today marks the 37 week mark which means FULL TERM! a day I have been hoping for, now resting knowing that I made it to the marker where she is fully developed and now is just getting bigger and stronger. I had my appointment with my midwife this AM and thing went great, did the usual weight, blood pressure, urine screen and answered any questions I had... today on the scale I hit the 30 lb. mark... thats right, 30 lb's I have gained thus far, hopefully it will only be a few more tops which is probably so as I have averaged 1 lb to a 1/2 lb @ the past few week appointments, boy its the second trimester that gets you though :) any ways moving right along...
baby girls heart rate sounded beautiful, 145 beats per minute she sounded strong and consistent, just what a mommy wants to hear, as she was measuring me I was having a contraction ( she told me I was, I wasn't actually feeling anything) so I am measuring still a little past 37 weeks, but she thought that could just be due to the contraction. so after all that we went over a little worksheet of some things I can start doing in order to help thin out my cervix, since it starts off the thickness as your index finger and has to thin out to as thin as a piece of paper which is known as effacement, there are some things I can do to help this process, here is what was on the list...
sex-the prostaglandins that are in semen help soften the cervix, making it more responsive to contractions
Evening Primrose Oil- this is a substance that changes into prostaglandins which is the same as what the semen does to help soften the cervix, they recommend taking it 3-4 times daily by mouth
Nipple Stimulation-when nipples are stimulated the body secretes oxytocin, which causes contractions, they say you are to replicate a movement similarto the intermittent squeezing that would happen if the baby was nursing, do this for 5 minutes on 5 mins off for a 20 minute period.
Red Raspberry Leaf Tea- this encourages the uterus to let go and function with out tension, allowing the uterus to work more effectively making birth easier and faster, you are to use one teaspoon of dried herb per cup of boiling water, drink 1 to 3 cups per day
Clary sage- use this oil in your bath and rub on belly
Balsamic vinegar- this contains a derivitive of pitocin
and last but not least, Castor oil cocktail ( although not recommended til 41-41 weeks of pregnancy) which I hope not to see! - this is the nasty stuff you g ma prolly told you about
so there you have it. that is what was recommended to me, not to do all of those, but just to pick some things off the list and do it like it was "homework"
after my appointment I deep cleaned my car, vacuumed all the dog hair out and threw away trash and sanitized making it good for our eventual right home with baby :) I even took the old speaker box that has been in my trunk since i was 16 years old out ! no need for base with my music, I will now be needing room for a stroller, and I clipped my college graduation tassel from my rear view mirror, I decided carrying a baby around in car I didn't want people to mistake it as a high school graduation tassel... call me crazy, and truthfully it was plain just getting in the way. After this was completed I went to the grocery store and STOCKED up I mean STOCKED up..... I got a whole lot of goodies.... that way when labor decides its going to happen, we will have food in the fridge and pantry and I even got stuff that will be easy for daddy to make :) I also stocked up on the little travel size things like a tooth brush for me and daddy , shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion, tooth paste, and mouth wash for our stay in the hospital come delivery time... all of this is just getting super real and extra exciting...
and not to mention, our little girl has been MOVING like she was a professional dancer no joke. I got some great videos on my blackberry but cant figure out how to send them to my computer to upload them on here... but they are crazy, and its been consistent throughout our whole days work of events, even during my nap!
well now that I have thoroughly typed out my excitement with the day, I should go get dinner ready.... but boy and I getting so EXCITED to meet my precious baby girl!!
