38 Week Update

As promised, here is the 38 week update...it's been a crazy one! :)  Tuesday evening I was home trying to find some motivation to get some things done around the house.  D was starting school and I didn't feel like doing anything, so I thought I would go see my brother, sister-in-law, and the kiddos.  Prior to leaving, I started having some contractions, but didn't really think anything of it since I have been having contractions for weeks.  I arrived at their house and sat out in the backyard with them while the kids played.  The contractions were still happening, but at this point I still wasn't convinced it was anything.  I stayed for a while to visit and D sent me a text to say he was done with school for the evening, so I decided to head back home.  I called him and let him know that I was having contractions but hadn't been timing them, so we decided when I got home I should try to take it easy and see what happened.  So I got home, drank some water, and tried to relax, but the contractions were getting stronger and longer. I had started timing them and they were between 3-5 minutes apart and were lasting about a minute when I had them.  After about two and half hours we decided to go to the hospital to get checked out.  I got down there and they hooked me up to the monitor and I was in fact having some good contractions.  Baby E was responding well when I had them, so there were no issues there.  The nurse said that she was going to check my cervix to see if I had made any progress, as I hadn't been checked in almost three weeks.  She checked me and.....nothing, cervix still closed!  Darn it!  So she called the doctor and she told me to go back home and gave me a list of things to watch for and return if the contractions got stronger.  Needless to say I was disappointed, but at the same time didn't feel like it was the real thing yet anyway.  Tuesday night was a rough night. I tried to sleep, but the contractions continued and I really only slept about two hours. I debated about not going to work, but thought I had better try to at least go. I made it to work, but felt like I had been run over my a truck.  My stomach felt like I had done one too many Abs of Steel videos. :)  I lasted a few hours at work, and just couldn't function, so I decided I was better off at home. I went home, put some comfy clothes on, and crawled into bed where I spent most of the day.  I was able to get lots of rest on Wednesday, which I really needed.  I got up on Thursday, and felt better than I had felt in months!  I was able to get a lot accomplished at work, and then I came home and started on the house. D had school again, so I did laundry, dishes, cleaned the bathroom, dusted, etc.  Everyone says during the end of pregnancy you get a burst of energy and start nesting, so maybe that is what it was.  All I know is that I woke up Friday feeling like crud again. Boo :(  I had an appointment at the doctor yesterday morning, and I gained 4 pounds this week! Yikes! I had been doing so good, so I was a little bummed out, but I'm sure I am really starting to retain fluid.  My blood pressure has been good, so an induction was not needed this week as previously thought.  The doctor checked me to see if any progress had been made since Tuesday evening and she said that my cervix was soft, I was dilated to 1cm, and she could feel the top of the baby's head.  At least at that point, I had felt like I was making some kind of progress!  At this point, it is day to day.  My next visit is scheduled on the 9th and I have another growth scan on the 12th.  They are concerned that the baby is getting too big, so depending on what the results are on the 12th, it is possible that I will be induced the day or two following, but she did say that she is not going to let me go past my due date, so the good news is that two weeks from now, our little monkey will be here!  So at this point, it is just a waiting game.  I hope that she comes sooner rather than later, as I am ready to meet this little one already!  If I make it to my next appointment, I will update then. :)