Home Stretch

Only ten days till my due date.  She could be here sooner than that, but it could also be as long as 14 days past that date.  That's the longest my doctor will let me go overdue.  I do not want to get to that point.  One of my biggest fears is being forced to have an induction.  For this reason, we have been taking a proactive approach at getting our little one here.  Mostly just a lot of walking, sitting/bouncing on the my yoga ball, some floor exercises, walking the stairs in our house, sex, nipple stimulation (TMI, I know, but this is real talk, remember?), and relaxation & visualization exercises that I learned in our Bradley classes. 

I haven't started any of the crazier "inducing labor" techniques yet, but I'm thinking I'm about to.  Fresh pineapple & the ingredients for Labor Cookies are on my grocery list.  I've also been told a couple of other things that are out there that women swear by to help start their labor: rasberry red leaf tea & evening primrose oil. 

I know that there is not one single thing that will magically start labor if my body and my baby aren't ready.  However, I feel good about remaining active and continuing to do things that will be good for my body during labor and in recovery.

Last weekend we drove up to my parent's house in Harker Heights for my dad's birthday dinner and Dave took us in the Mazda.  The hope had been that we could drive faster and take the back roads, which are very hilly, to send me into labor. lol.  We are quite crazy and getting very anxious and ready to meet our daughter.

Mommy & Daddy & Olivia at 38 weeks.  I looked swollen & exhausted. 

Squats on the trampoline.  I never actually did any jumping, but everyone else thought it was fun to bounce me a little.

Dinner & hanging out with my folks, and Sarah and Caleb was a lot of fun.  The night before we got to hang out with Reese and Annette for dinner and to celebrate Annette's birthday.  So our weekend was fun & family filled.

Yesterday was another doctor's appointment.  Everything is going well.  I had lost a pound the week before, but gained that one pound back this week.  Towards the end losing a little bit of weight, or gaining very little is completely normal.  The belly was measuring right on, my blood pressure was good, and that was pretty much it.  I have been declining the internal examinations because 1) I don't like them, and 2) they really do not tell me or the doctor anything important, especially if everything else is going well.  

After the doctor's appointment, Dave and I were able to go home and relax for a little bit. 

 

We then headed back out to Cedar Park for a Meet the Pediatrician event at a doctor's office that we were interested in using.  I'm so glad that we went!  It was good for Dave and I to meet all of the doctors at the practice and discuss which one we were interested in appointing as our PCP.  I think we are still on the fence between two of them and which one we will pick, but the way the practice works is that Olivia may be seen by any of the other 4 doctors from time to time, depending on their availability and how soon we need to be seen.  This is fine by me because I liked them all.  They are all very pro-breastfeeding & they are also okay with a modified immunization schedule.  Dave and I aren't interested in modifying the recommended immunization schedule, especially because Olivia will be going to daycare, but it's reassuring that they allow for parents to have a level of control over their child's healthcare.  A couple of the other doctor's offices I had found will straight out say that they will not accept any new patients who were interested in a modified immunization schedule.

They gave us a little introduction, there was time for questions & answers, and then we toured the doctor's offices.  At the end there was a giveaway and I won a "Baby's First Year" book for being the furthest along there last night.  Wooohooo.  :)

This coming weekend Jeani, Mike & Reese come into Austin from overseas!  Yay!  So glad that they will get to be here for the birth of our baby!