Each week that passed seemed to be a big milestone. Having only 6 weeks to go we really started thinking about what we needed to do and prepare for with Baby Girl Bell on her way. After visiting Labor and Delivery I was much more calm regarding the contractions. I didn't feel like I had to tell Chris each time a cramp came on and I wasn't apprehensive about going on with my regular daily activities or exercising. I did still try to keep the busy and active parts of the day to a minimum in order to let the uterus rest a bit. I found that the contractions were coming and going regardless of what I was doing, but when I was active and moving around more, then the contractions were stronger. Baby Girl Bell seemed to be getting her own in-utero workouts in throughout the day.
In our preparations for Baby Girl to arrive we had to think about where she was going to sleep. We didn't want to buy a crib because we didn't have room and we would be moving by the time she was going to be able to use it. In an effort to save money we thought about buying a mini-crib called a co-sleeper. Chris' sister Molly had used something along the same lines and really liked it. Chris and I found a used one online and we went to pick it up. After seeing the unfortunate looking front porch and yard area and how unclean the interior of the house seemed I began to have second thoughts about a used cradle. Not sure what to do Chris and I purchased the used co-sleeper and headed home. I got it as clean as I could with spray cleaner and a rag, but still felt it was too dirty and because I couldn't take off the cloth parts and wash it the cradle would never be clean. I couldn't stand the thought of brand new Baby Girl Bell having to go to bed in a dirty crib - and having to use it all day and night every day and night. Ugh. I turned around and re-posted it on the internet and sold it for less than we bought it for. Not only did we take a hit monetarily, but we were back at square one. The co-sleeper had left a bad taste in my mouth and I wasn't so sure I wanted another one, even if it was brand new.
At 34 1/2 weeks I had my next doctors appointment and visited Dr. Wang again. Because of various issues I hadn't seen Dr. Wang for quite a while. When scheduling this appointment the receptionist asked me if I wanted to continue with Dr. Jocson who had filled in on a couple of appointments, or if I wanted my original doctor. I really had no opinion about who to go to, but Chris stepped in and suggested to maintain Wang as my OB since that is who all of the recommendations were for. I was glad I did since I found that I liked her enthusiasm. It seemed that she was uniquely excited for my pregnancy, but knew that was just how her personality was. At my appointment everything was measuring where we would want it. The fundal height was 34cm. I had gained 4lbs and was now weighing 162 lbs - a healthy amount of weight gain, and putting my total at about 24lbs at this time. My blood pressure and heart rate were normal. The only issue that was abnormal was the continuance of the contractions. Chris was able to come up from his clinic downstairs to be there for the appointment and helped recount our Labor and Delivery visit. Not typical for a visit at this stage, Dr. Wang decided to check my cervix and see if there was any progression. While checking me she did a swab for Group B Strep, which is also usually saved for later on. Where I was thick and long (using OB lingo to mean no dilation or effacement) before I now had 1/2 cm dilation, which is not much, and 60% effacement and the baby was at zero station. I was so surprised to have any change take place in the 6 days since we had been in L&D. Dr. Wang commented on how Baby Girl Bell was right on my bladder. I said 'Oh, yea, I know'. Over the last couple of days I had been needing to go to the bathroom much more frequently and the tap dancing on the ribs had resumed. Dr. Wang said that she was pretty sure I wasn't going to make it to my due date, especially with daily contractions. Instead of seeing me in two weeks for the next few appointments she wanted to see me weekly. I felt pretty excited at thinking Baby Girl Bell could be joining our family sooner rather than later, but didn't get my hopes up too much knowing that first time mothers usually go full term or later. She told me to keep track of how often my contractions were happening. I tried that for one day and found it to be too much of a hassle getting my notebook out every 5 to 15 minutes to write a time down. It was too hard to get anything done when I had to have my pen and paper handy. Plus, not all of the contractions are strong enough for me to feel them outright. However, with Dr. Wang's instruction I did try and do better at doing my kick counts. I actually didn't know I should be doing them in the first place. I figured as long as I could feel Baby Girl Bell moving then I was okay. Her guidelines were much more specific telling me that I should feel 10 kicks within 2 hours time and I should do checks at breakfast, lunch and dinner. She also encouraged us to come to L&D if we had any concerns and that we should call with questions. She also said that typically she tells women to start doing squats which will help get the baby to drop into the pelvis, but since Baby Girl Bell was already there that wasn't a necessity. I was glad to have some guidance as to what to watch for and how to proceed since having had so many concerns since my last visit.
