Full Term (37 Weeks)

We are once again amazed that another week has passed. Alexa is now considered "Full Term." If labor were to start, then it would not be stopped & she should be able to enter the world with no age related complications. Most doctors prefer babies to stay in as close to 40 weeks so they can gain more weight (about 1/2lb a week) which will help them maintain body temperature and make eating a little easier. So we are not in a rush to meet our baby girl quite yet. The average 37 weeker is around 6 1/2lbs and 20inches.

This past week has been relatively slow. I knew the bed rest was coming to an end & should enjoy it while it lasts. On Wednesday I had my 37 week doctor visit. I am now 120.2lbs, 120/92 blood pressure & everything else looks good. We had a NST & passed with flying colors. There have been no changes in the contractions or dilation. The doctor told me he will see me in another week. He does not think I will go into labor before then (neither do I). I was also taken off of ALL restrictions. I am looking forward to swimming & taking nightly walks with my hubby. We are no longer considered high risk. Yah Alexa!!!

36 Weeks

We made it to the doctors goal. This week has been as expected. I laid in bed and prayed for Alexa to stay put a little while longer. On Sunday we had our church baby shower. It was a lot of fun. I was really happy with that I decided to go. Alexa was once again spoiled with adorable outfits, decorations for her room & other items.

Wednesday was my weekly doctor visit. I was given a NST(Non-Stress test). Alexa like always did great & even put on a kicking show for all of us. My contractions were showing 3-5 minutes apart and lasting around a minute. This is when things got a little grey. At 35 weeks 6 days the doctors still would prefer the baby to stay inside, but there is no guess on the best approach for this. I was told to go home, get some lunch & rest. I returned for my follow up visit at 2pm. The doctor then decided that my cervix was progressing from the morning visit so he sent me to the hospital.

I was put on an initial high concentrated dosage of magnesium sulfate and then a continual drip for 21 hours. The contractions were gone! I could not believe it. It was the first time in over 2 weeks that I went more than 15 minutes with out a single contractions. I was taken off the magnesium to see what happened. It was not until 8pm that I noticed any change. As the night went on my contractions returned.

At 4am my nurse came in to do a cervical check. She said my contractions were once again 3-5 minutes a part and I am now 3 centimeters dilated.

At noon my doctor came by. He determined that my labor was not progressing to the point of needing more medicine to slow it down. We were given an ultra sound to verify that Alexa had enough fluids and then we were sent home. I will remain on bed rest until 37 weeks!