Progress at 39 Weeks

My doctor checked me at 1 cm dilated and 70% effaced at 39 weeks + 2 days. I'd been losing parts of my mucus plug every few days for the past two weeks, and noticed some coloring to it today. Maybe something will finally happen! The longer he's in me, the more I worry about his activity level. I chose not to have my membranes swept at the appointment though, as my husband and I both consider it to be an intervention and induction method. We want to wait until 41 weeks before induction, as complications don't really increase until after then. Before that time, we are trusting the baby over the hospital to know when he's ready.

The Waiting Game (38 weeks)

Finally off work!

I'm into day 4 of pregnancy leave (day 6 if counting the weekend), and the time off is finally getting tolerable. Day 1 was the worst -- my husband had to work out of town and left in the middle of the night. It was supposed to be a one day job, but he ended up having to stay overnight, and I'd planned the entire week out for us! I was so bored and restless. I mean, there was a ton I wanted to do on my own: finish laboring & childbirth studies such as Ina May's Guide to Childbirth (ended up not really liking it), throw more of my hoarding away to make room for baby stuff, and just working on myself in general. I was so used to my work schedule and being pressed for time that I didn't know what to do with myself once I had all the time in the world. I started watching jdramas instead, and then slowly worked up to reading my childbirth books. I've been checking my work email every day so that I'm not SUPER behind once I return from leave. Now I feel a lot better about taking 2+ weeks off.

Changes at 38 weeks

I noticed a change in hormones over the weekend. I felt a cold sore starting up Saturday morning. The weather wasn't as dry, and I didn't feel extra stressed, so I figure it had to be hormones. At the same time, I haven't regurgitated any meals (or water) since Friday night, so I think the baby finally dropped and made some room for my stomach. The acid reflux finally ended after 3 weeks of constant vomiting into my mouth! As for the baby dropping, I was expecting to feel heaviness in my pelvis from the positioning, but I really can't tell aside from pressure on my sciatic nerve. The pain is nothing compared to what I felt in early pregnancy, but my physical therapist was pretty sure I had a herniated disk at that time. I also found stretch marks on Monday and was quite upset about it! I don't think I was putting much oil or cocoa butter on underside of my belly, and I think it might be from the baby's head moving lower into the pelvic region. It was only noticeable on the left side on Monday, and today, I'm seeing the purplish lines on the right side as well. 

The 38 week checkup

My doctor estimated the baby's weight at 7.5 lbs, almost 8 lbs. I'm measuring at 39 weeks, even though 2 weeks ago I was measuring a bit behind at 36.5 weeks. She also checked my cervix and I'm 1 cm dilated. I told her I've only felt one contraction so far, so she and I weren't expecting me to be any more dilated. I have the option of getting my membranes swept at next week's appointment. I am tempted to have it done because I've been worrying about the baby's health inside my tummy! I want to hold him and hear him cry already (I know that must sound insane to experienced parents). But, if I can be sure he'll be fine in my tummy longer, of course I want him to decide when he comes out for himself.