39 Weeks

ONE week to go!!! Maybe less… maybe more…(let's pray for less!)

Hannah:

- 25% of deliveries start with the water breaking and 75% start with labor (contractions)
- The baby moves down the birth canal in measured stations (referring to her head position in relation to the midpoint of my pelvis). Starts at -1 or -2… at 0 her head is at the midpoint… as the number increases, the baby is on her way out!
- About 20 inches in length, weighing just over 7 pounds
- Not much has changed since last week…she’s ready to come out!

Me:

- At my last doctor's appointment on Wednesday, February 24, I was still 1cm dilated and 60-70% effaced.  My next appointment (if I make it that far) is Thursday, March 4.  The midwife also let me know that they will not let me go past March 15, so hopefully Hannah will make her appearance soon!
- Throughout this pregnancy, I have been relatively unemotional.  However, the past week or so my emotions have gotten the best of me.  I have been feeling very anxious and scared about the arrival of our lil' peanut.  I just don't feel ready for the MAJOR changes fast approaching!
- No signs of water leaking or a plug coming out…
- I have definitely reached the "get this baby out of me" stage!  I am ready to have my body back!!  However, like I said, I am very hesitant about her actually being here!  Ahhh, the mixed emotions! 

Preparing for Hannah:
- Hannah's room is ready!  Her crib is made up and her dresser is full of clothes!  
- My hospital bag is essentially packed.  There are a few last minute items that we will have to grab on the way out the door, but other than that, we are ready to go!

The Hospital Bag (Update)

Like I said, I am a list maker!! I love lists! So I have started on my hospital packing list and wanted to share it with everyone so you can give me ideas. I'm sure there is something I have forgotten or things on my list that I really don't need. So feel free to share your thoughts! :)

During our hospital tour we were told to pack two different bags - one for labor and delivery and then another for recovery. So I have separated my list into those two categories.  After I have something packed in my bag, I will cross it off the list.

Labor Bag
- My Ipod
- Cell phones and chargers
- Camera (digital and Flip), charger, cord for uploading pics, and extra batteries
- Baby book (for getting footprints)
- Tennis ball and massager for Brian to use on my back! :)
- Lotion for Brian to use when massaging!
- Flip flops and a bathing suit for the shower and/or tub (I am hoping to be able to labor some in the tub)
- Cash for vending machines (for Brian)
- My own pillow with a distinguishable pillow case (one I don't care about getting ruined)
- Hard candies (to keep my mouth from being too dry)
- Chapstick
- Robe
- Magazine, notepad and pen
- Picture ID and Insurance Card

Recovery Bag
- Thank you notes (to write for hospital staff and any presents we receive while in the hospital...if we have time)
- Laptop and charger
- Going home outfit for me (something comfy and maternity) and shoes
- Going home outfit for Hannah
- Toothbrush and toothpaste (for me and Brian)
- Shampoo, conditioner, soap (all travel size)
- Makeup
- Hair brush and hair ties
- Razor (I hear there is a shower seat in the hospital bathroom that comes in handy)
- Nursing pjs (although I may just end up staying in the hospital gowns the whole time)
- Clothes for Brian
- Nursing tank tops and bras
- Nursing pads
- Receiving blanket for Hannah
- Boppy pillow for nursing
- Car seat - installed in car!
- Comfy socks
- Maternity underwear
- Snacks
- Empty tote bag (for bringing home all the hospital goodies)

Alright, so fire away. What do I not need that is on my list and what do I need that is not on my list! All suggestions are welcome!!

38 Weeks

Only 2 weeks left!!  14 days! AHHHH! :-)

Hannah:
- She has just about reached her birth weight (somewhere between 6 and 8 pounds is average)
- All internal organ systems are pretty much ready for the outside world
- Her meconium stockpile is building up (her first black baby poo)
- She is still head down (YEAH!)

