38 Weeks Pregnant with Baby #2

As of tomorrow morning I will officially be pregnant longer than I was with Leopold. I was almost excited to go for my 38 week appointment this morning. I’ve never been to one!! Spoiler alert, it’s not really any different. They asked if I’d like a cervical check and I declined. Other than that, no change.

If you’re curious, I declined a cervical check because we don’t give birth by numbers. I could be thinned and dilated to a 3 or 4 and still not give birth for two weeks. I could be totally closed up and give birth tonight! So essentially, spreading my legs and letting the midwife look around in there wasn’t going to do me any good.

I’m still the same weight as I was LAST Monday, which still puts me at 4 pounds over my pre pregnancy weight. I couldn’t be more proud of this fact.

I told my midwife all the ways I was preparing for labor and she said “Girl, you’re going to have this baby at home!” That made me feel pretty good, not gonna lie. Then she told me she was on call this weekend and she would “See me Saturday after the party” (Leopold’s birthday party, that is). I wouldn’t be mad about it!

My blood pressure and iron are “perfect”, I’m not carrying group B strep, and the baby’s heartbeat sounds great too. Oh, and I have dropped, apparently! I’ve not had a ton of braxton hicks this week, but then we haven’t been as active!

If you’re curious, here is how I’ve been preparing my body for labor:

Per midwife’s suggestion, I’ve been taking primrose oil every day since I was 35 weeks pregnant. 7 pills to be exact. 2 in the morning, 2 at lunch at 3 at night.
I eat 6 dates a day. I’ve missed a couple days and eaten less on certain days, but I haven’t missed MANY days. And I’m not a big fan of dates. They are too sweet and grainy and look like roaches. But it gets me drinking about 2 bottles of water in a short amount of time!
I drink a cup (or 2) of Raspberry Leaf tea every day. It’s not as much as the recommended dosage but oh well.
I’ve switched my office chair (since it broke) with my birth ball. I sit on it when I’m working and bounce and roll my hips around, hoping to drop baby down and open up my pelvis. It’s also good for stretching out back muscles and working my core a little.
DUM DUMS. I bought a bag of dum dum suckers and I’ve been sucking on 2 or 3 a day since yesterday. Dum dums are the perfect size to hit a pressure point on the roof of your mouth that is said to help induce labor.
I do 10 squats (if I remember) after I use the restroom. I pee all day long so it’s a good (constant) reminder.
I live in a split level house. So many stairs. All day every day.
A couple other things I am censoring out 😉

It’s important to note that no amount of ‘labor inducing’ things will make baby come if your body and your baby are not ready.

I’m hoping that this time my body will go into labor on it’s own! With Leopold my water broke and I panicked and went to the hospital right away…they ended up inducing me which led to the domino effect of interventions. SO my goal is to do better this go around.

I’m going to try to get out and walk a little more, even though it’s SO HOT and my husband got a splinter two weeks ago and ‘can’t walk’.

I’m eager to meet this girl but all of these things I’ve been doing haven’t just been to get her to come. If I hear of something that is ‘said to make labor shorter/easier’ you better believe I’m going to try it!!

I was a little nervous about going through the delivery process again but I feel like after you hit 37 weeks, you just want the baby OUT. The nerves may still be there but you know there’s no choice!

It’s pretty hot out still so Leopold and I have been spending a lot of time chilling at home, watching Wild Kratts, trying to keep the house clean, and snuggling. It’s not a bad way to spend a day! I do have to apologize to him constantly because my patience is as thin as I hope my cervix is (ha!).

I THINK we have everything pretty much ready. We just need to put the carseat in the car and I have to add a couple final bits and pieces to our hospital bags. I’ve got little gifts for each child “from” the other one so I want to wrap them up too. I want to have them gift them to each other when they first meet 🙂