39 weeks

Here I am only one week away from my "due date" and still pregnant!  Amazing!  I feel like baby may have engaged into my pelvis last night.  Very low movement, very heavy pressure on my pelvic bones down there.  This is getting exciting!!  I see my midwives on Friday this week, if I make it that far!  I am very anxious to meet this little one and see if it is a boy or girl and give him or her a name!

38 weeks

I am still amazed to be pregnant at this point!  But that is a good thing!  Baby will continue to grow and put on some weight, and also develop the sucking reflex.  So hopefully breastfeeding will go much easier this time.  Since Ronnie was 4 weeks early, he was not interested in breastfeeding.  So I pumped around the clock until he finally did it himself at 6 weeks old.  So I do have my breastpump and supplies in case it happens again.  And I am determined to make it work, so I will do what I have to do to make breastfeeding successful once again.  But since this baby is going to be more mature than Ronnie was, it should be easier.

Yesterday morning the Braxton-Hicks contractions have started to come on more frequently.  They still are today.  But nothing strong or regular yet.  I also felt some pain/pressure on my rectum yesterday when I would walk around.  But I am not feeling that so much today.  Baby may be in a different position today, or not down as low at the moment.  One of my midwives is coming here today for my prenatal visit.  I will post about that sometime afterwards, either tonight or maybe tomorrow.

My neighbor Casey is throwing a diaper shower for me this Saturday, permitting I have not given birth this week. :)  So I am looking forward to that.  Now to see if baby waits that long or not!

I made it to 37 weeks!!!!!!!!

I am 37 weeks today, I am going to have my homebirth!!  Woo hoo!!  I put my birth supplies in boxes today so they are ready to go.  I need just a couple more things, but otherwise I should have it all now.  Tomorrow I go for my weekly prenatal appointment.  I never made it to the weekly prenatal stage with  my first pregnancy!  Ronnie was already 5 days old by this time!  So I am glad this baby has stayed in longer.  That allows him/her to continue to grow and to be sure and develop the sucking reflex for nursing.  Ronnie did not take to nursing right away.  I had to pump every 2 or 3 hours around the clock until he finally got it by the time he turned 6 weeks old.  I have my own pump now in case that happens again, but I pray it doesn't this time.  The countdown is on! :)

Prenatal home visit

Yesterday both midwives and both assistants came for the 36 week prenatal home visit.  I also had my neighbor Casey and her little guy Blaise here.  Depending on the timing of my labor and delivery, and who can take Ronnie, Casey may attend the birth.  She is a nursery nurse at our local hospital, so she is around birth and babies every time she works.  I would like for her to experience a homebirth if it works out.

It was a 2 hour home visit and my head is spinning from all the information we covered.  Wow!  I was given some handouts about things, and signed waivers for things we declined.  We walked around the house so they would know where we keep things, and we tried to go over a basic idea of what kinds of things we would like to do during labor and delivery.  My blood pressure was good, baby's heartbeat was good.  So everything checked out well as far as mine and baby's health.

I've just got to make it 3 more days and I am in the "safe zone" for my homebirth!!!!  I was taking some walks this week and noticed that it causes my braxton-hicks to come on more frequently.  So I have decided to stop taking walks until I make it to Tuesday, just to be safe.  I'll be so relieved to make it to 37 weeks this time, knowing that when labor does start, I can just be at home!!!!!