34 Week Appointment

Here we are! 34 weeks! Wow, I'm really feeling big now. I remember back at 23 weeks I took a picture and I think the caption was "I feel HUGE". I should've known better. I saw this morning on our baby counter at the bottom of the blog that we have 39 days to go until our due date. That is so close. We also got a little surprise yesterday at our Dr.'s office that it could possibly be sooner. Oh boy.....

I woke up on Sunday evening about midnight feeling generally not good. I started getting cramp like feelings around the baby that kept coming and going about every 10 to 12 minutes. I realized that these could be contractions so I got myself out of bed and headed down to the computer where I checked out babycenter.com and confirmed that yes, I was having contractions, but they are probably just Braxton-Hicks contractions and nothing to worry about. I monitored my contractions for the next four hours until they subsided. They never got any closer together or any stronger which is a good thing. I definitely had a "pushing down" feeling on my pelvis but nothing that changed. I fell asleep for a few hours and they started again around 7:30am. Since we had an appt that morning anyway I just waited to go in and see the Doctor.

Brian went with me to the Doctor, we saw Dr. Fraser this time, and she hooked me up to a monitor. Our findings of the morning were that my blood pressure was slightly elevated and yes, I was having small consistent contractions. She did another exam and the good news is I am not dilated at all and therefore was not going into labor. Phew! I did not want the baby to be six weeks for early for two reasons: his health and my lack of being prepared. Our solution for this is that I have been placed on a modified bed rest situation in that I can still be up and about but I can't do a ton and should limit myself to an hour or so on my feet at a time and two to three activities a day of which working out has been eliminated from my repetoire for now. I am definitely a little frustrated but it is better to be safe with our little guy.

My Mom is coming up today to got to Babies R' Us with me to get "the essentials" should something happen. Nursery furniture is to arrive next week and we picked up the car seat yesterday. I'm sure everything will be fine and the last thing I should be doing is causing stress on myself. The other piece of good news we received at our 34 wk appt is that he is, in fact, head down. There is a chance he could turn but I am hoping he stays where he is! I am definitely changing my mind set from that of the baby arriving in six weeks to the baby arriving in two to three.