Guess I need to take another picture

How far along = 40 weeks

Total weight gain/loss = +60 that is ridiculous...oh well, not much I can do about it.

Tummy Circumference = 47"

Gender = GIRL!!

Sleep = I did last night, if James doesn't get up and move to the couch he wakes me up every time I wake him up from snoring...so I'm sure we both slept fairly peaceful last night.

Movement = Yes, and I love every minute of it.

Best moment this week = I didn't have to work that job that is a gazillion miles away. And having mom come into town (that also means less food I have to cook), and getting to see Aunt Monique and Uncle Will from Canada.

Worse moment this week = Not having my baby here.

Food cravings = None really

What I'll miss = My baby moving around inside.

Milestones= We have reached the due date. I have a feeling we will also pass the due date without her here.

Extra = I still have yet for her to wake me up to pee in the middle of the night. I am thinking about getting the doctor to scrape the membrane, in hopes to avoid the induction scheduled for the 15th, aka next Tuesday.

Baby Growth= Congratulations! This week marks the official end of your pregnancy. Your baby probably weighs anywhere from six to nine pounds and measures between 19 and 22 inches (though tons of perfectly healthy babies are smaller or bigger). The bones in her skull haven’t fused yet — Mother Nature’s way of making it easier to get through the birth canal during labor and delivery. She now has enough fat under the skin to maintain her body temperature outside the womb (with a little help from those cute outfits and swaddling blankets that you’ve been stocking up on!). You (or actually the placenta) are still providing the antibodies she’ll need to fight off infections for the first six months of her life. And if you plan on breastfeeding, your milk will be giving her more antibodies that’ll boost her immune system.

Perfectly Content

I have decided that our daughter is perfectly content with her place in life. She is nice and cozy there en-utero. She gets the food she needs, she gets enough socialization, and she doesn't have to worry about too many people bothering her and she really doesn't have to deal with people. I am pretty sure she has taken much of her father's personality as far and shy and reserved goes.

After a 4 mile walk yesterday and no changes except for slightly sore legs last night I decided she is also very obedient. Her whole existence en-utero we have told her to hold out until the 17th of March....of course it wasn't until the end that we found out the doctor wouldn't allow that. But this child loves her daddy very much and wants to make him happy, so she is holding out for the 17th, despite the fact that she will probably be born on the 15, maybe, just maybe the 16th at the latest.

So shy and reserved, yet very obedient. Another way I have come to know that she will be obedient is because if I get nervous because I haven't felt her move in a while and I start poking her and letting her know that I haven't felt her for a while, she will quickly move about 5 or 6 times to let me know she is still there and listening none-the-less.

Today I went to the church to help clean it and the baby red head Jackson in the ward was there. So I opted to hold him while cleaning in hopes that it would make Baby Girl jealous and want to come out so her mama could hold her...again so far no good. Jackson by the way is the one that my little girl is going to marry so that I get red-headed grandchildren. Even if she doesn't have red hair, because it is so prominent in her genes, I can't see how they wouldn't have red heads.

So there is my rant for the day....3 days and counting.

What time is it anyway....

How far along = 39 weeks

Total weight gain/loss = +56 :(

Tummy Circumference = 46", she must have been in a different spot.

Gender = GIRL!!

Sleep = Sometimes, but my husband doesn't get much, he says I snore to loud...pretty sure that is from being pregnant because I never heard any one else complain about my snoring unless I had a cold.

Movement = Yes, and I love every minute of it.

Best moment this week = James got a job with work study in the career center. Meaning he is getting paid to study for 20 hours a week. I am so glad, because when the temp agency had him working he was losing study time and so his school was lacking, but now he can have the best of both worlds!

Worse moment this week = My idiot boss with the old people who has no idea how child birthing works and that it has its own schedule despite the fact that she has had a kid herself.

Food cravings = The past couple days I have been starving. Not sure why, hopefully that will go down a bit, I want to lose some weight after this baby is born.

What I'll miss = My baby moving around inside.

Milestones= I have one week till her due date. That is huge, and her last load of clothes is in to wash now. So besides the stuff my mom is bringing down (which includes 2 swimsuits for Baby Girl that my step-mom bought her) all of her clothes and blankets and such are washed.

Extra = I have been feeling contractions more often. Except I am guessing they are Braxton-Hicks because they don't hurt, I can just feel it. I am hoping they are real one, because they don't hurt and that would be great, and two, I would love to be progressing. I am pretty sure she has dropped some. At least I hope so, I peed so much yesterday and had hardly consumed any liquids.

