Waiting Game

I'm sitting here, at work, wondering when this baby girl is going to make her appearance into the world. Yesterday evening, the Braxton-Hicks were happening all the time, and I even had a bit of cramping. So I sat there thinking "is this it?" One of my concerns is that I won't know when to go to the hospital. I know from what I've heard and read that there is no way I will not know. And if I end up at the hospital too early, well, a moment of embarrassment for some peace of mind isn't so terrible.

It's hard to be at work. Not only because I bounce between exhaustion and energy, but also because I am totally preoccupied. I keep thinking about the hospital. Part of me is really looking forward to being there. Secluded with only Eric and the doctors/nurses, knowing that our daughter will be arriving shortly. I'm super excited about seeing her for the first time. I know not to expect adorable immediately... I know they come out red and puffy and wrinkled and coated. Sometimes even "furry". But I want to look at her and see whatever it is that I see. Her little toes and tush. Her cute mouth. I want to see how Eric handles it all. I am ready. But when will it happen?

I don't feel like she's dropped at all. My stomach is still riding high. Although I have been readying everything I can, I don't feel an extreme nesting instinct taking over. I don't feel like I've got a bowling ball between my legs, as I've heard some people describe the final days before giving birth. So I guess it's not just time yet. I'm still hopeful that she'll be early, rather than late, but I could just be setting myself up for disappointment. Well, disappointment is not really the right word... a long road might be better.

Close Call

Approaching the 37 week mark and had a little scare at my last doctor's visit. To be honest, this was the first time that I started crying out of nervousness over what was going to happen with the little bean this entire pregnancy. It really has been your run of the mill, by the book pregnancy. Until Tuesday.

I went in and the doc did the usual measurements, blood pressure, weight, etc. and then she listened for the heartbeat. She heard it and then she had trouble finding it and then she said she thought she heard it a lot slower. So she wanted to hook me up to the sonogram machine to double-check and also have me sent over to the Labor and Delivery ward for monitoring. Her last words were "if it keeps happening, we'll just do a c-section." Bring on the panic and the tears. Just to remind you, it is April 1st and the baby isn't due until April 27th. Not like that is a huge difference in baby developmental land, but in my need for organization land, I freaked out. I didn't have the car seat installed! I hadn't packed a bag! I wasn't ready to have a baby that night!!!!

I walked over to the hospital (it's only 3 blocks), calling my husband, my mother, my sister all hysterical. I check in and they hook me up to the monitor in the triage room. Hubby shows up, mopping sweat off of his poor brow. This is the first time ever he's had an "emergency" with me or seen me in the hospital. He was freaking. 5 hours later, they let us go home. The baby was fine ("perfect! we wish all babies behaved like this!") but because my blood pressure, which had been normal at the doctor's office, had skyrocketed, and my feet are so swollen, they wanted to do blood work. It all came back fine, except they thought I might have a bacterial infection. Those results should be in today, when I go back to the doctor just to be sure I'm fine.

Now I am writing out my to-do list and have a full weekend planned with things that we need to do and get before baby really does arrive. It could be any time within the next 5 weeks!!!!!!!!!!