This is it! Finally.

It seems like the day is finally here!  This morning, around 8:15 I noticed my water breaking in much the same manner as it did with Peyton, just a slow leak that I wasn't sure was actually my water breaking.  To confirm, I laid down for 30 minutes and then stood up.  When I felt the surge again, I called the midwife on call (Laura) to tell her what was happening.  I had a feeling last night that today would be the day.  I had a lot of low pelvic pressure and Sierra was extremely active (even more so than normal).  When I talked to Laura she said to call back in a couple of hours to tell her if anything had changed.  I did and nothing had, so we decided on a plan that will go as follows...check my temp every four hours to make sure I'm not showing any sign of infection, call if contractions start, if by tomorrow morning nothing is going on I will go in to have the fluid tested and an ultrasound done to be sure all is still good with Sierra and some sort of herbs will be started to try to start contractions.  I explained to her that with Peyton my water broke at 7 am and I didn't have contractions for more than 8 hours afterwards, so I expect to have a baby today, just not in the next couple of hours.  Since I spoke with her last my "water breaking" has significantly increased, but still no contractions at 1:45 pm.  Right now we're just going about our normal day at home, making sure everything is ready to get in the car as soon as the time is right.  We went for a walk around the block and sat outside while Peyton and his neighbor friend Max played in the kiddie pool.  Now I'm just chillin', trying to make sure I don't expend too much energy to save up for what's to come but also wanting to be up and moving to try and get things going.  I can't wait!

39 week addendum

Just a little blurb about my appointment yesterday.  There had been no progress since the following week even though all day yesterday I felt exactly like I did the day Peyton was born, having Braxton Hicks contractions like crazy.  I was so sure that they were going to tell me that active labor was going to start soon.  No such luck.  So instead I had my membranes stripped (or swept if you prefer that term) which has led to a whole lot of nothing.  I had some mild cramping yesterday afterwards, but have had a decrease in contractions today.  We walked all over the place this morning and I hardly had any, which is very unusual since a ton of contractions when I was being physically active was why I quit working.  And I've been lightheaded and nauseated again which seems to be blood sugar and heat related.  All I do is eat, eat, eat.  We've got many predictions of a Father's Day baby.  I can only hope at this point that that is true because now I am imagining that I'm going to go overdue and the thought of being pregnant that much longer is not something I wish to entertain.

39 weeks-Didn't think I'd see this day

So here I am, 39 weeks, one week from my due date.  This time with Peyton I was two weeks away from giving birth and had just stopped working.  With Sierra, I stopped working a week and a half ago and thought she would be born by now from all the signs (and so did both midwives I've seen in the last 2 weeks).  The only thing that is a constant at this point is that I'm extremely tired, am bored out of my head because of stopping working, but know I couldn't physically do it if I tried, am constantly fixated on when she'll decide to make her appearance, and I made my mom come early for nothing (well, not for nothing, she's had a great time with Peyton).  I have tried every wive's tale and natural trick for inducing labor, short of using castor oil, but I am a case study that shows that until the baby is ready, the baby won't come no matter what you do.

Last night was a full moon and I hoped that might trigger labor.  Nope.  Tomorrow I have a midwife appointment where I'll have my membranes stripped, a procedure I had done to try and entice Peyton out, but didn't work for him.  I'm hoping that sometime today contractions will start and I won't have to go to the appointment tomorrow.  It is so hard to be patient at this point when everything my body is doing is indicating she's ready except for actually having active contractions and having labor begin.  She's enormously active, stretching around in her cramped home, my GI system is a wreck, I am having lots of nights like last night where I just can't sleep for no apparent reason, I'm crampy, my low back is achy on and off, and I get nauseated and lightheaded on and off.  I'm so ready to just be sleep deprived.

So I'll continue to be fixated on every little cramp, every Braxton Hicks contraction.  I will continue to do my visual imagery of a smooth, beautiful delivery and the first time I will get to hold her in my arms and nurse our new little life.  I will continue to use some of the natural labor inducing techniques and walk, walk, walk because it makes me feel like I'm doing something.  And mostly, I will continue to let my love grow for our new little one and my family and try to not let frustration get the best of me.

38 weeks, emotional, and ready

I'm really getting tired of overanalyzing every twinge, cramp, and tightness I feel in my body.  I analyze every GI issue, every low back pain, every swollen extremity.  I have felt for a lot of this pregnancy that Sierra would be born early.  I think she's meant to be a Gemini based on all the discomfort she has caused me during this pregnancy so I think she will come before June 20th.  Last Sunday and Monday I was certain I would have a baby by the end of the next weekend.  I was having Braxton Hicks contractions that were really strong and really frequent.  They were so uncomfortable and my mind was so preoccupied by them that I decided to stop working.  Then, they stopped.  Then I had two days of crazy nesting and lots of energy, as well as several other signs that things may be coming to a close that I won't go into details about.   I definitely feel there has been a hormonal shift which is showing itself to my family through my lack of patience for 2 year old antics and tears at the drop of a hat.  I'm ready for Miss Sierra to make an appearance.  I'm mentally (and hopefully physically) prepared for labor and birth and I think it needs to be soon, or I might just go crazy!  I know, I know, I've still got 2 weeks until my due date and Peyton was born a week late, but she's trying to push her way out through other places like my belly button and my side and, by God, it hurts!  I'm pretty sure she's ready too.

