Cupcake's birth date is set

So before I write about today's events, I need to piggyback on the prior post. I totally left out part of my weekend! On Saturday my dad came over and hung out with us. Edward was ill, so he was upstairs resting most of the time. But I enjoyed my time with my dad, who is visiting through Christmas. We went for a walk around the neighborhood to get out and get some fresh air and exercise. However, my low back starting hurting shortly after the walk started, and didn't let up until we got home and I rested. I would like to get out and exercise more, but my low back pain seems to start when I'm on my feet too long, so I've had to limit my exercise. I sure am looking forward to getting more exercise once this little sweetie arrives!

Then on Saturday evening Edward and I had our official "last date night" before Cupcake's arrival. Because he was sick, we ate at home and kept our evening out limited to just a movie. We saw a movie that had been out in the theaters for awhile, and it was called "Easy A". It was actually a really cute movie, and I'm glad that's the one we chose to see. It was lighthearted and entertaining. Edward and I also did this "last date night" thing about 3-4 weeks before Avalon was born. So it was kind of bittersweet to do it again. But we know we'll have our hands full once this baby arrives, so we wanted to get out of the house and have some quality time together.

Last night I had my pre-natal massage. I had never had a massage before, so I wasn't totally sure what to expect. The masseuse was very professional and she did a great job. The massage was very relaxing and it was a nice treat. The masseuse has her own line of skin care products, so she even gave me some tips about skin care products to use/not use for the baby, and for me, since I have terribly dry skin. Unfortunately, the massage did not do anything to induce labor. I don't think I had any contractions at all last night.

Today marks 38 weeks in our pregnancy. Well, by my doctor's calculation, 38 weeks and 2 days. But today also marks 17 months since Avalon was born. I cannot believe it's been that long. Jeez. She would be running around the house like crazy by now, getting into everything, and she would be so adorable! It would have been great to see Avalon and her cousin Kai playing together this Christmas, shredding through all their Christmas presents and entertaining the family! Instead, it will be only Kai (who's now 15 months old) ripping through his presents, with Avalon's 4-day old brother/sister in my arms. I can't believe this will be our 2nd Christmas without Avalon here. We are very blessed to have this new baby on the way, but that doesn't take away the fact that our first born won't be here.

This morning I had an NST appt. Cupcake was very active! So active that the baby could be heard wiggling around inside my belly through the heart rate monitor, wiggling away from the monitor! I had absolutely zero contractions, darn it. On Friday I will have my last NST appt. As much as I've enjoyed the re-assurance of the NST's twice a week, I am ready to be done with them. Well, I'm ready to not be pregnant anymore and to have this little one in my arms instead of my belly! A couple of the NST nurses hugged me and wished me good luck, since they won't be there on Friday. I'm hoping they'll stop by and check in on me next week after I've given birth and I'm still in the hospital recovering. The nurses were always good about keeping me calm and making me feel well taken care of, and I appreciate everything they have done for me.

Then Edward and I headed next door to my OB's office for my weekly appt. The bad news is that my cervix is still not even close to being ripe, and the baby is still pretty far up there. The doctor is not confident at all that I will go into labor on my own before next Tuesday. Tuesday, the 21st, is our planned induction date. I asked the doctor if we could push it up to Monday. He called the hospital and checked, but they said they are extremely booked up that day, and we should keep our appt for Tuesday.

So the plan at this point is that Edward and I will be at the hospital at 7 am to get checked in on Tuesday. I am not supposed to eat anything that morning, in case I do end up with a c-section. The hospital staff will perform an ultrasound to confirm the baby is not too large for a vaginal birth. We're pretty confident the baby won't be more than 8 lbs (I'm thinking probably no more than 7.5 lbs). But in case the baby is pretty large, that means we'll go straight to a c-section. Assuming the baby is not too large, then the staff will check my cervix again to see if it's more ripe. If my cervix is still completely closed with not even a hint of improvement, I think we may proceed straight to a c-section. I'm not positive on that though. I do know that Edward and I agreed to try 1 induction method, a less invasive one. And if that doesn't work, then we'll proceed to the c-section. Dr. Burman said that there's about a 50% chance that the use of Misoprostal will get my labor in motion. Because I had a successful vaginal birth with Avalon, I know they would like to at least try for a vaginal birth this time. But Dr. Burman isn't super confident the Misoprostal will even work, and he said there's likely a 50% chance I may still end up with a c-section. Misoprostal is a tablet that is placed near the cervix, and it's typically used when the cervix is not very favorable. So the tablet would be placed inside, and then we would wait approximately 3-4 hours to see if it does actually kick start my labor. The doctor said we're not going to deal with Pitocin or anything like that. And the baby will be monitored the entire time, and if the baby has any distress, we'll go right to the c-section. We figured it's worth a shot to at least try the tablet and see if that does anything. If not, we've only wasted a few hours, and we'll end up having the baby later that day via c-section. My OB already advised he will be available all day and he'll be ready to go when we are to deliver this baby.

It really helps to have an end date set. I know that no matter what, this baby won't be born any later than 12/21/10! It's nice to have that date set and to know that in 7 days or less, this precious child will be in our arms, crying, wiggly, and wrinkly!! That helps keep us from freaking out too much in these final few days. I still worry all the time though. 7 days is a lot of time. Anything can happen. We lost Avalon after my contractions had started on that final weekend. So I'll continue to be very aware of Cupcake's movements and I'll be diligent with my kick counts. And having another NST on Friday going into my last weekend of this pregnancy will help re-assure me also.

I can't believe we are so close to the end. I can't believe Christmas is next week. I can't believe that I am so close to having a healthy baby in my arms after having my heart broken last year when we lost Avalon. I am tearing up right now just thinking about her. She was so beautiful, so perfect, so precious. I know this baby will be all of those things too. I know my tears are partially because we are so close to finally feeling that happiness we didn't get to feel when Avalon was born. Edward and I didn't get to experience the joy of giving birth to a healthy baby, hearing that baby's first cries, and holding that slimy brand new baby who I had just pushed out. Avalon entered the world silently, and Edward and I didn't have tears of joy. We had tears of pain and sorrow. We knew she had passed away once we arrived at the hospital that night. I wept uncontrollably after I delivered her and I found out I had given birth to a little girl. I always figured that I would describe the "best days of my life" to be the days that my children were born. Yes, my wedding day was amazing. But Edward and I both agree that the birth of our children trumps that. Well, the day Avalon was born was the worst day of my life. That was the first time I suffered a broken heart. And I pray that will be the only time. I am looking forward to the feeling of complete joy and happiness we will feel when our healthy Cupcake arrives next week...feelings I was robbed of last year when we lost our sweet Avalon. I am looking forward to meeting this precious child that has been kicking my ribs these last few weeks, and I look forward to kissing those little feet. I can't wait to kiss those sweet cheeks, that precious little nose, and see how much this baby may or may not look like his/her beloved big sister.



My belly at 37 weeks pregnant with Cupcake.


My belly at 38 weeks pregnant with Cupcake. Photo taken earlier this evening. I still can't access my pregnancy photos of Avalon due to my PC issues, but if I can later in the future, I'll post a comparison photo. I'm pretty curious myself!