Feb. 8: Well, here we are! I think that since Andrew came five days early, I really had it in my mind that this baby would come early too. I go to bed each night hoping that I’ll wake up in labor, but I keep sleeping through the night! Each meal I wonder if it’s my last pre-baby meal, but nothing has happened yet. My 20 week ultrasound put the due date at Feb. 14 rather than the 8th, so there’s always the possibility that the baby isn’t even actually late yet. Yet, the waiting…especially knowing how the risks to the baby increase as time goes by…isn’t super easy!
Bryan and I sat together and talked to the baby a lot as she had a rollicking party in my belly. Hard to imagine that we’re so close to holding her:)
I had my 40 week midwife appointment. She did an ultrasound to confirm again that the head was down and to to make sure that the baby had a good amount of amniotic fluid. Baby’s heart rate was good, and she was pretty active. I continue to have lots of non-painful contractions, but there’s not much sign of progress toward labor. But you never know…maybe tonight!
From BabyCenter.com
How your baby’s growing:
It’s hard to say for sure how big your baby will be, but the average newborn weighs about 7 1/2 pounds (a small pumpkin) and is about 20 inches long. His skull bones are not yet fused, which allows them to overlap a bit if it’s a snug fit through the birth canal during labor.
This so-called “molding” is the reason your baby’s noggin may look a little conehead-ish after birth. Rest assured — it’s normal and temporary.
How your life’s changing:
After months of anticipation, your due date rolls around, and… you’re still pregnant. It’s a frustrating, but common, situation in which to find yourself. You may not be as late as you think, especially if you’re relying solely on a due date calculated from the day of your last period because sometimes women ovulate later than expected. Even with reliable dating, some women have prolonged pregnancies for no apparent reason.
You still have a couple of weeks before you’ll be considered “post-term.” But to be sure your baby is still thriving, your practitioner will schedule you for testing to keep an eye on her if your pregnancy continues.
You may have a biophysical profile (BPP), which consists of an ultrasound to look at your baby’s overall movements, breathing movements (movement of her chest muscles and diaphragm), and muscle tone (whether she opens and closes her hand or extends and then flexes her limbs), as well as the amount of amniotic fluid that surrounds her (important because it’s a reflection of how well the placenta is supporting your baby).
Fetal heart rate
monitoring (called a nonstress test or NST) will generally be done as well — by itself or as part of the BPP. Or, you may have what’s known as a modified BPP, which consists of an NST and an ultrasound to assess the amount of amniotic fluid.
If the fetal testing isn’t reassuring — the amniotic fluid level is too low, for example — you’ll be induced. If there’s a serious, urgent problem, you may have an immediate c-section.
Your practitioner will also check your cervix to see if it’s “ripening.” Its position, how soft it is, how effaced (thinned out) it is, and how dilated (open) it is can all affect when and how your labor is induced. If you don’t go into labor on your own, you’ll be induced, usually sometime between 41 and 42
weeks.