Me:
- At my last doctor's appointment on Monday, Feb. 15th, I was 1 cm dilated and 60-70% effaced.  My next appointment is Wednesday, Feb. 24th.
- Contractions: Nothing consistent, but they are happening more frequently
- I still don't know if she has "dropped"...she has been SO low the entire pregnancy, so I'm not sure if I would even notice a difference.
- Sleep is still hard to come by....so uncomfortable!  Plus, now my stomach feels SO stretched out that it actually hurts!  It feels like Hannah may just pop through my stomach!
- Finger joints are still sore and the tips of my fingers are still tingling!  So strange!
- Itchy!  I am so itchy!  Doctor says it is just the hormones (we can blame everything on the hormones) and is completely normal.

Preparing for Hannah:
- Her dresser has arrived!!!  It is so wonderful to have all her furniture here and ready!  Now we are just putting the finishing touches on the decorations in her room....pictures to come soon! :-)
- Still working on putting the finishing touches on my hospital bag...we will need it really soon! ;-)
- We are meeting with another Pediatrician on Wednesday.  We have met with one and weren't very impressed, so we are hoping that this one will be better!

37 weeks....FULL TERM!

Happy Valentine's Day!!
We have made it to Full Term!  That means that Hannah can safely come any day now!! :-)

Hannah: 

- Many babies have a full head of hair at birth (1/2 inch to 1 1/2 inches long)… I'm guessing that Hannah will have a head full of hair because of all the heartburn I have been dealing with!
- She’s only adding a few ounces of fat each week from now on – so she’s basically read to come out!
- Body fat is around 8%, but will be closer to 15% at birth
- The longer she stays in, the more time she has to develop connections in the brain
- Weighs around 6.5 pounds and measures 19-20 inches in length

Me:

- At my doctor appointment on Monday (Feb. 8th) I was 0 cm dilated and 50% effaced.  So, nothing happening yet.  We have our next appointment tomorrow afternoon.
- Contractions: Nothing really exciting.  Just the occasional Braxton Hicks (practice contractions).
- Total weight gain so far: TOO much!!  About 35 pounds :-(  But my doctor continues to tell me that I am right on track with my weight gain, so I guess I shouldn't worry too much.
- At my last appointment, my blood pressure was slightly elevated, but nothing too worrisome.  Just have to keep monitoring it at each appointment.
- Stretch marks: none
- Tender breasts/leaking: nope
- Signs of mucus plug: nope
- I feel huge!  Everything is swollen and I am very uncomfortable!  I waddle when I walk and I have a hard time getting up off the couch.  I can barely get my own socks and shoes on, so Brian has been helping me with that!
- I can't sleep!  I can't find a comfortable position to sleep in, my hands are still tingly, swollen, and painful, and the heartburn is still keeping me awake.  I guess this is just preparing me for the sleepless nights that lie ahead.

Preparing for Hannah:
- The dresser for the nursery has still not arrived, but it is scheduled to get here next week!!  YEAH!
- Brian's parents came up for the long weekend and we enjoyed spending Valentine's Day with them! 
- We are still not finished packing the hospital bag, but we are making progress.

Maternity Pictures

Thanks to our good friends, James and Lindsay Christerson (http://www.adfotos.net) we were able to take some amazing maternity pictures!  I was one day shy of 36 weeks pregnant on the day we did the shoot.  Only 4 weeks to go!

36 weeks

28 days to go!  Next week Hannah will be considered FULL TERM! YEAH!

Hannah:

- Hannah is gaining about an ounce a day
- She’s shedding the downy hair and the waxy covering
- She is swallowing amniotic fluid, which causes hiccups!  She has been having hiccups everyday (several times per day) for the last few months!
- She is about 18.5 inches long, weighing about 6 pounds
- Survival rate = 99+% and of those, only about 5% have serious complications

Me:
- Still not sure if Hannah has "dropped"...but I don't think so. 
- No consistent contractions yet
- I have been dealing with horrible pain in my hands!  I am pretty sure it is carpal tunnel, but there is also some sort of circulation issue too.  My fingers will go numb and tingly for no reason and there is nothing I can do to make the pain go away.  :-(  Definitely keeping me up at night!
- Still no stretch marks!! YEAH!
- I am definitely ready for Hannah's to be out of my belly, but I am still a bit hesitant for her arrival into our family.  If I have talked to you recently, you know about my emotional hesitation about the big changes that are fast approaching.  I am still feeling a little anxious about that, but ultimately am very excited for her arrival!

