37 weeks and 3 cm dilated

Posted: June 19th, 2010 | Author: Marissa K. | Filed under: | Tags: Dim Sum, Pregnancy | 7 Comments »

Yup. I give up. I am now all-consumed with Dim Sum’s pending arrival. All that wishing and hoping, running and exercising, spicy food and *ahem* other activities that are supposed to stimulate baby to arrive have apparently worked, cuz I’m 3 cm dilated with 3 weeks to go until my due date.

And I’M COMPLETELY FREAKING OUT. Thus the 5 a.m. blogpost. (I’ve been up since before 3. Ugh.) Forgive the following ramble, as it’s mostly a tool for me to put down my feelings… I hope it’s somewhat entertaining.

Nate’s sleeping, and I’ve got enough on the To-Do list that I need him to get his rest, so I’m trying to do “quiet” things… make lists, make more lists, check email, write blogposts… My attempt to make a cup of tea has already woken him up once. (I’ve never been a quiet person.)

I’m experiencing this very odd combination of elation–a slightly early arrival is exactly what I’ve been hoping for–and anxiety–my uber-planner self had estimated at least 2 more weeks of productive work before I’d have to batten down the hatches and really be ready to be a mom (!!!)

Yesterday was my 37-week check up at the doctor’s office. A baby is expected to gestiate for 40 weeks before it’s “due,” but they’re considered full-term around 37 weeks. The final three weeks are spent putting on extra pounds… about 1/2 lb. per week for baby. As mentioned in my previous post, I’ve stayed pretty small throughout this pregnancy. In fact, according to yesterday’s weigh-in, I’ve gained a total of 15 lbs to date. (I don’t know how, but I’ve lost a couple of pounds over the past 2 weeks.) Lately, I’ve been feeling really good. I’ve been energetic but careful not to overdue things. I’ve been active, and Nate and I have had a number of outings with good friends. Heck, I even went sailing last weekend.

And all this, I conveyed to our doctor. As usual, she measured my baby bump and checked the heartbeat. All is tracking well–the bump is measuring just right at 37 weeks, and the heartbeat is appropriately starting to slow down. At this point, the baby is estimated to be about 5 lbs… (but really, they can’t estimate with that much accuracy). My doc seemed pretty happy with things, and then we did a further exam to see if I’m at all dilated. Her words: “OK, don’t freak out, but you’re 3 cm dilated and your cervix has shrunk about 70%.”

I didn’t freak out… (until later)… I did a little happy dance and glanced over at Nate. Nate, who was hoping for a birthday present on his real birthday, was a bit more surprised. Further explanation from the doctor put things into perspective: “I’d be incredibly surprised if you made it to your due date [7/11], and you might get to bring Dim Sum to your dim sum party.”

I still didn’t freak out, but Nate grasped the reality of the situation way before I did. “Awww! I was really hoping to share my birthday with Dim Sum. Can we use duct tape to keep things closed? Duct tape is an amazing product.” –Maybe Nate’s humor doesn’t translate to the blog, but he was hilarious.

I walked out in a daze, booked another appointment for Wednesday (next KaiserTales update: Wednesday afternoon!), and we both headed in to work. I think it was there that everything started to sink in and I started to freak out. In response to my news, one of my co-workers shared with me that she and her family all tend to deliver at 4 cm dilated–forget this 10 cm stuff! She then went on to mention that I could conceivably deliver in the next 72 hours. HOLY SHIT!!! It hadn’t really occurred to me like that.

While highly unlikely, it’s still a possibility. And I NEED the next week or two of non-motherhood status for my sanity and to get shit done. There’s lots to do around the house, but more so, there’s so much at work that I want to finish up before maternity leave! Yet, my brain is mush, my hormones are all over the place, and, forgive me, but I have to get up and pee again. Dammit.

This will all end soon, right? And I’ll forget all this anxiety and worry. And we’ll have a little Dim Sum to dote on. OMG.

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