Size-wise

Yesterday was the 36 week ultrasound for a size check. It went well. Zachariah was able to come along to see his little brother. He loved it. He was amazed at hearing the heartbeat (and seeing it too), watching him breathe, but most of all he liked seeing the little ones squirmy hands and little feet. It was fun to share the wonder with him.

The ultrasound went well. The baby is doing great. All his parts check out. We even did a confirmation that it's a boy. It is...we saw those parts. (Makes me feel better about those clothes that I already washed. LOL) He is head down, which is great. I already knew he was. I can feel his head low in the past week or so. And I get very uncomfortable pressure and sometimes slight pain when he's really down there. (Something that I didn't experience before.)

His head measured him at about 6 lbs 12 oz. He's going to be a good-sized baby. This we had expected. But his femur length measured him a bit smaller. I forget exactly, but it was around 6 lbs 6 oz there. Pretty average for 36 weeks. It looks like he may just have a larger head. Zachariah did too, but I didn't have any problems delivery him.

I asked the doctor what she thought about the size and everything. (Before the appointment I was worried they'd try to rush me into delivering early due to size.) She said she's not concerned. She's guessing he'll be able 8-9 lbs by my due date. There is no rush or worry about his size, but she wouldn't want me to go more than a week overdue.

I was so relieved to hear that. I didn't even make it to my due date last time. I had an induction at 39 weeks due mostly to size. So I was a little excited to hear that (assuming everything is still great), I could actually go a little over.

The doctor explained that most times second babies are a little easier to push out and their heads don't get as squished on the way out. She said this will most likely not be the case for me. Since his head looks a little big, he'll probably need more time pushing to get everything out. This is not a concern, but just something that is likely to happen. No big deal to me.

I had an internal exam too. There is no dilation yet, but she says I'm thinning. With all of the pressure I've been feeling, I would not have been surprised to be dilated. Sounds like it may not take long though. And she could feel the baby's head. He really is down low. This didn't surprise me either, because I feel him down there. When he's wiggly, it can get really uncomfortable.

And the best news is I have permission to go into labor at any time now. I am on the high side for fluid (not too much though), so if my water breaks it will be a lot. But if my water breaks or I have regular contractions, I can just go with it. And I can get checked at the office or chose to go straight to the hospital. She said walking a lot or anything else I want to do to get labor going is fine at any time.

While I'm not ready quite yet to have this little guy (ask me again in a week or two), it was surprising and reassuring to hear this. I feel good knowing I'm in the safety zone and ready for delivery. Things are moving in the right direction. I'm hoping with the baby's position and pressure I've been feeling, I'll have a smoother delivery. I really just want to go into labor on my own without any other "help". I know he'll come in his time, and I can't wait to meet him.

It's amazing how much calmer and prepared I feel after this last appointment. It was good to hear that things are going so great. My goal is to keep that up and deliver a very healthy baby boy in the next few weeks.