Saturday, July 3, 2010

(Almost) 36 Weeks - Baby Agbai Report


So as of tomorrow I will officially be 9 months pregnant! Woo hoo! I'm reading so many other blog/forum posts about women being induced, and I'm totally not feeling that. Not only because I still have SOOOOO much to do before Baby Agbai arrives, but because I don't want my baby girl coming into the world rushed. She'll arrive on her own time when nature says she should! Here's a few other reasons why she needs to stay put over the next 4 weeks:
  • Childbirth classes (my last is on July 27 - YIKES!)
  • Finish the prep for our final baby shower next Saturday (low key BBQ so should be easy)
  • Finish packing my hospital bag
  • Await the arrival of our car seat (should be here by July 19)
  • Set up baby's nursery the best I can; we're not going to complete it all the way since she'll be in our room for about the first 3 -6 months, but I at least want to put as much stuff in her closet as I can (I HATE clutter!)
  • Clean the baseboards - doesn't sound mandatory but to me, it is (don't tell my lil' sis, but she's gonna help me with this when she arrives this week to stay with me for a month!)
  • Scan paper documents - I have a TON of documents that need to be digitized
Now Thursday and Friday I really wasn't feeling up to letting her wait it out. I was in the most pain I've experienced the entire pregnancy. I think it was because I did too much walking on Thursday. I went to the dr.'s office then to the Bronx to pick up the closet organizer at Babies R' Us. I was out for about 3 hours, and it was during lunch time so I was hungry too (I forgot to pack a snack, but I had a ton of water).

Anyway, when I got home I was in trouble. I figured I'd just lay down, but that did not help. The pressure I felt on my lower back and pelvis was the most intense I've ever had. It was as though a belt was being tightened below my belly. I literally passed out from the pain on my bed. During the night I was up and down several times trying to find a comfortable position but nothing helped. I figured the baby must have turned head down because of the intense pressure, and I knew it wasn't contractions because they're supposed to come in waves.

Uka had to be up very early Friday, so I felt so bad rolling around and getting up throughout the night, but he helped by applying heat packs on me with ace bandages. At one point I became immune to them and ended up just sleeping on the couch. So between 11p.m. - 7 a.m. I got about 2 hours of sleep in 15 minute intervals. I don't even anticipate being up with baby being that bad!

Anyway, I took a soak in my bathtub with Neutragena oil and Aveeno oatmeal for about 30 minutes, and it was the best I had felt in hours. I was supposed to see my dr. for a routine appointment and had to reschedule as I was awaiting Uka coming back home (I needed to use his Metrocard as I couldn't do the stairs and was going to take the bus to the dr. ).

I finally made it to the dr. yesterday afternoon and as soon as I got there they could tell something was not right. The nurses took my vitals and told me they were fine, but agreed that the constant tightening for nearly 24 hours was abnormal. I was literally about to slide right out of the chair I was sitting in due to the pain and I started sweating really badly. They got my dr. who was with another patient and she came in and did the internal and announced, "Ooooh! The baby's big head is right there!" 

Great! So she's inherited the big-head gene from my side of the family! The good news is that everything is plugged up and baby is in ready-to-go position. I'm just nervous about having to endure this intense pain for the next 4 weeks which the dr. said is a high possibility. Ughhh. She did give me a bottle of Tylenol which I've been taking like clockwork, every 6 hours. It's helped some but for now I'm in "feet-up" mode trying to do as little as possible. 

So on to the official Baby Agbai Report: 

How far along: 36 weeks

How big is baby: (from 3DPregnancy.com) Your baby continues to put on weight at about ½ pound each week. This layer of fat will help your baby regulate her body temperature after leaving your climate-controlled womb. In fact, your baby will be 15 percent fat at birth (and you ... well that's another story). Even in the womb, your baby can listen, feel, touch and see. The only thing separating him from living in the outside world is a little thing called the birth canal. Other highlights this week:

Her gums are firm with ridges that look somewhat like teeth, though her actual pearly whites won't start breaking through until she's between three months and a year old.

Your baby has definite patterns of sleep and wakefulness—opening his eyes while awake and closing them while sleeping. Your baby will become alert and turn his head toward light and sound just as a newborn would—except when you put on that Celine Dion CD. Then the baby puts his hands up, turns away and gurgles, "Oh no you didn't!"

Your baby is now around 18½ inches long and nearly 6 pounds—just about as big as a breadbox! 

Stretch Marks: Uka noticed more under my belly :-( I took a peek with my mirror and they're really not that bad. I thought they'd be worse and even a month ago people were saying, "Oh there's time for you to get bigger and more stretch marks" but honestly I'm not looking too shabby based on others I've seen!

Sleep: The worst ever but at least I'm getting more prep for nighttime feedings

Best Moment This Week: Finding out that I didn't gain any weight! I've stayed the same since May. At first I thought it was a fluke, but now I really know it's not. YESSSS!

Movement: The baby books and e-mails ALL LIE! They say the baby's movement is starting to slow down, but it's not. She is on full karate mode!

Sex of the Baby: Girl, but still may get a 2nd ultrasound to check her size in the coming weeks so I'll re-confirm

Food Craving: Popsicles! Hooray for summer =)

Belly button In or Out: Still popped at the top

What I Miss: Not having the intense pelvis/back pain

What I'm Looking Forward To: My lil sis' arrival on Monday; she'll be here a month then permanently in the city as she starts her new PR job. Hooray for having family in NYC! She'll attend the one childbirth class with me that Uka will have to miss.

Milestone: Baby has turned head down! This increases my chances of having a natural birth. YES!!!!

4 comments:

  1. Enjoy these last few weeks, it's the last time you will get to feel your baby girl! You'll forget all about the pain, but the feeling of those kicks will last a lifetime. Congrats, you are getting so close!

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  2. @Barbara Thank you for the encouragement!

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  3. Ahh, the home stretch! I remember just having this feeling of "finally!" lol. I got tired of people telling me "enjoy this time" and "get your rest while you can" but seriously, enjoy this time, and get your rest while you can!

    I didnt really get stretch marks until i was about 38 weeks. One day, my beautiful, smooth bump looked liked I had been clawed up both sides, lmbo.

    I love that you have such a realistic view of what life with a new baby will be like. I thought it would be a LOT easier than it actually was. The hardest part was getting into a good rythym with the breastfeeding, but if I remember correctly, you have a lot of family support, and women with breastfeeding experience, so im sure that you will be able to have that down in no time!
    Im so excited for you!

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  4. @Christina Ha ha! Great advice =) I think I might get attacked by stretch marks too in the next few weeks, but I won some homemade body cream at a Harlem's Birth Action Committee baby conference last week and the mommy that made it swore by it, and I've been using it religiously, so we'll see. . .

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