Baby Growth= Coming down to the wire, your baby weighs around seven to eight pounds and measures 19 to 21 inches. Those measurements won't change much from now on, but her brain is still growing at an astonishing rate, a pace that will continue for the first three years of life. Her pink skin has now turned whitish (even babies who'll eventually have darker skin appear whitish now — they haven't yet developed pigment). Her head may have dropped into your pelvis by now, which makes your breathing easier but walking harder.

Older people should have to take the driving test again

How far along = 38 weeks

Total weight gain/loss = +49 (4 lbs in a week....yuck)

Tummy Circumference = 47.5"

Gender = GIRL!!

Sleep = Sometimes

Movement = Yes, and I love every minute of it.

Best moment this week = Starting my new job, a nanny to 4 kids. And one I can bring Baby Girl to after she is born. 1/4 of the miles to get here as it is to get to the other job.

Worse moment this week = That dumb car accident Friday night. I was going into work early because none of my co-workers know how to work their schedule. Some old lady cut me off, no blinker, didn't check her blind spot, nothing. I slammed on the horn and the brakes but still hit her. I knew I was fine but opted for an ambulance ride to make sure Baby Girl was ok. Even though she was still moving I wasn't about to take any chances. So they strapped me to a back board and put on a neck brace and drove me to the ER. They drove my car from the median to a parking lot just close by. I called my co-worker to tell her I was running late and may not make it in at all. I also managed to call James and tell him that I was in an accident and that I was pretty sure both of us were ok, but that I would call him as soon as I found out where they were taking me. They got me into the ER, off the board the neck brace off (I have a bruise on my chin from that thing), and the doctor looked at me. I tried to call James but got no service, I managed to get one text to him but didn't get any back that he sent me. They sent me back for an ultrasound to check on Baby Girl and I was finally able to talk to my husband. They were going to finish the ultrasound and then transfer me across the street for a couple hours of fetal monitoring. James headed this way and I told him I would let him know as soon as they transfer me so that he didn't look for me at the wrong hospital. The baby on Friday was averaging at 38 weeks and 1 day, which was 4 or 5 days ahead of her expected due date. She weighed about 7lbs 1 oz, was/is head down and the placenta is attached (which is what they worry about with a motor vehicle accident). It was way good to know that she is ok, and half that stuff I had been wondering about that my doctor wasn't figuring out. James got to the labor and delivery triage about the same time I did. They strapped me and baby down and we waited about 2.5 hours there. They want to monitor for 6 hours after the accident. Poor James had been up since 5:30 that morning and didn't get to sleep till 2am the next morning. But Baby Girl is fine. I stayed at a tight 1cm that whole time.

Food cravings = Food

What I'll miss = My baby moving around.

Milestones= I am beginning to soften

Extra = Went to the doctor yesterday and after telling them 2 weeks in a row that I want to go as long as I can without an induction (them only allowing 41 weeks) they still handed me a piece of paper with my induction scheduled for March 8th on her due date. Really is it that hard to listen to a patient. So I mentioned it again for a 3rd time and they hopefully will finally change it. I will find out next week when I go in.

Baby Growth= Hey, your little one isn't so little anymore, weighing close to seven pounds and measuring 20 inches long. Fetal development is nearly complete as your baby tends to a few last-minute details like shedding the skin-protecting vernix and lanugo. She's also producing more surfactant, a substance that prevents the air sacs in her lungs from sticking to one another once she starts to breathe. Most of the changes this week are small but important: She’s continuing to add fat (so she can take advantage of all those photo ops by sporting a round, cute baby look!) and fine-tuning her brain and nervous system (so she can deal with all the stimulation that awaits her once she makes her entrance into the world).

Full Term

How far along = 37 weeks

Total weight gain/loss = +45 Look I didn't gain anything from last week...this really is the end run.

Tummy Circumference = 47"

Gender = GIRL!!

Sleep = Sometimes

Movement = Yes, and I love every minute of it.

Best moment this week = A wonderful Valentine's day evening with my husband.

Worse moment this week = Not being able to properly wear my maternity clothes either.

Food cravings = Not so much craving anything any more, I have kinda lost my appetite.

What I'll miss = My baby moving around.

Milestones= I am a fingertip dilated...which means nothing really, but at least they checked.

Extra = James got me two house plants for V-day. A nice green yellow one and another Orchid (he knows they are my favorite flower). I made him a nice steak dinner and had it all ready for him when he got home from school. He got a 90 on his second Math test, that was pretty sweet. We got Baby Girl's laundry done (well a good chunk of it) and now the bag is mostly packed except for some pants to go home in that I need to hem. I can't wait to be done with work.

