My water broke this morning
Wow, my water broke this morning at around 10:00am. At first I wasn’t sure if I just peed on the floor, but then it kept trickling so I knew it had broken. We are at 38 weeks as of today, so the baby is full-term, but still two weeks before ETA.
At my last appointment, the receptionist at my OB-GYN said “good luck, just in case I don’t see you”, and I thought she was crazy since first babies are usually late. But, she must see so many pregnant women, that maybe her intuition is finely tuned.
Since I tested positive for Strep B I had to go to the hospital right away to get started on antibiotics. We went to the assessment room at North York General, and met two nurses, Heather and Karen, who were very friendly and helpful. They put the baby on the monitor for a while, and confirmed that the water had broken. I am 1cm dialated so far.
They let us return home since we live so close to the hospital, but we have to be back for 4:00pm for the next set of antibiotics.
If my labour does not start at 10:00pm, then they are going to start to induce me. I would prefer not to be induced, especially since I hear it is more painful than natural, but I am going to go with the recommendations of the nurse and doctor.
Now every twinge/kick I wonder if it is a contraction, but no contractions so far.
We took the subway to the hospital the first time, and I know the walking is good for me at this point, but if the contractions start, then we are calling a taxi.
Ok, now I really feel pregnant
Yesterday I felt so big and couldn’t get comfortable in any position. I can no longer get out of bed or a chair without a routine and sleeping is so much more difficult. It was painful every time I moved or the baby kicked.
I have two weeks left until the babies ETA and I have been suffering from lots of other symptoms, but this is the first time the weight of the baby has really been an issue. I have gained around 25-30 pounds. (It is hard to tell exactly since I was on a mini-diet when I first found out I was pregnant). I am so glad that I am no longer working.
My belly does not feel as hard or extended today. I had always expected the growth of my belly to be linear, not up and down like it has been. I know a lot of the differences are due to gas and constipation, but it still is weird. Oh, that reminds me: time for my daily prune juice.
Not far now
Only 24 days to go until the baby’s ETA date. Although of course I realize that it is not likely to be on that actual day. I have started finishing up things at work and it feels weird that I won’t be around.
I went grocery shopping yesterday I bought milk which had a later expiry date than my due date. That struck me as very strange. Months ago, it felt like I would be pregnant forever, but now the date is approaching. I hear that the waiting after the due date is the longest wait of all, and first babies do tend to be late. But I still am counting down the days.
Another side of me doesn’t want the pregnancy to end. I like the looks I get and being treated special. Also, I think I am really going to miss the baby kicking (except the kicks to the bladder). Most nights I am up 2-7 times to go pee, which I guess is good training for when the baby is here. But it would be nice to not have to plan my errands around bathroom trips. The other day I was at Yonge/Finch and the bathrooms were locked since it was after 6:00, luckily there was a dentist office there and they let me use their bathroom instead (Thank you).
Other symptoms:
- Occasional abdominal pain due to kicking or Brakston-Hicks
- Carpal tunnel: I wake up with painful hands each morning and cannot close my right fist for a while. Also, part of my left thumb is numb always.
- Weird painful spot on the upper outside of my calf
- Constipation – I must say that “Prune Nectar” rules. When I actually remember to drink a glass each day, this really helps.
- Swollen ankles – good thing I have boots that fit
- Mood swings
No Abdominal pain today
My tummy feels good today! I have been dealing with abdominal pains for the past few weeks, but I hadn’t realized how much it had been affecting me until today when the pain is gone. I am much less aware of my belly, and can even forget that I am pregnant for bits at a time. At first I was worried that I didn’t feel pregnant anymore, but I think how I feel now is more normal. The baby is still moving occasionally, although sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between movements and gas 
I went to a cardio aqua bellies class last night and I think that might have really helped since I haven’t been exercising much due to the ad pains that I get even when walking. I had some pains during the class, but nothing more serious than I had experienced walking, so I kept going. It could also be because I got a really good sleep last night.
Abdominal Pains in second trimester
I know that ligament pains can be quite common, and I have been having these pains since around the 5th week. They never lasted very long and once I realized what they were it was ok. It makes sense that the uterus has to stretch.