Preparing for Hannah:
- Yesterday we took our belly pics with our good friends, James and Lindsay (http://www.adfotos.net)
- We are practicing our Bradley exercises and techniques every night, trying to prepare for an unmedicated birth.  Please be praying for that, if you think about it!  We really want to be able to labor the majority of the time at home and then do the rest in the hospital without any medication.
- We installed the car seat!  Crazy having a car seat in my car. :)
- We picked up most of what we still needed for Hannah...we're ready!!
- We are still working on giving the house a deep clean.  It's just SO hard to find the energy to do anything these days!
- We are still waiting for Hannah's dresser to be delivered...hopefully sometime next week!
- The hospital bags are still being packed.  But it's hard to pack some of the stuff ahead of time since we are still using it.

My Prayer for Hannah

As Hannah's due date quickly approaches, I am filled with many different emotions.

I am excited to be a mother - something I have been wanting to be since I was a child.
I am scared to be a mother - that is a lot of responsibility and it's a 24 hour/7 day a week job!
I am excited to have her out of my tummy - ready to have my body back!!
I am scared to have her out of my tummy - it's a lot more work once she's out. ;-)
I am excited to add her to our family - it's been a long time coming!
I am scared to add her to our family - we have a good thing going here...why mess with it?

You can see that my emotions about this upcoming event are back and forth!  I have these mixed emotions throughout the day and have been dealing with these ups and downs for a few weeks now.  Brian, on the other hand, is thrilled about everything!  He can't wait for her to be here and makes sure to let me know that all the time. :-)  It really is precious to see how excited he is!!  I am SO thankful for his joy and excitment!  The Lord has truly blessed me with a husband who will be an AMAZING father!  I so look forward to seeing him hold her for the first time.  It will be a moment I will never forget.

So, in this time of emotional ups and downs, I have been spending a lot of time in prayer for Hannah and her birth.  I thought it would a good idea to write down some of my specific prayers for her birth and life.  That way, I can look back and see how the Lord has answered my prayers.  Also, I wanted to share these prayers so that you could pray too!  We appreciate so much the prayers of our family and friends during these past few years.  First the prayers were for us to get pregnant...the Lord answered our prayers!  Then you have been praying for a healthy pregnancy...so far, the Lord has blessed this pregnancy and it has been very uneventful!  Now, we would love for you to pray with us for Hannah's birth and life.

Here are the specific prayers we have:

• That Hannah would continue to grow healthy and strong in the remaining weeks before her birth.
• That the remainder of my pregnancy would be uneventful and as pain-free as possible (that the heartburn would subside, that my fingers wouldn't be as sore and swollen, that the nausea would remain limited, etc.)
• That Hannah would arrive a little bit early (maybe a week or so) - We have been praying for a birthday of Feb. 28th for some time now.
• That we would be able to have a med-free delivery and be able to do the majority of the laboring at home.  Also, that I would have a pain-free labor and that recovery would be easy.
• That Hannah would be perfectly healthy and not a "big" baby (remember, we are trying to do this med-free!) :)
• That Hannah would be a happy baby and pleasant to be around!
• That breastfeeding would come naturally and easy for both myself and Hannah and that she would be a good sleeper!
• That Hannah would come to know the Lord at a young age!
• That Hannah would have a heart for the things of the Lord and His people and that the Lord would use her in a special way!

Thank you so much for your prayers!  We know that the Lord has Hannah's life and my own in His hands, and we are so thankful for that!  We trust that He will work everything out perfectly!