Baby Growth= Congratulations! You've got what is officially considered a full-term baby, even with three weeks to go. That doesn't mean she's finished growing — in fact, she's still packing on about a half pound a week (at this age, the average fetus weighs about 6.5 pounds). That makes it a little crowded in your uterus, so she’s probably not kicking as much, though she’s probably stretching, rolling a bit, and wiggling (all of which you’ll be able to feel!). Right now, your little superstar is busy rehearsing for her big debut, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid (to get the lungs ready for that first breath), sucking her thumb (to prepare for that first suckle of milk), blinking, and turning from side to side.

Anxiety and Adventure

How far along = 36 weeks

Total weight gain/loss = +45 the doc says 3 more pounds before I hit the limit of above normal

Tummy Circumference = 46"

Gender = GIRL!!

Sleep = Sometimes

Movement = Yes, and I love every minute of it. Even the hiccups.

Best moment this week = Hitting the 4 weeks to go

Worse moment this week = The uncomfortable doctors visit yesterday where I put my food (it was really my foot, but I decided not to change it because it seemed a bit more funny to say food) down and said I was tired of being rushed out of the office and it didn't go as well as I had worked it out in my head.

Food cravings = Food

What I'll miss = My baby moving around.

Milestones= I could deliver at any minute now. I don't know if there are any signs of progression because I haven't been checked. I do know that I haven't had any painful contractions yet.

Extra = James got 100% on his Spanish test. I found out that my doctor induces all of her patients if they aren't delivered by their due date. I wish I had known that when I first went there, I probably would have found a different doctor then.

Baby Growth= Forget your aching back (and everything else!) by trying to focus on your baby, who is now about six pounds and 20 inches long, with soft bones and cartilage to allow a safer journey through the exit door. Most of her systems (from circulatory to musculoskeletal) are ready for prime time, though her digestion system — which has done only practice runs so far — will kick into gear as she takes her first suckle at the breast or bottle.

I don't know who you think you are, but I know who I am

Dr. Hechtman,



I am excited for the opportunity I have to be able to give birth to my first child. I am grateful that you and the other doctors in this practice are willing to be a part of it as well. As this is my first experience with child bearing and pregnancy all together, I suppose you could say, I am ignorant to the happenings of such things. Though I am not an idiot and can tell what is happening, I feel as though a lot of what to expect should be given by my doctor. There is a great possibility that my expectations are way outside of the realm of reality, I feel as though perhaps an explanation of practice protocol or such is not.

Today was the first day that I have met you. I understand that there are many doctors that work with you who also share the probability of delivering our first child. But I also want you to know that you were highly recommended (you personally) by my cousin who had a wonderful experience with your practice. I understand the need or desire to rotate through doctors in my visits, that way I may meet the many people who may deliver my baby. I also understand that I am not the only patient that exists in your clinic. However, I feel as though almost every time I have been to the office I have been rushed out. I feel as though a 30 second visit with questions answered on the way out the door is not the way to build a patient/doctor relationship of trust. Especially when it comes to delivering a baby, a cold is a different matter.

I realize that what is done in your office is routine. It is an every day occurrence to deliver a baby. It is an every day occurrence to have patients with no problems during pregnancy to come in and out of the office. I also realize that for me it is not an every day occurrence. For me this is a first time experience and that delivering a child that belongs to my husband and I is not only a special experience, but also a sacred one. I am some what disappointed that such an important part of life is handled with such hustled attitude.

I also feel as though I am justified in the way that I feel. In being so justified I feel that when my doctor tells me that I am hormonal and pregnant, and that I am "way over reacting" to such is un-called for. I feel as though your attitude of needing to solve the problem has hindered your ability to listen to actually figure out what the problem is in order to solve it. I want you to know that my concern is not with the medical competency of you and your fellow compatriots, but it is with the bed side manner. I do appreciate you not seeming rushed with me today and your attempt to squash my concerns, and I also appreciate you sending in your office manager to help truly squash my concerns.

I appreciated the fact the Karen actually listen and related to my concerns. She was able to answer many questions that I didn't know I had especially since I am a first time mother. She put herself in my shoes and was willing to help me find the questions that I had but didn't know how to ask. I am at 36 weeks, and at this point I am capable of going into labor any minute, with or without warning. I am fully aware of that, and yet I felt as though I wouldn't know what to do if I did go into labor (besides the obvious of going to the hospital). I am grateful that Karen gave me an idea of things I can do to prepare for the unknown. She also gave me suggestions of what to do if I were to go into labor at work, considering I work 1.5 hours from the hospital I am expected to deliver at.

Again I am excited for the opportunity to have my child delivered by your medically competent staff, though I have yet to build the trust that I would like to have. I am grateful that you attempted to resolve my concern but more so that you sent in your office manager who truly resolved my concern with the labor and delivery. About 4 more weeks of me, perhaps slightly more, then postpartum visit, and you will no longer have to attempt to be nice or un-rushed when in my presence.



Sincerely,

A first time mother