Getting close to show-time!

When we first found out we were expecting, our calculation of the due date ended up with October 26 being the chosen day to bring our little one from the warm confines of the womb into this crazy world. The doctors all along have said October 27... but I understand that all means nothing once the due date is approaching. Amy had an OB appointment yesterday, and all the Braxton-Hicks contractions she has been experiencing the last couple of weeks seem to be causing some changes and progressing BGF (Baby Girl Farris) further and further along in her adventurous journey. I hope it is ok to talk about my wife's cervix on this blog... seems kind of personal, but I suppose that's what the big story is about at this point in the pregnancy. So, here it goes... Amy's cervix is 90% effaced, or thinned, and 2cm dilated. Even though I know my anatomy, I'm not quite sure how they get such exact numbers on those measurements. I mean, it's not like they are putting a ruler next to it or are comparing photos from last week to this week. Come to think of it, OB's may be the only medical profession who could continue examining patients even in the midst of a power outage. But I digress... (sorry Ames, I got carried away).

So, here we are. Or she is, at least... at 2cm dilated. That reminds me... I have to take one more trip off-topic. Amy's OB was in rare form yesterday. She said she will examine "us." Then, after laughing and correcting herself... she motioned to me with her gloved fingers all lubed up and said "Turn around!" Not a funny joke in my book, but she thought it was funny. We love her and she has been more than great at keeping us positive during this pregnancy after our 2 miscarriages last year... she must be getting comfortable around us, I suppose.

So, Amy is 2cm dilated now. What exactly that means as far as a timeline for the beginning of labor, we are not sure. I guess every woman and every pregnancy can be different. We have seem "Baby Stories" on television where the woman is already in full-blown labor with painful-looking contractions (we probably shouldn't be watching these shows, I know), and when the doc "checks" (again, do they have a small fiberoptic cable attached to their fingertips to get a look?) they are only at 1 or 2 cm dilated. I guess there is nothing to do other than wait. We were originally hoping BGF would arrive early, but now that Amy has developed a head cold the past couple of days, we are hoping she has time to get over that before going into labor. Also, we found out yesterday that our OB is going to a wedding in Kansas City, MO... leaving this Friday! The other OB's in her group are probably great, but we would really, really like to finish this race with the same coach we began training with.

One concern that presented was Amy's blood pressure was up some from prior exams. That, combined with the edema in her lower legs and feet, was what prompted the doc to take her off work. It was Amy's dedication to her work which swayed the doc to allow her to go to work today. Amy has a few things to finish before being gone from the office for a while. She returns to the office on Friday for a blood pressure check to see if her BP has risen further. If so, they will consider inducing labor (on Fri? this weekend?). We are praying her BP remains stable and that it was the anxiety of the pending exam which caused it to rise during our visit yesterday.

Pretty much all else has fallen into place. We put some last finishing touches on the nursery decor, which will be locked up until BGF arrives. It turned out really nice... a dream for any little girl for sure! I have read through all of the pregnancy books we have acquired a few times... so now it is on to the "First Year" books. I'm already up to the 8th month... I think I'd better backtrack a bit and re-read the first 24 hours again, and then one more time after that. As I sit at work between patients, I run through the lectures we had during our childbirth classes and run though the sequence of events during labor, what my role is during each section, ways to keep Amy focused and as comfortable as possible, etc. There is so much to know! I do understand it likely won't go exactly as the books say... but it would be so much easier if it did because I am prepared! ;-)

We keep forgetting to take the 38 week photo of Amy, but we are going to do that tonight (I wrote a note to remind us!) and will be posting that soon.

I will keep y'all posted as things progress as best I can.

Aloha