her muscle tone, and try to make me feel better.

When are you coming Tadpole? People are wondering and awaiting your arrival! Many have voted on when they think you will come in the poll that is located on the right near the top of this blog. When will we see your beautiful, adorable, cute little face? When will I get to hold you in my arms and cuddle you like crazy? I can’t wait! ^_^

Week 39