Almost 41 Week Update

I know how everyone likes a good update, and I definitely like a place to record and share for myself. Today was quite the day. I had my 41 week appointment (tomorrow is the "official" 41 weeks). I feel like there has been a whirlwind since.

We discussed the monitoring that would start at 41 weeks and 3 days (which is technically Saturday, so it's actually starting a day ahead on Friday). Originally, it was just monitoring at the birthing center, but towards the end of the appointment, it changed into something more. I've been measuring (in fundal height) 35 weeks for, well, weeks - pretty much since I was 35 weeks. While I have been getting the recommended 80-100 (usually 100) grams of protein everyday and eating like it's my job on an at least every 2-3 hour schedule (even in the night), and I have been gaining weight, the fundal height doesn't seem to be increasing. This could have a lot to do with my own height and my long torso (as I told the mamas in my knitting circle yesterday, "Finding a shirt long enough for my torso is quite difficult, but holding a baby in my torso is something I can do!") Yet, just to be sure, we've scheduled an ultrasound to check the fetal growth along with all the other things that need to be checked when you reach 41 weeks and 3 days. I had hoped not to do another ultrasound, but for the sake of making sure babe is well, we are, of course, quite willing to get this ultrasound scheduled. Friday, we'll go in for an afternoon appointment to see the images of our little one (unless it is sweet enough to grace us with its presence before Friday).

During the appointment, my midwife also checked my cervix and gave it a bit of encouragement - a membrane sweep and a little pull forward making it dilate to 3 cm (before she did that I don't think it had done much dilating on its own - it was soft and ready, though, and she was able to hook it, which she said she often can't do with first-time mamas). That was a bit intense - I just focused on not tensing any part of my body and breathing through it - exhaling longer than I inhaled. There was a little bird in the mosaic on the wall above the birthing tub that became my point of focus... I was using some of what I had learned and practiced from my prenatal yoga practice. The nice thing about that experience was I knew it would end fairly quickly... but it did make me wonder what I have gotten myself into ;)

Their next recommendation was to start acupuncture to induce labor. I've never done acupuncture before but knew there was a good chance that would be changing if I went past my due date. It has been recommended to do it every 2 days. They recommended Seven Stars Acupuncture for its affordability. I liked them because they were able to get me right in today. I knew it wouldn't be very painful, but it was definitely a bit uncomfortable. The acupuncturist told me not to take my first impression and apply to impressions of all acupuncture experiences. Since he was trying to induce labor, it was a bit more intense than normal (which was fine by me - if it gives my uterus a nice nudge to get to work!) Most of the points in which he inserted needles were acupressure points that we had learned about during our birthing class. He said the points would stimulate the blood flow in the uterus to encourage labor. It was an interesting sensation feeling the needles stimulate the pressure points (?), nerves(?) or muscles(?) (whatever they were stimulating). Some of them were quite uncomfortable - particular one point in my lower back and the one in my left hand. If baby isn't here by Thursday, I'll be heading in for another session. (Oh and one other interesting thing, he took my pulse in many different places around my body - wrists, neck, sides of face, feet - and based off the pulse he explained that he could usually determine the sex of the baby, which he correctly determined! Crazy!!)

I'm off to eat (again) and then walk to the library to get some knitting books. Then I think I'll rest and work on a little K-State knitting project I started for the little one until it's time for me to make dinner.