After my appointment Chris and I wanted to get one last ultrasound of our baby girl before we saw her in person. It was amazing at how big she had grown. As babies get larger it is more and more difficult to get a good look at the body parts. We were able to distinguish a hand in a cute little fist, and a foot that was weirdly close to the hand, we saw a great view of a leg and the tibia and fibula. The head was very hard to see since it had dropped down into the pelvis already. We could only see her chin and jaw. As I watched her on the ultrasound screen I thought about how soon it would be before she would be here, even though she needed to incubate a little longer I wanted her to come early just so she could be here.
With the news that Baby Girl Bell was on her way for sure, I started cracking down on what I felt like I wanted to get accomplished. I started reorganizing closets and making room for baby stuff. I took a good look at some mini cribs and decided that was the route I wanted to go for the sleeping arrangements. My mom was scheduled to come for a weekend so I left all of the shopping for the necessary baby supplies until then, knowing that she would know better than we would exactly what we needed.
I did solicit some advice from friends about what we would need to take with us to the hospital and what kind of diaper bags are best. We got a lot of fabulous suggestions and were glad to have some information from some experienced hospital-goers.
The next week and a half leading up to my 36 week appointment was more of the same. I continued to have contractions and felt that they were getting stronger at times. I was a little excited thinking that the contractions might actually be doing something to move the pregnancy along. My endurance decreased along with my stamina for daily activities. Because I hadn't had to work or be on my feet all day my tolerance for activity was especially low. I felt encouraged knowing my good friend, Kim, who said she felt like an old lady when she got toward the end of her pregnancies, was not any better off than I was. As the baby sunk lower into the pelvis I felt more and more like I was exhibiting the pregnancy 'waddle' when I walked. And any sort of distance made my pelvis start to ache. As the ligaments continued to loosen I felt a stretching pain comparable to round ligament pain, only in the hips and pelvis instead. I could tell that Baby Girl Bell was in position with her head down because her cute little feet would push out against the side of the abdomen just below the ribs. Whenever she stuck a foot out I liked to feel it and rub it knowing that pretty soon I could touch the real thing without any barriers. On the other side, a much larger protrusion, we determined to be her adorable little bottom.
I was fortunate enough to have one last baby shower thrown by Maria Oka, a fast friend I had made in California. It was themed as 'Pretty in Pink' and was played out perfectly. All of the decorations were pink, the food was pink, the games had something to do with being pink, and most of the gifts turned out to be pink as well. Some women don't like the idea of having everything pink just because they are having a girl. I thought about being the same when I first found out the gender, but with a girl on the way there is no stopping the influx of hues of magenta and rose and I thought to myself 'Bring on the pink!'. The shower was a perfect celebration of the up and coming Baby Girl Bell. To start out the night and break the ice we played 'Two truths and a lie". It was fun to see what two truths each person had because I could learn a little more about each person. After that Maria had come up with a word scramble using baby-related terms. It was pretty tough and I didn't even come close to figuring out 'breastfeeding' or 'onesie'. To go along with the pink theme we played a game that required us to figure out the names of a handful of different colored pink crayons. This was even more difficult than the word scramble. I had no idea which crayon was 'mauvelous' or which one was 'strawberry shortcake'. I liked the idea a lot despite my ineptness. The last game we played was a birth and baby related trivia game. If I got an answer right I got a treat, and if I got an answer wrong the person who asked me the question got to keep the treat. Maria said I did better than she thought I would, which was partly due to my nursing background and knowing what some of the basic baby reflexes are. All of my friends were very generous with the gifts and I think we just about finished off most of the baby supplies Chris and I would need. We got diapers, wipes, clothes, blankets, a few cool gadgets (wiper warmer, bottle dryer, and a timer), books (one book titled 'Pinkalicious' to go with the theme), and a myriad of other accessories. The rest of the evening I was blessed to be able to hear some advice and stories from experienced mothers. Some of it made me cringe as I heard some 'horror' stories about breastfeeding issues, bad hospital stays, and the ugly side of giving birth. Thanks to the candor of others I got some real eye opening and strangely helpful hints. I learned some new methods on how to stimulate contractions in the hopes of inducing labor, that anyones husband can strip membranes and check a cervix - you don't really need to be a doctor, how best to treat mastitis, and that stool softeners and roughing up the nipples are a good idea. It was really fun and was glad to have a great shower experience with friends.
