Dr. appt update

Okay - it's been a week and I am still patiently awaiting my daughter to make up her mind on whether or not she is finished baking or not. The contractions are still consistant, painful, and really annoying but I am dealing. I know the pain of them is probably not even close to the pain of the real ones, but at least I am getting my warm-ups in. (All good endurance events should start with a solid warm-up, right?)

I finally got to see my doctor today and fill her in on all the happenings of last week. While she didn't directly say it, Jason and I could tell that she was a litte annoyed with the fact that one of her partners had the nurses give me the shot to stop the contractions - because she feels that anything after 34 weeks should be okay and that they should have let me go to see if I would have started on my own. Anyway, I measured at 40 weeks - today I am 36 weeks, 6 days...so 3 weeks ahead. She says that she is either a really big baby or I just have alot of water in there! I am hoping for the latter.

She said that she cannot help my contractions any with an induction until at least 39 weeks but would be willing to do an internal and membrane sweep (stripping of membranes) at next weeks appointment IF I even make it to next week. (She's convinced I won't make it.) We teased around that she was the on call Dr. tomorrow night and L&D are known to be busy on full moon nights - let alone a blue moon. So as she casually walks out of the room, she slips "See ya tomorrow". :) Who knows when our girl will make her appearance - but I know that I am ready! I have hit the wall and am ready to meet her.

*Note: A membrane sweep is when the Dr. 'strips' the placenta from the uterus causing a release in progesterone - which typically induces labor. Also, by doing this, the placenta is no longer supported as well as it was and can cause the water to break, again inducing labor. There is no science to it, but for some women, they have their babies within the next 24 hours, and others it's another week before things really get going. I am just glad to know that all these contractions will get a little help in opening up the cervix for her to get her little head out of.

I am off work until Monday. I am not sure when I will call it quits but I know the end is soon b/c it is getting really uncomfortable and hard to focus at work with pain all the time and pure exhaustion. I want to work as long as possible but there comes a point where enough is enough - and I am almost there.

The only plans I have for tomorrow is a hair cut! It's getting long and unruly. I know it is discouraged for a pregnant women to take such drastic measures in cutting their hair but it's hair and it will grow back. Heck, I'm not even sure how short I will go - but I know that most of it is going!! :)

I hope everyone has a wonderful new year....I know ours is going to be drastically different than either of us is prepared for but we are excited for 2010 and can't wait for it to get here! Happy New Year!