38 Weeks

So here I am at 38 weeks. Contractions are coming often, but it's not quite actual labor yet because I'm not in a lot of pain. We've got most of the living room floor down and the beam is covered in wood and stained. It looks good. And thank goodness for Saman low VOC stain...otherwise Mike wouldn't have been able to stain at this stage. Note: the first picture is of my CT shower. Lots of things are happening baby-wise, so I'll cut to the chase.

Baby News at 38 Weeks
1. The External Cephalic Version. Last night I went to the hospital to try to have one of my doctors and my midwife turn the baby manually. That is why you see me above looking gorgeous in the hospital gown. It did not work. He's still breech. But it was definitely worth a try. It was quite painful...Imagine two people holding the baby on the outside of the belly and pushing as hard as they can. Today, it mostly feels like I have a bad sunburn. Even though the baby didn't turn, they were able to move him a little bit in either direction. And he was totally chill throughout the whole procedure--sucking his thumb, no heart rate issues. I on the other hand, looked like I had gone through labor when it was done (though admittedly, I would take this kind of pain over the pain I had in my worst migraine any day). I had Mike holding one hand, the nurse holding another, and one of my doulas--Debbie--holding my feet while my doctor and midwife did the procedure. It was fantastic to have that amount of support.

2. Contractions. While I've been having Braxton Hicks contractions throughout the pregnancy, I didn't realize how many I was having. Before the procedure, I was monitored, and I was having contractions every ten minutes or so. After the procedure, my contractions were coming 4 minutes apart. They still sent me home, though...because while I could see the contractions on the monitor, I wasn't feeling all of them. And in the worst ones, the pain was hardly present--more discomfort. Since that time, the pain seems to be slowly increasing while the frequency of contractions has decreased. Still, they are hardly what I could call painful.

3. C-Section. Because the young man is breech, the doctor will schedule me for a C-section. It may be as soon as Wednesday. Of course, it could be sooner if I actually go into labor. This isn't the birth I imagined having, but I've accepted it...especially since I know so many wonderful women who have given birth in c-sections and have offered me advice. Thank you!

4. Maybe this means my next post will have pictures of Baby G outside of the womb?