It's sinking in...

Wow...it is finally sinking in!  I am going to have a baby soon!  Sunday, we hit the 36 week mark.  We are now in our LAST month of this pregnancy!  I am still not ready.  I don't have a pack n play to use as a bassinet to keep by our bed yet.  I need to get the car seat checked out at the fire station to see how safe it is.  I don't even have a nursing bra!  How do you even buy one before the milk comes in???  I have no clue what size I will be, but I can tell you that I am really scared about my "girls" getting even bigger...Lord, help me!

Preston has always been a pretty chilled baby so far.  Or lazy...but not extremely active.  Over the last week or two, I ave noticed he moved much more often.  My books say that this is the time that his movements will begin to decrease as he runs out of room, but he didn't get that memo apparently.  I have also begun to get cramps.  They are low, like below my belly button.  I noticed them Monday (yesterday) at school, and figured that they were gas pains.  I felt those same cramps again last night a few times, then randomly all day.  I mentioned it to another student teacher who had a baby last month, and she told me to call the doctor just in case.  See, we are going on a field trip tomorrow that is around 2 hours away, so we figured it would be safer to call and have them see me and let them judge whether I could go or not. 

The nurse called me back and told me to be there at 2.  I get there 10 minutes early, and they immediately take me to an examination room, where I had to undress from the waist down.  I sat there for a FULL HOUR before I was seen!  I understand that it was busy, an I was not an appointment, but that hour lasted so long when I wasn't sure if I was having contractions or not!  The midwife (not my usual one Stacey...boo...) "checked" me.  It was so strange for her to tell me that she could feel his head, that I was 1 centimeter dilated, an about 60% effaced.  She said that it was not uncommon to be dilated already, but it was like I had ringing in my ears.  I am dilated.   I am thankful that he is still head down, because he moves so much, and he sticks something out on my side all the time.  It's really weird to watch!  I didn't ask her, but I wonder if that means he has begun to drop if she could feel his head?

They decided to perform a Non-Stress Test to see if I was having contractions.  Apparently he appears to be very healthy, but no contractions!  I am relieved because I am not ready for him yet...he needs to get stronger!  Plus, I have been looking forward to the field trip for so long.  I taught a 2 week unit on animals, so I am really excited to watch the students transfer that knowledge into personal experiences.  Plus, it's a field trip, who wants to have to stay at the school and observe other grades when I can go and have fun with my kids!  I was told that I had to ride in a car, and could not ride on the bus.  I have a doctor's note to excuse me...it's probably the strangest doctor's note ever though!  haha

Oh yeah!  Theresa (another mid-wife, I saw two today) interpreted the results from the NST told me how to detect real contractions.  She said that if they feel real, then I should drink a glass of water, and lie on my left side.  If they continue to increase, they are real.  If they go away, then they are not real. I have another appointment Friday for my real 36 week appointment.  They will be checking my iron levels and will do the strep test...fun fun...not! 

So, here are a couple pictures of my 36 week belly:



Keep us in your prayers!