Yesterday's news

I went to the midwife again yesterday, for my 37 week appointment. Technically, the baby is now considered "full term." This means that I could deliver any day and he should be healthy. Doesn't mean I don't want him to come out before he's ready though! I asked the midwife to do a pelvic exam, mainly because my dad was really curious if I was progressing at all. TMI, but she said my cervix is soft and I was "half a fingertip" dilated (0.5 cm). So I have 9.5cm to go!

It was funny because since 4am yesterday, I've been feeling crazy contractions. Nothing too extreme since I was able to drive to the hospital and all. I just feel the menstrual like pain and it was on and off for a few hours. I was finally able to sleep through them after I got home from my appointment. These are more intense than the regular Braxton Hicks contractions, but I can still manage just fine. I'm NOT having high hopes that this means I'll be delivering anytime soon. I know that this could last for weeks (which will drive me crazy) but it's something the body naturally does to prepare for delivery.

To keep my hopes at bay, the midwife said that I should plan on having my baby 10 days after my due date. I'm not anxious to have him right away. It's more for selfish reasons as to why I would have him now, but I know that in due time, he'll be here. I'm just getting more and more uncomfortable. I can tell that he's already somewhat dropped since my heartburn has finally stopped. And now, I'm dealing with a new symptom, swelling of the feet. Luckily, my hands haven't swelled yet, so I can still parade around with my wedding ring on. I haven't been able to sleep very much, or when I do, it's only for a few hours at a time. I sleep at weird times and I don't know if I can keep my promise to my boss that I'll be working till the day I go into labor.

Speaking of my job, my boss is a great woman. She's really nice and friendly and asked what I would want to do when the baby finally comes. Since I didn't have a resolution, she offered to let me bring him for awhile. I told her that we could do that, but in the end, not to be surprised if I decide to quit and stay at home with him. She seemed to expect that, but she doesn't want to let me go just yet. Either way, I still have my job after Alex is born.

Our house is almost done! We're hoping everything will be ready by the time my folks fly in. Our dining room table was finally assembled yesterday and our living room has been rearranged. Alex's room is almost in order and we're slowly organizing and putting things away. I'm getting excited and really want my nesting instinct to kick in full gear (being one of the many signs of labor). Anyway, on that note, with these false labor contractions, I'll be signing off for now.