Pregnancy Diary: Part X I- "Still Waiting"

What: Weekly Pregnancy Check-Up
When: May 26, 2007
Where: Lipa City
Ob-gyne: Dra. Lilibeth Manguerra

Weight: 85.2 kilos
Blood Pressure: 110/70
Medicines: Sorbif (iron), Natalac (2x a day) and EvePrimrose Softgel Capsule (3x a day)
Next checkup: For admission in the hospital on the 30th of May

Our Baby: 39 weeks

Checkup and Ultrasound: Everything was good. My doctor told me that if I will not labor before May 30 I need to be admitted in the hospital to prevent overdue pregnancy and will induce labor.

Facts About My Pregnancy:

• Lower abdomen and back pain
• More than eight movements per day
  
• Having a hard time sleeping already
• Vaginal discharge

*** Honestly, I just hope and pray that I will labor naturally.

Your Pregnancy: 39 Weeks
Last updated: August 2006
source: http://www.babycenter.com/mybabycenter/139.html

How your baby's growing: Your baby's ready to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) Your baby's organs are fully developed and in place, and the outer layers of skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath.

Note: Every baby develops a little differently — even in the womb. Our information is designed to give you a general idea of your baby's development.

How your life's changing:

At each visit, your midwife or doctor will do an abdominal exam to check your baby's growth and position. She might also do an internal exam to see whether you've started effacing (when the cervix thins out) or dilating (when the cervix opens). If the week passes and your baby stays put, don't panic. Only 5 percent of babies are born on their scheduled due date. And your baby can't make you wait indefinitely for his arrival. If you go past your due date, your provider will schedule you for fetal testing (usually a sonogram) after 40 weeks to ensure that it's safe to continue the pregnancy. If you don't go into labor on your own, most practitioners will induce

Pregnant women on television sitcoms always have their water break dramatically — in the middle of a crowded room, of course — just before going into labor. Don't worry about a similar scenario happening to you. Membranes rupture before the beginning of labor in less than 15 percent of pregnancies, and it's not normally an enormous gush — usually a small gush or a slow leak. In any case, if your water does break (or you even suspect you might have a leak), call your doctor or midwife right away, but stay calm — it may be hours before your first contraction. (If you're a GBS carrier, you'll be asked to go to the hospital so you can start getting IV antibiotics and will likely be induced at the same time if you don't start contracting on your own.) Also call your practitioner right away if you notice that your baby's movements have slowed, whether or not you're leaking fluid.

There are more common signs of impending labor than water breaking. You may notice your mucus plug — the small amount of thick mucus that blocks your cervical canal — in your undies or in the toilet. It might be tinged with a small bit of brownish, pink, or red blood (which is why it's called "bloody show"). (If you have vaginal spotting or bleeding other than mucus tinged with a tiny amount of blood, call your caregiver without delay.) Labor usually starts within a day or two of seeing the mucus plug. Another sign of labor is contractions at regular — but increasingly shorter — intervals. If you've been having Braxton Hicks contractions, you'll now realize that these were just practice. Your doctor or midwife will tell you when to give her a call, but it will likely be once your contractions last about a minute each and arrive every five minutes for about an hour. (Time the contractions from the beginning of one to the beginning of the next one.) If you're unsure about your progress, go ahead and give your practitioner a call.

Your practitioner may have you count fetal movements. Even if you aren't asked to formally count movements, call her immediately if you notice a decrease in your baby's activity. Your baby should remain as active as ever right up to delivery, and a decrease in activity could be a sign of a problem — meaning that you need to deliver now rather than later.

Surprising Facts: How your body changes after giving birth

Even if your labor and delivery was fast and easy, it will take some time for you to feel like your old self again. It may be hard, but try to remember that it took nine months to get here, so you won't bounce back — emotionally or physically — overnight.

What to expect from your body: labor when you're between one and two weeks overdue.

• You'll start losing weight right away. While you probably won't return to your pre-pregnancy weight for some time, most women are about 12 pounds lighter after delivering one 7- to 9-pound baby and losing another pound or two of placenta and at least a pound of blood and amniotic fluid. Although it will take a while for your body to regain its pre-pregnancy shape — that pregnant belly may stick around for longer than you'd like — by the end of the first week, you'll probably have lost about 4 pounds of water weight.

• You'll have lochia discharge. After your baby is born, the lining of your uterus will begin to slough off. This results in a discharge called lochia that lasts for weeks. At first, this discharge is mixed with blood, so it appears bright red and menstrual-like, then it gradually gets lighter in color, finally fading to white or yellow before it stops.

• Your emotions will be in flux. Within the first two to three weeks of giving birth, 60 to 80 percent of new moms experience the "baby blues." You may find yourself moody and weepy, exhausted, unable to sleep, or feeling trapped or anxious. Your appetite can change — you might want to eat more or less — or you might feel irritable, nervous, or worried about being a mother. The good news is this emotional upheaval will generally pass within two to four weeks.

Call your caregiver if:

• You're soaking a pad an hour: it may be a sign of postpartum hemorrhaging.

• You feel flu-like symptoms: it might be a case of mastitis, an inflammation of the breast.

• You have any signs of infection or pain around the incision from an episiotomy, tear, or c-section.

• You're unable to sleep even when your baby sleeps, you have any thoughts of harming your child, or you're crying all day long for several days in a row or having panic attacks. These are signs of postpartum depression.

How to recover quickly:

• Sleep when your baby sleeps. This can be tough advice to follow, especially during the day, but it really helps.

• Limit visitors and the time you spend with them. Consider turning off the phone and posting a "we're napping" message on your door to discourage drop-ins.

• Eat a well-balanced diet.

• Drink plenty of fluids. Avoid beverages with caffeine, alcohol, and sugared sodas.

• Accept all offers for help with cooking, cleaning, childcare, errands, and the like. If you aren't receiving offers, ask for help. It's hard, but trust us, your friends and family want to help and most will be honored you asked. If you can't get help for free, consider hiring a mother's helper, cleaning lady, or others who can give you a break.

• Don't isolate yourself. Talking to friends, relatives, and other new moms about your birth experience and life with a newborn can help you cope.