Ravenna is officially the size of a small pumpkin!
And she is still getting bigger every day, as am I :-O. It doesn't help that all I am craving these days are sweets, sweets, and some more sweets! I did reach my goal for 40 weeks of a 35 lb weight gain, but now feel worried as I go past this goal as I continue to be pregnant!
Don and I are getting impatient, waiting for our little bundle of joy to arrive. We have had a few false alarms over the past week and a half. I've found it's difficult to really know what is going on with my body, considering all of the new feelings I am having. I've had an increase in the frequency of my Braxton Hick's contractions, which made me question on a few occasions if I was in early labor. Unfortunately, I wasn't, and I'm still continuing to Braxton Hick's it up. In addition to these contractions, Ravenna really loves to head butt my cervix at night time, which feels ever-so-splendid. The only way I can think of how to describe it is feeling like I am momentarily being stabbed in the vagina! Not a pretty depiction, but accurate :) I've also had a lot of dull pain in my upper thighs, which I read can be caused by the baby dropping into the pelvis and pushing against the nerves. She is still as active as ever and with her size she can really jostle my belly around now.
We went to the doctor yesterday, hoping to hear that labor was near and that we had made a lot of progress since our last appointment which was almost two weeks before. We learned that I'm now 2 cm dilated and my cervix is still 75% effaced. It was a disappointment, but we're trying to remain positive. If Ravenna does not make her arrival by Tuesday, we have an ultrasound scheduled to check fluid levels, Ravenna's size, and her overall well-being. It will be crazy to get to see our baby in all of her glory in the ultrasound images! We haven't had an ultrasound for 5 months, so I'm sure she has changed quite a bit since then! After that we'll have a non-stress test before our appointment on Thursday. My understanding about this test is that I'll lay there for about 20-30 minutes while they use external monitoring to see how the baby is doing. If Ravenna is still being stubborn by Monday, the 16th, we will go in that evening to prepare for being induced the morning of the 17th. So at the very worse, we only have 10 more days! Of course we're hoping that we will get things naturally rolling before this date, but ultimately what matters to us is that our baby is healthy no matter what way she decides to enter this world.
We know that she will be more than worth the wait!
If anyone knows any hints/secrets of how to naturally induce, we are up for suggestions! I've been drinking raspberry leaf tea like crazy, loading up on fiber and spicy food, and walking all of the time. Someone at the Puyallup fair suggested that I walk around my living room on all fours, arching my back like a cat (meowing is optional). Sounds insane, but I do plan on trying it today! We'll see if she was just pullin' my chain or not!