I am at the beginning of the 5th month now and in the last couple weeks I have started getting abdominal pains that are much more general and last for hours. My doctor said not to worry about them, and just to avoid walking if that aggravates it. However it is difficult to avoid walking since I still need to get to and from the subway. Last Thursday they were really bad, they had kept me up during the night and at work they were so distracting that I didn’t get much done. The pain itself wasn’t that bad, but it was the worry about what the pain meant. I called the doctor’s office and they said that as long as I wasn’t bleeding and the baby was still moving then not to worry about it. I can feel the baby move, but it is still rare since the placenta is at the front and I am usually moving around a lot during the day.
They recommended I take some Tums to help with any gas, and I also ate a bunch of prunes and apricots to help with constipation. I think it helped. The joys of pregnancy!
I am going to try a cardio aqua bellies class tonight (“Aerobic workout in the pool – water resistance & buoyancy strengthens pregnant bodies, improves circulation, massages & relaxes working muscles.”). Should be good, except I hate the chlorine. Hopefully it won’t be too bad.
Second Trimester Ultrasound
Yesterday we had our 18 week ultrasound. I am at 18 weeks + 3 days from LMP, however she estimated that I am actually at 19 weeks + 3 days which matches the other ultrasounds I have had.
We got to see the profile of the face, little fingers, the spine, the legs (which were moving around). My husband saw an ear too, but I couldn’t quite make it out on the monitor. The heart is still beating nice and strongly. The baby was face-down during the test, the technician said that it will tend to move around and that was ok. This was the first time that the baby actually looked like a baby, the technician took some photos for us, but didn’t let us have a video like some places do. I know the ultrasound is for the doctor’s benefit, not ours, but it would have been nice to have a recording.
It is all starting to be so much more real now. I am more aware of my tummy, especially since I keep getting ligament pains and other occasional twinges. What are we going to do when we actually get to bring the baby home?
During the ultrasound I was bursting to go pee, I drank lots of fluids, but I didn’t follow the instructions because I went pee half an hour beforehand. Partway through the test I was really uncomfortable and didn’t know if I could hold it (especially since she was pressing down with the ultrasound wand) and she let me go to the washroom. I don’t know how they expect pregnant women to hold their bladders for so long.
We don’t want to know the gender, so we asked the technician not to tell us. Although it amazes me how much they can tell from all those gray blobs.
I also just signed up for prenatal yoga classes with Baby and Me Fitness Classes at the JCC (Jewish Community Centre) in Toronto. They have multiple locations and classes and she said I could change around if I want to. Which is good since I don’t know which location I will be working at for the later part of the year. I will let you know how they go.
I have felt so tired this week, part if it could be due to coming back to work after a couple weeks vacation, but all I want to do all day long is lay down. I know this is a big symptom of pregnancy, it just seems that my tiredness level has zoomed up recently.
Heartbeat
We had another appointment this morning and we got to hear our babies heartbeat. It was really amazing, at first it was just a mush of noise, but then the doctor got the Dobbler mic in a better spot and we could hear the whoosing sounds of our babies heart. The doctor said that everything was going well.
I am now in my 15th week, so the second trimester has begun. I am feeling much better overall, but still having problems sleeping. I used to sleep on my belly, but that does not work anymore, and I find I have a difficult time getting back to sleep after going pee in the middle of the night. But I don’t want to cut down on fluids either.
I asked about my concerns for flying next week, and she said not to worry about the security xRay or anything. I just hope I will be allowed to bring snacks onto the plane. I don’t think I can last a 5 hour flight with just airplane food.
I was also asked about my lack of weight gain and she said not to worry about it, I have gone up 2 pounds in the last 4 weeks according to her scale, but I know I have gone up and down over a range of 4 pounds during that time so I was a bit concerned. The waiting room was full of pregnant ladies at all stages and it was amazing to see how differently everyone carried. I felt out of place since I am not showing yet, but hopefully I will be showing soon.
We chatted in the waiting room about pre-natal classes and one woman said they saved the money and hired a nurse for three nights instead. However I think I would like to take the classes, also because it will be a chance to meet other expecting couples.
Are there post-natal classes? I think I am more worried about how we are going to take care of this little bundle.
Feeling good today
I am feeling good today. It is not as hot anymore and I got a good night’s sleep and I am in a happy mood. It is a long 4-day weekend, so I am just going to enjoy it.
I talked with my mentor and she was thrilled, and said not to worry about my promotion being affected by my maternity leave, she said as long as I was qualified I would still get it. It is weird since she influences promotions and she is my mentor, so she is in a bit of a conflict of interest situation. So I didn’t tell her that I may look for a job in another department or company when I get back, especially since I am sure my priorities will change and who knows what I will want after Mat leave.
