38 Weeks- Bed Rest

Went to the doctor on Monday and our fluid level dropped to just below 8. Dr. Lewis said that was ok for now but that I had to stop working and basically stay at home on bed rest until Maddox arrives. She said if my levels drop again then she will probably induce but either way she will not let us go past 39 weeks which is just next Friday. When I went back for a follow up visit on Thursday my fluids had not dropped anymore so that was a relief. As much as I hate to admit it, maybe this bed rest stuff actually works. They decided to do another weight check and it looks like Maddox is approaching 9 pounds which puts him over the 90th percentile. So Dr. Lewis and I had a conversation about our options. Basically, on Friday morning we can either induce labor or schedule a C-section. What I would like to avoid most is attempting a vaginal delivery and ending up having to go C-section anyway after hours and hours of labor. Dr. Lewis said that we did have a very good chance of that happening because of our current situation. For example: when labor is induced but not progressing quickly enough a C-section is required. We are not even 1 cm dilated yet so we would have a long way to go. If the baby's heart rate starts to drop a C-section is required. Hours of labor, getting stuck in the birth canal due to large size, low fluid levels, and an aging placenta can all cause the baby's heart rate to drop, all of which we already have against us. Also, there is a very good chance that the baby's shoulder or collar bone could break because of his size. To top these great conditions off, Dr. Lewis is not on call this weekend so if we ended up with an emergency C-section a doctor I am not familiar with would be doing the surgery. If we schedule it Dr. Lewis does it and it is not a rushed situation, therefore all this considered Jay and I thought it best for Maddox and I to schedule the C-section with Dr. Lewis. This way Maddox nor I get into a stressful and/or emergency situation and it really seems like the best choice for us. We could still go into labor naturally before then but if not it looks like by lunch time on Friday we will finally get to meet our little Maddox face to face. I am very very nervous but just as excited. Its hard to believe that in less than a week we will finally have the family we have been dreaming about for years and we will get to hold this little man that has been living inside, and kicking me, for the last 9 months.

Jason has been absolutely incredible through out this entire process. He completely takes care of us, from rubbing my feet to doing almost all the housework, well since I've been on bed rest all of the house work. He is so excited and involved in this entire pregnancy I know he is going to be an amazing and loving dad. I love how he snuggles my belly and talks to Maddox every night, it is so cute. I can not wait to share this amazing experience with him.

Bubby Rob came home for good on Monday. We are so excited, it seems like he has been gone forever and it is a great feeling knowing that he is not leaving again and the entire family is here and awaiting the new addition together.

Our nursery is pretty much complete except for a few finishing touches like the monkeys and some shelves we are still looking for. I hope Maddox loves it as much as we do.

One of Maddox's monkeys is finally complete, only 3 more to go! Its a Griffey monkey doing the swing man pose in case anyone can't tell.

I have one more belly buddy pic to add to the collection. Our best friends Danny and Ehryn are 12 weeks pregnant and we couldn't be happier for them. Maddox and Baby Cartwright will be spending a lot of time growing up together, they just don't know it yet. Looks like they will be just about 6 months apart. I know the picture is a little pathetic, Ehryn is beautiful and well... I pretty much resemble the Good Year Blimp by now but we knew we didn't have much time and we would regret it later if we didn't get the picture.

37 Week Update

We got to go home. After pumping me full of fluids over night and half the day on Friday our ultrasound looked good. The fluid levels went way up. I guess the doctors like to see the numbers between 8 and 24. On Tuesday we were a little below 8, on Thursday we actually got down to the 5s but after the night in the hospital we got up to 13 so we got to go home. They put me on bed rest all weekend and I go back to the doctor tomorrow to check the fluids again. When we had the ultrasound at the hospital they estimated Maddox's weight at 8.5 pounds!!!! I am officially freaking out. I really hope what everyone says is true in that ultrasounds are always on the high side. I guess we will see soon enough. I think we were both happy to come home. Rob gets home on Monday and we really did not want him to miss Maddox's birth day.

