BigSeefut

Last night my stomach had more frequent tightening.  I’m not sure if it was contractions but it was definite tightening and it was happening every 6-7 minutes.  I told Pish about it and he quickly decided he better put the baby carseat in the car. 

The tightening was consistently occurring between 5pm-10pm.  However, they did NOT become more frequent and I never had pain so I just went to sleep.  I did feel some throughout the night but then nothing this morning.  I guess it was a false alarm.  I was totally getting my hopes up that it was finally happening too.  argh…so still waiting…

tick..tock..tick..tock….still waiting for this baby!  I had a doctor appointment today and I am now 2cm dilated but that’s about it.  I asked about the baby’s weight and she guessed he is in the 7 lb range.  She also said if I make it to next week’s appointment, we will check the baby and can talk about inducing.

This Friday is my last day of work and I’m not really sure what I’ll do next week if the baby still isn’t here.   Everything for the baby is ready go.  Anyone free for lunch, shopping or movies next week? 

I’m at 37 weeks now and doctor said I’m still only 1 cm dilated today.    She said every pregnancy is different but since I had Katie early, there is a higher chance that I’ll be early again.  I asked her if it would be ok for me to go to LA this weekend and she looked hesitant.  She said it would be a personal judgement call but she said that that the 2nd time around, labor is usually faster so it would be really bad if we got stuck in traffic on the way back.  So I guess that means no LA this weekend.

I haven’t paid attention to my weight gain lately but I asked about it today and I’ve gained 35 lbs now!  3 lbs in the last week.  It must be all the ice cream, cake and ice cream cake I’ve been eating. 

I felt really good over the weekend and Monday.  I didn’t have any swelling and I didn’t feel bloated.  I think it was due to the fact that I really haven’t been going anywhere.  I’ve been working from home more and didn’t really leave the house this weekend.  But then I went to work Monday-Wed and now my feet are huge (very puffy and ugly).  It’s pretty uncomfortable too.  The only hope is that the baby comes soon and this will all go away.

Pish is antsy about the baby too.  He couldn’t sleep on monday night because he thought the baby was coming.  He wants me to at least hold off until tomorrow night though (he has a tee time tomorrow).    Like I have control over these things!

I had a doctor appointment yesterday and got the VERY uncomfortable internal exam.  The doc says the baby’s head is down, my cervix is softening and I’m barely 1 cm dilated.  darn!  I was hoping they would tell me I’m farther along.  So now I go back weekly until the baby comes.  That means the internal exam every week.  ouch!

The baby room is ready, the clothes are washed and my hospital bag is packed.  Now we just need the baby!

Lots of people have been asking us about names.  We really didn’t think about it much until two weeks ago.  But since then, we went through some baby name books and we have a top two now.  Kyle or Drew.  Katie and Kyle sound cute together but I think Drew is a little more unique but still fits our criteria of being short and simple.

Here are their definitions:

Kyle – (Irish) serene

Drew – (Welsh) wise; well liked

Also, I always liked the Alex but not quite feeling it.  I guess we’ll have to see what the baby looks like.

My work just threw me a beautiful baby shower.  Sherri said she wanted to put “Baby Chamkasem” on the cake but was too worried they get the spelling wrong.  haha

These parties are getting me excited.  Come out baby!

I finally made it!  It took forever to get here but I’m finally almost full term.  That means it should be safe to have the baby anytime soon.  I’m still hoping he comes early!

I’ve been feeling huge lately and the baby is sitting really low.  I don’t remember being this uncomfortable with Katie but I may just be more of a whiner this time.  It sucks because I’m not sleeping too well at night.  I just can’t find a comfortable position and my swelling is getting worse.  Also my belly feels extremely heavy and I feel a lot of pelvic pressure.

Babycenter update:

Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds (like a crenshaw melon) and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He’s shedding most of the downy hair that covered his body, as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that protected his skin during her nine-month amniotic bath. Next week, your baby will be considered full-term. Most likely he’s in a head-down position.

