Thirty-Six Weeks

The Baby: She is growing and becoming increasingly more uncomfortable for mommy. :) At an estimated six pounds, she is big enough now for a safe delivery, which means momma no longer has to be on bed rest. Praises! We are all eager to meet her but want her to stay in for a while yet to grow and develop as much as possible.

Me: I am getting a little antsy for sure - all the baby weight is solely in front which puts a tremendous strain on my lower back. Now that the bed rest has been lifted, the nesting instincts have kicked in and I have been cleaning like a mad woman. My back is not thanking me for that! I went in to see my doctor a few days ago and was tested for the group B strep. Today I got the call that I did indeed test positive so I will have to be on antibiotics during the labor and delivery process. In my doctor's words, "Now we just wait for the labor to start - it could be tomorrow, or it could be another couple of weeks."

The Siblings: Unfortunately, I was not able to get a babysitter for this last doctor's appointment; and all three kiddos got to come along with me. That prompted a lot of questions about how the baby gets out of mommy, etc. I did my best to answer the questions without giving out too much information. I heard the Drama Queen explaining to the Beast today that "when the baby is ready to come, Mommy's body will know and will know how to get it out safely." Nice work, kiddo.

This is definitely the hardest time of pregnancy. It's hard to focus on other things besides the upcoming arrival of Little Sprout. But we are excited, knowing that she will be coming soon. And then we'll be a family of six! Amazing!

Thirty-Four Weeks

(isn't it ridiculous how that maternity shirt doesn't even begin to cover my belly?!)

The Baby: The fruit/vegetable comparison for weight this week is a cantaloupe. Little Sprout is already head-down and moving around like crazy. When I was in the hospital on Tuesday morning, the entire time I was strapped to the monitors, the baby would not keep still. She was very annoyed at the weights resting on my belly and did everything in her power to dislodge them. Her heart rate was crazy high, with the highest being 198 beats a minutes. She was clearly very agitated.

Me: I am on modified bed rest, which is kind of crazy for a mommy of three. I am doing my best to refrain from much physical activity, but it is hard. I sit as much as possible while homeschooling the girlie, and I am blessed to have a hubby that is willing to do dishes, laundry, vacuuming, kids' baths, etc, in his evenings as well as some outside help (read: superwoman mother-in-law who cleans the house and entertains the kids and lets me rest). Basically any physical activity can trigger contractions, and we want this baby to stay inside me for at least a few more weeks.

The Siblings: The kiddies have been taking turns being my buddy while I rest. I'm not sure if they completely understand why Mommy has to rest so much. I am hoping these next few weeks go by quickly! Meanwhile, I am currently being served by the cutest little wait staff ever. :)

The Plans: After the little scare with all the contractions over the weekend, I made sure that all the hospital paperwork is in order and that the hospital bag was packed!

Iphone Photo Phun - Bed Rest

I just have a few photos to share today, since my view is a bit limited. After two days of contractions and general discomfort, I went in for my regular ob appointment and ended up spending quite a bit of my day being monitored in the labor/delivery ward to be sure that preterm labor wasn't happening. Long story short, the doctor was able to confirm that no active labor was taking place. However, since even light activity seemed to be stimulating contractions, she put me under strict orders to severely limit my physical activity and to sit/lie down whenever possible. Ha ha, says the mother of three incredibly active children. However, I really don't want this baby coming too early; so I am trying hard to rest when I can.

A wonderful friend was able to take the older two to burn off some energy at the pumpkin farm for the afternoon. This little guy got to spend the afternoon in bed with Momma. Thank goodness for Little Einsteins episodes on the internet.

And don't I look thrilled? In theory, putting my feet up and getting some rest time sounds great, but it's only been a day and it's already getting old. :)

Well, at least I can still blog. . .