39 weeks

and no baby yet!

Baby Size: Big! The fruit comparison this week is a watermelon and that feels entirely too accurate. I definitely look like I am carrying around a watermelon on my tummy!

Fun Facts: CLL is able to flex the limbs. S/he is building the layer of fat and slough off the outer layers of skin. The vernix and lanugo are almost gone though there might be a little left on the skin at birth.

How I’m Feeling:I don’t think I really expected the baby to come before the due date but I definitelyhopedit might happen! Everything you read/hear about the last few weeks of pregnancy is spot on. I’ve been so lucky (knock on wood) to have such an uneventful pregnancy that having almost all the pregnancy symptoms come on at once was a bit of a jolt. Sleeping is a novelty at this point and walking-well-let’s just say I am not far from a waddle, though I plan to do everything in my power to avoid the waddle walk.

We had our 39 week doctors appointment this morning. Although I am still only 1cm dilated and 70% effaced, Dr. Dobrenis said the membranes are bulging and she can feel a definite difference from last week. I don’t really know what that means but it seemed to be a positive. We didn’t discuss stripping the membranes, which I was relieved about because we planned to tell her that we weren’t ready for that to happen yet. I think the topic didn’t come up because when she examined my belly she could tell something seemed different. I told her that I felt the baby move around a lot last night so she decided to do a sonogram to check the baby’s position. Turns out our little babe has decided to turn into OP (Occiput Posterior) position, which essentially means the back of the baby’s head is against my lower back. Dr. Dobrenis wasn’t alarmed but definitely told us some tips on things I can do to try and get the baby to move back. I knew exactly what this meant but I wanted to do some additional reading. The problem with having a baby that is “sunny-side up” is that it can cause back labor, which can be extremely painful. It can also cause a variety of other issues in a vaginal delivery. It doesn’t mean a vaginal delivery is no longer an option-but it means that there are other things to be considered if the baby doesn’t turn. Sometimes it can mean acesareandelivery. It’s definitely a good reminder to both Mach and myself that we can plan and plan all we want but our little babe might have a plan of its own!

The good news is that 50% of babies that are in OP position will turn themselves during labor, so no matter what I do now to try and get the baby to turn, it might not make a difference because the baby will turn him/herself once I go into active labor.

In the meantime, I need to spend a lot of time on all fours doing “cat/cow” movements to try to encourage the baby to move. So, if you’re looking for me, you know where to find me!

SpinningBabies.comhas a great write up on this position as well as breech positioning and ideas to get your baby to turn, etc…

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