A special thank you to my wonderful mothers and sister in law. Momma B and Sister Tisha took care of the dogs on Thursday night and started cleaning my house. Momma B was here all day on Friday cleaning and I can honestly say it probably has never been this clean. Its so much easier to sit around on "bed rest" all day in a clean house. I have been wanting to clean for a while now but my feet have been hurting so bad after long days at work and Jay has been really busy trying to finish painting his truck before Maddox arrives. We both have been very stressed about the house lately so this was a major, major weight off the shoulders. My mom (Nanna) came over on Saturday to bring me lunch and keep me company but she also brought me the new Twilight movie. This made me very very happy. She is so sweet. It was killing me that it had been on the shelves over 12 hours and I did not have it yet. Plus it gave me something to do after she left.

On another note....we did not bring home a baby from the hospital but we did bring home a nice size dent in the car, I guess someone really hit it hard in the parking lot and we are pretty sure that Jay got a really bad case of bed bugs cause he is covered in little red bumps that suddenly appeared on Friday morning. We are thinking that it might have been the sheet or something that was in the little fold out bed thingy he slept on. At least we know now and he will bring his own sheet for the next visit.

37 Weeks

This week started with a couple days off of work. I really wanted to do some last min things so I felt better prepared for the baby, I had a little fun also. I met my friend Cristen at the Mall for pedicure and a trip to the motherhood store. The pedicure came at a great time. My feet have swollen up quite a bit in the last couple days. They look terrible!!! I never knew that swollen feet actually hurt, I just thought that my shoes wouldn't fit or something but I was wrong....they hurt pretty bad. I also got my taxes done, set up an appointment with a pediatrician, packed both mine and Maddox's hospital bags and caught up on some things around the house. There are still quite a few things that I want to get done before his arrival but overall I feel much more prepared now.

Jay and I spent the day at the hospital on Saturday for our child birth class. Overall it was a pretty good experience. They discussed new born nutrition, natural and medicated labor techniques, how to push, vaginal and c-section delivery, and what to expect in the first few days after birth for mom and baby. I think Jay and I learned a lot and I feel much better knowing a little more of what to expect at the hospital.

We went to the doctor on Tuesday for our ultrasound and checkup. I was really excited to see Maddox again cause it had been a while. Turns out once you are this far along you can't see as much. The ultrasound tech estimated him at 7lbs 2ozs which puts him in the 83 percentile. He was being very camera shy and would not turn his head for us to get a good peak so we just saw the back of his head, but it was still beautiful. She said he was definitely a big baby. All I can think is if we go full term then Maddox could be born well over 9 pounds! Yikes!!! When we met with the doctor she said that my amniotic fluid levels were below average and that it could mean that I was just not very hydrated or that we could have a placenta issue. She told me to drink lots and lots of water and come back in 2 days for another ultrasound. I am trying not to worry too much about it yet, I figure that if the doctor was really worried about it she would not have sent me home. I am also about 1/2 cm dilated so that is a exciting. We will see what Thursday's appointment brings.

I am publishing week 37 a bit early because tomorrow (3-19) is officially 37 weeks but we had an interesting turn of events during the follow up appointment to check the fluid. I went for my ultrasound today, after drinking well over 130 or so ozs of water in the last day in a half, and it turns out my fluid levels have actually dropped more. Dr. Lewis checked and I have not dilated any more but she said we were going to have to spend the night in the hospital. They hooked me up to a monitor for a while in the doctor's office to track the baby's heartbeat and stuff and they said he looked perfectly healthy and I should not worry. She said it also looked like I was having little contractions but I do not feel much yet. I am not really sure what happens if you continue without enough amniotic fluid, I assume that it causes your placenta to give out and finally detach, which is something you want to avoid if possible. I try not to ask too many questions that might scare me or make me get too worried or stressed out. I figure if there is a problem then the hospital is the safest place for Maddox and I to be and Dr. Lewis says this happens pretty often and since I am officially full term tomorrow there is no need to worry if we deliver a little early.

