Pregnancy No. 2: 37 Week Recap

This is me at 37w5d

3/11 (37 Weeks) – Stressful day.  A disagreement happened with my mom and Aaron and I felt stuck in the middle of it.  By the end of the day we had resolved it, but before that things started to not feel right with me physically.  I felt a lot of pressure in my pubic area followed by a small trickle of fluids.  I thought it was probably nothing to worry about, but also worried that I should leave that up to the doctor to decide.  Ultimately I called the advice nurse who told me it was best to go into L&D to have the doctor decide what that trickle was.

I got to the hospital and, while in triage, I started having contractions.  Aaron was on standby with Mac.  When the doctor came in, he looked at my contraction monitor and asked if I was feeling contractions.  I told him I started feeling them coming on as soon as I arrived at the hospital.  He then said, “Well, they’re coming fairly regularly.  It’s possible you may have to decide how you want to deliver sooner than you planned.”  He was referring to whether I wanted a VBAC or Cesarean delivery.

I texted Aaron about that and he quickly asked what I wanted.  In that moment I realized that what I really wanted was not to go through the same experience as with Macario and quickly responded “c-section.”

In the end the fluid was likely urine, probably from baby pushing down on my bladder, and I was observed for the contractions for a while, but eventually got released because they never intensified.  I attribute the contractions to a very stressful day and assume that they will eventually taper off as they always did with Mac.

That was the running theme of my final weeks of pregnancy with Macario – days upon days of unproductive contractions only to finally go into real labor and not progress enough to deliver him vaginally.

After a discussion and weighing the pros and cons, Aaron and I have decided to plan a scheduled c-section.

3/12 (37w1d) – Stayed home from work.  Yesterday was an exhausting day and today I woke up with a splitting headache.  I stayed home to rest and play with Mac.  It was nice to get a bit more concentrated time just him and I.  I am feeling really badly about the fact that he is going to have to share me after his brother is born, so whenever I can I try to spend my time giving him as much of my undivided attention as possible.

3/13 (37w2d) – Still having contractions off and on.  Had period like sensations today and felt a couple bouts of pressure in the lower region like before.  Also *TMI* warning.  My BMs are changing.  This makes me wonder if I’m closer to labor than my actual due date, but really doesn’t matter because assuming I make it to my next appointment (3/22) we will be picking a date for the c-section.

3/14 (37w3d) – Aaron and I coordinated some dates to use for scheduling the c-section.  I’m a little disappointed to know that I will likely the baby before the end of this month.  I really wanted to have two April babies, but will accept whatever date they give us assuming it does not interfere with Aaron’s schedule as he is supposed to be out of town on 3/30 and has other obligations earlier in the week.  Of course he will adjust his schedule as needed, but it would be best if they could provide us with dates that work for all concerned.

3/15 (37w4d) – I have been feeling really stressed out this week.  Considering Monday’s events, it’s a surprise I haven’t gone into full blown labor.  Things have settled which makes me feel a bit better, but ultimately we are planning now to move while I’m on maternity leave and that is not really a fun prospect for me.  **TMI Warning** the BMs have gone back to normal.  I again attribute the change to stress as it has improved as my stress levels have lessened.

Also, I am not having as many contractions today as most days.

3/16 (37w5d) – Today was another full day of prepping for baby’s arrival.  I got my hospital bag packed (minus a few small items) and I also have the boys clothes picked out to take with us.

Macario and I spent a lot of time just hanging out doing whatever he wanted to do.  I know I will miss getting to spend my time and focus just on him whenever I choose.  I hope I am able to juggle both of these boys in a way that no one feels shorted.

3/17 (37w6d) – Today was family day.  Aaron, Mac and I hung out together at home for most of the day.  We had a special dinner and I got some more things done in preparation for baby.  I felt great today except that the contractions continue to plague me.  I really would rather wait until as close to the end of the month as possible to have the baby, but I’m prepared to have him sooner rather than later just in case they schedule my c-section for next weekend.

Aaron and I had my mom keep an ear out for Macario after I got him to bed tonight so we could go to the store to get some necessities.  It was odd being out without Mac because we never leave him behind unless we’re going to work, but it was also sort of refreshing to be out alone with each other.  I’m sure it will be a while before it ever happens again!