So today I had my 38 week check at the midwife.  I decided I really wanted to be checked for dilation since I feel like labor should be soon.  From what I was telling the midwife, she agreed and even said she would strip my membranes if I wanted.  Because Maw Maw (my mom) wasn't going to be here until next Wednesday I said we'll just check, not do anything drastic yet...if I'm still pregnant this time next week, then absolutely.  When she checked, baby Sierra's head is in station zero, meaning she's fully engaged in the pelvis and probably won't drop any lower until labor, my cervix is soft and dilated about 1-2 cm and is mostly effaced, which she stated doesn't matter as much with your second baby, you can go into labor without being fully effaced.  I was thrilled!  All of the sensations I've been feeling have been things progressing.  She said she thinks that labor will be quick once it starts and to expect it soon.  Woohoo!  Another positive to me, I lost 2 pounds in the last week so I'm still under 30 pounds gained.  I'm still not swollen either, so I look much thinner than I did right before Peyton was born.

So on the way home I called my mom and let her know that Sierra might decide to come before she was planning on coming on Wednesday.  After a little bit of agonizing, she decided to change her flight to tomorrow.  So as long as Sierra waits about 24 hours, Maw Maw will be here to watch Peyton and see Sierra's birth.  Yay!

I'm still trying to not get my hopes up too high that it'll happen this weekend, but I certainly hope so.  The last two days my rush of nesting energy has worn off and I'm exhausted.  I can't stop fantasizing about holding little Sierra in my arms.

Just testing

Auntie Cathy logging in to see if this works, because little Sierra could come any day and I want to be ready!

37 weeks and full term!

It's finally here, full term.  This has been an incredibly long 9 months, but this 10th month is flying by.  All of the sudden there is a sense of urgency now that Sierra's presence could be made at any time.  There are still quite a few things on my to do list, but most of them don't necessarily have to be done before she's born, it would just be nice to have done.  I'm going to try and tackle the "have to do's" today.  I only work for one more week from this Sunday with decreased hours and then I will have about a week and a half (if she's born on her due date, which I'm not banking on) to try and relax.  Grandma will be here on the 15th to help out, so I have been asking Miss Sierra daily to just try and hold out until then, and then she's allowed to come whenever she wants...earlier rather than later would be great.

She repositioned herself yesterday, moving her bottom more towards my left side instead of the right like she has been, which caused me all kinds of stomach issues (I'm assuming from all the squirming pushing on my GI tract) and pain yesterday.  I spent the entire evening on self imposed bed rest because the only position I was comfortable in, and I use that term loosely, was in sidelying.  Thank goodness for Toy Story and a well behaved Peyton.  Today feels uncomfortable to bend over, but not painful.  I've been able to be quite productive this morning without any problem.  I've been talking to her a lot lately and hope she knows we are very ready to meet her and already love her very much.

So here's another invite for those of you joining me from the Facebook link to join the blog.  We will be blogging when baby Sierra makes her appearance if all goes as planned.  Just go to the main blog page and hit follow.  That way you'll get email updates when we blog.  I did finally get the blog to sync with my FB, which is why my 34 week post was reposted a couple of days ago, confusing those of you who thought I was further along (I am).  It has quite a bit of delay from writing to publication on FB, so if you want the most current info, join the blog.

34 weeks-getting close

Only 6 more weeks to go.  The excitement is building as well as the emotions.  Trying to coordinate Zack and I leaving work and my mom and sister coming to Colorado when we really have no idea when Miss Sierra is going to make an appearance is a little bit difficult, if not stressful.  Will she be like Peyton and be late, or be like I feel she is going to be and be early?  Or will she decide June 23rd is a great day to be born?

Midwife appointments are now every 2 weeks, but I'll actually be there every week from here on out because I have a class to attend next Wednesday even though it's not an official appointment.  Her heartbeat today was loud and strong, her head right where it should be in my pelvis.  The little wiggle worm is super active, but continues to be active upside down, the way she should be.  As for me, my blood pressure is still fabulously normal and I'm right on target with my weight gain.  I'm also measuring right on track (I was always small with Peyton and had been small with Sierra up to this point).  The pain in my low back has mostly subsided, but I am extremely uncomfortable most of the time because of her activity and the weird positions she gets into.  My abs are actually sore most days to the touch because she pushes so hard.

I started really nesting today.  I rearranged Peyton's room, moving the rocking chair into ours and organizing the clothes (for the second time).  I also started a bag to take with us to the midwifery with baby clothes and blankets, a birthing playlist for my Ipod, and have washed the cover for the car seat so that it's ready to go into the car.  Now all we need is the baby...