I was so excited when my mom showed up to spend the weekend with us. I wasn't really sure what she had in mind as to what she wanted to do while in California, but since she said she was just here to spend time with me, we did a lot of what an 8-month-plus pregnant woman does - relax...and crochet. Which I am sure was actually nice for my mom since she has been going non stop back in Utah keeping up with Opa's care and Rich and Heather's needs since Heather's dad's health kept looking more and more grim. To make the weekend a little bit more interesting my mom and I supported Chris at a local mountain bike race. Even though I couldn't participate I just enjoyed being around the whole racing atmosphere.
My mom and I spent some time shopping and picking up all of the smaller things that people don't give as gifts for baby showers and those items that we wouldn't even know we needed until we needed them. Our shopping was still kept to a minimum since I got tired easily and walking around was getting increasingly uncomfortable. My mom was able to feel Baby Girl Bell's little foot sticking out my side in it's typical place, as well as get an idea of how often and hard my contractions were. I was so glad that my mom would take the time, make the effort, and spare the expense to come and see us. I enjoyed having my mom all to myself and was sad to see her go.
My next doctors appointment was the day after my mom left and a day before I hit 36 weeks. After my last OB appointment showed that there were changes in the cervix I was a little stressed thinking that I was going to be much further along. There were still supplies I needed to get and things I wanted to get done before Baby Girl Bell came and I wasn't feeling ready for anything I considered precipitous to happen. My appointment showed that I had only a minimal change in the cervix. Even though Baby Girl Bell was extremely low in the pelvis she hadn't done too much more. Instead of 1/2 cm dilation I was at one cm and the effacement was about 70%. Though I didn't want Baby Girl Bell to show up any time too soon, I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more of a change. I was still having a lot of contractions and could feel increasing pressure of Baby Girl Bell being in the pelvis. It was a small relief to Chris who had a conference scheduled in San Diego and was worried about the risk of him leaving me or me going.
Chris and I spent the weekend in San Diego where I relaxed at the hotel and Chris went to lectures. Walking around the streets I felt more and more like Baby Girl Bell was making her way lower into the pelvis. I had a hard time keeping up with Chris' long stride and fast pace. For a long time already I had struggled keeping up with Chris as we walked up the three flights of stairs to our apartment, but only recently it had become difficult to keep pace while walking on flat ground.