Starting on monday I started to feel  more uncomfortable.  My belly was tightening more, was heavier and I had a random bloody nose.  Then at night, I had really sharp lower back pain.  I had to sit up but it still hurt so bad that I felt nauseous.  I called my doctor’s phone nurse in the morning and she thought the baby probably just hit a nerve or something.  If I needed to, I could take Tylenol.  She mainly wanted to make sure that the baby was still moving (he was) and that I wasn’t having contractions.  She wanted me to start monitoring and if my stomach was tightening more than 4 times in a hour to call her again.

By lunch time, the tightening was getting stronger and lasting longer so I called the doctor again.  They wanted me to go in to see them.  Once there, they took a urine sample and hooked me up to a fetal monitor.  They said I was dehydrated and that was causing the contractions but the baby’s heartbeat was great and he was moving a lot.  So after 1 hour of monitoring, they sent me home and I was told to drink lots of water and pee a lot.  Also, they want me on minimal bedrest which means no sex, no strenuous activities and minimal stairs.

I’ve been drinking a lot more water and today I feel much more comfortable.  To the baby:  Sorry I was not hydrating you enough! I’m a bad mommy already. 

All of a sudden my pregnancy is going by quicker.  I’ve been delaying baby stuff since we were busy with the move but now that we are settled, I’m realizing it is mid-July already.  My due date is in Sept but if this baby comes early (like Katie did), he’ll be here in August.  That’s not that far away!  We still need to unpack the baby boxes to see what we need, we have lots of hand me down clothes to go through and we still need a name for the little guy!

So I’m at 31 weeks now and the baby is moving A LOT.  I had a dr appt yesterday and the heart beat is normal.  I’ve gained 25 lbs so far (a little bit less than last time at this point).  I’ve  been feeling bigger and walking slower these days.  People say that women get uglier when they are having a boy.  I’ve noticed that this week.  I feel like my face looks manly all of a sudden.  Not sure if it’s mental but it may be due to the testosterone I’m carrying. 

I’ve been craving more sweets lately and love having dessert.  I’m also having some very vivid dreams.  I’ve woken up crying or just confused thinking my dream was really real.  I’ve also been more out of breathe when I talk a lot or walk up the stairs.  I’m pretty much done with pregnancy.  Come out already!

Here’s the BabyCenter 31 week update:

This week, your baby measures over 16 inches long. He weighs about 3.3 pounds (try carrying four navel oranges) and is heading into a growth spurt. He can turn his head from side to side, and his arms, legs, and body are beginning to plump out as needed fat accumulates underneath his skin. He’s probably moving a lot, too, so you may have trouble sleeping because your baby’s kicks and somersaults keep you up. Take comfort: All this moving is a sign that your baby is active and healthy.

Starting yesterday, I feel HUGE.  My chest size has significantly grown, my belly is popping out a lot more, my lower back is starting to hurt, I’m getting the middle of the night calf cramps and fat feet are back!  When I was pregnant with Katie, my feet were VERY swollen towards the end of my pregnancy.  It looks like that is starting again.  Why do women’s bodies have to go through so much?!?

The baby has been moving a lot lately (mostly at night).  I’ve also been eating more.  If I don’t eat before I go to sleep I wake up at 2am hungry.  So far I’ve gained 16 lbs and I’m supposed to gain a pound a week from now on.  9 more pounds and I’ll pass Pish.  That is so sad (he’s 6 ft tall).

BabyCenter update for 22 weeks:

At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he’s even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you’d be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he’ll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

I forgot to mention in my previous post that my weight gain is good again.  From week 12-16 I actually lost a pound and the doctor was a little concerned but from week 16-20, I gained 7 lbs!  I guess I caught up.  Total weight gain so far is 14 lbs.  I checked my blog and during my pregnancy with Katie and I gained 12 lbs by this time.  So I’m almost on the same track.

Here’s another picture of the little guy that isn’t really a chocolate chip anymore.