40 Weeks - A Trip to the Hospital

Unless I go into labor and miraculously deliver a baby in less than 3 hours, Baby Herrera will be born after his due date, which was today, February 23rd. This isn't TOO surprising because I saw Dr. Boehmer on Thursday, and he said that I was still about 1 to 2 cm dilated and 60% effaced. He believed that I wasn't going to deliver for another week or so and that he would make plans to induce me 10 days after my due date if the baby still hasn't arrived. Let's hope the baby doesn't stall THAT much. I'm losing my mind over here.

But today, we actually had a little bit of excitement.

By the way, if you are easily grossed out and/or don't really want to know what happened with my body, then don't read any further...OR you can just skip straight to the weekly questionnaire. You've been warned!

So, first off: I lost my mucus plug Saturday morning. It. Was. Gross. And if you don't know what that it is, it's exactly what it sounds like - it's a phlegmy plug that protects the opening of the cervix. It dislodges and gets discharged in the early stages of labor.

ANYWAY, we began the day super early at 5:00am. Ralph got ready for work while I packed up to stay at the babysitter's my parents' house. (Everyone agreed that it was best that I wasn't left alone during these last few days/weeks of my pregnancy.) The next couple of hours were normal enough at my parents' household - dad went to work, brother went to school, mom began cleaning up the place, Wendy and Fitz were chasing each other around, and I...well, I went back to sleep.

A couple of hours later, I woke up to the awesome smells of my mom's cooking - one of the many things I miss about being home. :) As soon as I stood up, I felt like I leaked something, so I immediately went to the bathroom to check things out. I was horrified to see bright red blood after I wiped myself. I stayed calm and remembered that my doctor said that spotting IS normal, so I decided to just wait and see if it got worse. Well, it didn't really go away - it felt like I was having a normal period.

After about an hour, I decided to call the nurse hotline, and after answering a few basic questions, the nurse told me to go to the hospital and get checked. So my mom and I were off to Kaiser.

I honestly didn't think I was in labor, but the bleeding did concern me because it was more than just "spotting". Upon arrival, the nurses checked me in and got me ready for an exam. They even hooked me up to a fetal monitor.

Waiting for the doctor!

A midwife came in and started to do the pelvic exam, which hurt way more than ANY other pelvic exam I've had. She discovered a cervical polyp but wanted verification so she called in the doctor, who did confirm that I did have a few polyps - the doctor determined that they were benign and the likely cause of the bleeding. They also confirmed that my water had not yet broken AND that I was 3 to 4 cm dilated. Sweet! Some progress! After they ruled that everything else was okay, they sent me home.

So after all that, my mom and I went back home (but not before we made a quick stop at Target...typical). And now, I'm just sitting at home (my home) with Ralph, watching the Ducks game. I have another regular doctor's appointment on Thursday, so we'll see what the plan will be since all this happened.

How far along?: 40 weeks
Total weight gain/loss: +26 lbs
Sleep: Ugh.
Best moment this week: Probably when my mom took me out for lunch last Friday - we had dim sum and boba. :)
Movement: Still movin'.
Symptoms: Refer to "Labor Signs".
Symptoms I DON'T have: Itchy skin, heartburn, and sciatica.
Food cravings: Oddly enough, sweet stuff! I've wanted cupcakes, waffles, ice cream, and cookies the last few days. Very weird, since I didn't really crave sweet stuff this entire pregnancy.

Food aversions: Nothing!
Gender: Boy!
Labor Signs: Dilation and effacement; low back pain, pubic pain, BHC, "nesting" - same stuff as last week.
Belly Button in or out?: Flat as a pancake.
What I miss: Sleeping comfortably and not waking up every hour to adjust myself.
What I am looking forward to: BABY. OUT.
Weekly Wisdom: Be even more patient...
Milestones: Mucus plug has been dislodged!

Hopefully the next time I post, I'll be posting baby pictures.