As the days kept passing I starting thinking more about what it was going to mean having Baby Girl Bell finally join our family. I had spent a lot of time getting 'things' ready for her arrival. I wanted to make sure she felt loved when she arrived and that her parents were excited for her to come (even though I know she wouldn't know if the crib sheets were the right color pink or not). I considered what sort of mental and personal preparations needed to be done as well. I realized that being a new parent meant that you are entering a world of unknowns and that every family life and situation is different. There is some mental curating that can be done, but most enter this new adventure expecting the unexpected. I mentioned something along these lines to Chris' sister, Molly, and she replied that 'No one knows what they're doing. That's what makes it fun'. I liked Molly's take on the whole experience and decided that I wanted to make her attitude my approach as well. As far as personal preparations go, there isn't much that can be done in the last month of pregnancy. I just hoped that the lessons life had taught me over the years and the characteristics I had worked to develop would be enough to help me teach and instill in Baby Girl Bell the values and attributes I would hope for her. It's difficult to teach what you don't know or what you aren't, and found myself thinking that there are definitely places where I could be better. I took comfort in knowing that Chris and I had a good base between ourselves, within our relationship, spiritually, and on so many other levels. I knew that the strong foundations would make a good starting point for our expanding family. I also thought about the type of man my husband, and soon to be father of our Baby Girl Bell, is. I was overcome with gratitude that this was the man I had married and who would be the father of my children. Of all the 'preparations' I had made, marrying the right person was the most important.
With my doctor visits being scheduled weekly it wasn't long before I went to see Dr. Wang again. Nothing different had happened within the past week that hadn't happened during the previous weeks. The contractions were continuing and at times stronger and more painful. Since I had visited labor and delivery and had my mind calmed concerning my overactive uterus I wasn't paying as much attention to my contractions unless they were strong enough that they made me take notice. At my 36 1/2 week appointment I anticipated some changes in the cervix considering how much more pressure I was feeling from Baby Girl Bell's head and the perpetuation of contractions. I was slightly disappointed when everything remained the same. The only difference was a decrease in my fundal height measurement. I should have measured about 36 1/2 cm and was only measuring 34cm. Dr. Wang wasn't extremely concerned about the discrepancy but ordered and ultrasound to check that there is enough amniotic fluid surrounding the baby and the biophysical profile (BPP) of Baby Girl Bell was rating as it should. Dr. Wang wanted me to make sure my kick counts were good and that the baby was plenty active.
With my measurements being off pregnancy paranoia started to creep up on me. Throughout the day Baby Girl Bell took some real prodding for me to get her kick counts in. I felt like she wasn't moving as she normally did. Baby Girl Bell had the habit of pushing a foot out of the right side of my upper abdomen just below the ribs and pushing out her bum on the opposite side. Where this would occur periodically throughout the day it wasn't happening as it typically did. However, she was still moving. I wanted to get the ultrasound scheduled and taken care of so if there was a problem we could get Baby Girl Bell out. My tension increased a bit when I talked to the Kaiser Permanente radiology scheduling staff and they told me that because the ultrasound was ordered As Soon As Possible (ASAP) it should happen within the week. Within the week!!! That seemed like a really long time. I was told that it would take at least 24 hours for the order to go through and then someone would call me to schedule the ultrasound. When Baby Girl Bell seemed lazy in her movements again the next day and I hadn't gotten a phone call from radiology I was evermore anxious about getting the sonogram completed. I contacted the hospital and was fortunate enough to have an opening for 8:20 that night. Chris was fabulous and joined me for the ultrasound. He wasn't very worried, if at all, and figured our baby was doing just fine, but, as always, was supportive and calming. The tech took all the pictures and videos she needed and then let us take a look at Baby Girl Bell. My nerves calmed when she told us that the amniotic fluid looked good and that as far as she could tell the biophysical profile was scoring 8 out of 8. We were able to get a good view of the bones in the legs, arms and torso. We could see the hands moving and the feet kicking. We got a very good look at an ear. The best part was getting a view of the lips and face and to see Baby Girl Bell making sucking motions. And, just for good measure, we checked the sex of the baby and weren't surprised when it was more than obvious that we had a daughter on the way. The ultrasound technician estimated Baby Girl Bell's weight to be approximately 6 1/2 lbs. The due date estimation wasn't exactly March 9, but was only a couple of days earlier, which is always give or take anyway. The tech wasn't in any rush and let us get our fill of looking at Baby Girl Bell before we left. Knowing that she was doing well lifted a huge weight.