So here we are currently in the hospital. The plan is that they are going to pump me full of fluids for the night and do another ultrasound in the morning. If my levels have not improved then they will induce labor. I am a little nervous but Jay seems very excited. I really thought we would make it a little longer, and who knows maybe we will get to go home tomorrow and everything will be fine, but maybe we will get to see our precious Baby Maddox also. I think I will be happy either way. As much as I would love a couple more days or weeks to prepare the thought of holding him in my arms as early as tomorrow or the next day is very thrilling and exciting. I will post an update tomorrow after the decision is made.

36 weeks

Went to the doctor this week and my belly has grown 3cm in just 2 weeks but I didn't really gain much weight. Now Dr. Lewis is a little concerned that Maddox might be getting a little too big and she wants to do an ultrasound next week to check on his weight and stuff. I will start seeing her every week now to check for dilation and effacement. We are getting close!!

Congratulations to Tisha (Jay's sister) and Will. They got engaged this week and we couldn't be happier for them. Will makes Tisha very very happy and she will make an absolutely beautiful bride. No date set just yet but we can't wait.

Congratulations to our friends Jamie and Kevin O'leary who gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. His name is Sam Parker O'leary and he entered this world at 7lbs and 14 ozs. Maddox already has a playmate he just doesn't know it yet. Jamie says she has lots of stuff to tell me about labor and delivery so I am sure that will be interesting. Hopefully she does not scare me too much.

Everyone has been asking me about belly pics and for those who know me well know that I hate pictures of myself but I have been taking some belly to belly pics with some of my pregnant friends. So here they are.......I know I am huge!!!!!

Jamie O'Leary and I

Me and Cristen Gildow






Me and Nikki Lally

Jay and I will go to our all day child birth class next week so that should be interesting and educational.

35 Weeks

I had my last shower this week. It was at Momma B's house and it was hosted by her and my mom (Nana). My mom, bless her heart, was sick as a dog and she was still able to prepare all kinds of wonderful food. She made sure there was plently of stuff that I liked. I am a very picky eater, so I love when she is in charge food cause she knows all the yummy stuff I love. It was a great turn out. Lots of people from Jay's family and most of of my family friends came. Instead of a cake we had this big cookie sandwich thing, it was sooooo good, I swear I could eat it everyday. Tanya had prepared lots of really fun games. Everyone was given a piece of playdo and they had to make something to do with a baby out of it. It was really fun seeing what people came up with. We also played guess that celebrity baby, guess how much money was in the bottle piggy bank, the don 't cross your legs clothes pin game, and she even had these little baby bibs there that people could design themselves. Some of the gift highlights included a really cool diaper cake from my best friend Ehryn, (she is so creative), the entire bedding set came from Mamma B and Jay's sister Tisha, a really soft blanket with Maddox's name embroidered on it, a bouncy seat, and Jay's favorite....Maddox's first Bengal's hat. Thanks to a diaper raffle we also came home with a few hundred diapers too. That was great!!!!

Grammy (Mamma B) was very busy this week, and not just with the shower. She finished the nursery at her house and it is beautiful!!! She has been collecting Boyds's Bears for years and now she finally has them on display. She will be watching Maddox everyday when I go back to work, therefore she has to get almost as prepared as I do. Her nursery looks so cute, now Maddox will get to see monkeys at our house and bears at hers.

Maddox has been very active late at night lately. The other night I swear he was playing monkey bars with my rib cage. I could not get back to sleep to save my life. None of my usual tricks like turning over or a quick trip to the bathroom would work to get him back to sleep. I actually had to walk up and down the hallway to get him to calm down. Jay thought it was just hilarious. I am starting to get used to it but it just blows my mind that he can actually wake me up from a deep sleep with his kicks. Maybe he really is going to be the great little football player we are hoping for. I have a doctor's appointment next week, she is going to start examining me weekly now....its getting close!!