38 weeks - Prenatal appointment

On Thursday, November 13, I went in for my weekly prenatal appointment. My blood pressure was 104/74. Baby's fluid level was 13.9, so still a very good amount. Heartbeat was about 140 BPM. (Babies' heart rates are much faster than adults', and remain so for about the first year.) Baby was nice and active, and passed the nonstress test. I was offered an optional internal exam if I wanted to know how far along I have progressed, so I said yes. Nurse said I was 50% effaced, which is the measurement for the thinning of the cervix, and barely a fingertip dilated. She massaged the cervix to release prostaglandins to continue the progress of dilation. (Cervix will eventually dilate to 10 cm to allow baby's head to pass out of the uterus.) Baby's head is at -1 station, which is just above entering the birth canal. (Click on picture below to enlarge.)
I'm not sleeping as well these days, I get odd cramps in my knees, or I wake up and can't fall back asleep, thinking about my long to-do list! I did put a towel and piece of plastic under the sheet to protect the mattress in case my water breaks at night! So the plastic is a little warm, and that doesn't help either.

So the full moon came and went Thursday, and I didn't go into labor! But today, Tim's mom arrives for two and a half weeks, so I've had a little chat with baby that the middle of next week would be a great time to arrive! We are still waiting for delivery of the crib and dresser, and need to start organzing all the gifts we have received. In the past month, baby has received three lovely homemade gifts by mail: a cozy yellow flannel patchwork quilt from baby's paternal grandfather's cousin, a wonderful scalloped edged yellow and white crocheted blanket from baby's paternal grandmother's sister-in-law, and a beautiful cream knitted blanket from baby's maternal grandmother's cousin.

On a very sad note, Thursday was also the one year anniversary of the birth day of Josephine, my cousin's stillborn daughter. This has been on my mind a little bit, I still feel such grief for her parents.