Category Archives: hospital

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 37

Happy Monday! And welcome back to another installment of my week by week pregnancy guide. If you want to catch up with previous weeks, then feel free to scroll to the bottom.
Week 37
Your baby is now breathing inside of you. It sounds creepy, but it is actually kind of cute. At this point everyone was saying I should take a tour of the hospital where I would be delivering. I didn’t get a chance to, and honestly I don’t think I would have cared. When you get there you will be wheeled straight into the delivery room. After which you will be taken to your room, and you will be there until you go home. With Munchie I was in the hospital for the whole mandatory two days. With Ducky my doctor sent me home same day. So really, whether or not the hospital chooses to display O’Keefe or Monet in their hallways doesn’t matter. Skip the tour. Go get some ice cream instead. Unless of course you are lactose intolerant, in which case don’t. But feel free to skip the tour anyway.
Some doctors will want to induce during this week. If so, find out why. If there is a legitimate health reason, such as preeclampsia, or other factors, then by all means, trust your doctor. However, I have friends who’s doctor had them induced without any valid reasoning aside from scheduling convenience. Sorry, that is not a good enough reason for me. And it shouldn’t be for you either.
Now your doctor will want to see what position your little one is in. Until now your baby was probably doing somersaults. Which was fine. But at this point his head should be down, otherwise you have a breech. If so, then your doctor may try turning the baby over from the outside. This can be very painful for you, as it is something like a violent massage. But it does not hurt the baby in any way. If this doesn’t work, then you play the waiting game. You may not go into labor as soon as you might think, giving the baby time to rotate on his own. However, once you are in labor and he still hasn’t turned, you are most likely looking at a c-section. As scary as this may sound, it is not the end of the world. You will recover, and at this point, the best thing you can do is trust your doctor. However, until you are actually in labor with a breech baby, trust your instincts.
Two weeks to go!!
 
If you want to catch up…  

Week 15 

Week 23 

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 34

It is Monday, and time for another week’s worth of pregnancy information in my week by week pregnancy guide. If you want to peruse previous weeks, scroll to the bottom.
Week 34
I have said this before, and I am going to say this again. By this point, please make sure you have filled out the paperwork with your hospital. You have no idea uncomfortable it could be if you have to do everything right then and there. With Munchie I preregistered, and it was the easiest thing ever. I showed up. They put me in a room. Done. With Ducky, even though I preregistered, they lost my paper work. So I got to experience what it would be like had I not preregistered. I am usually pretty mild mannered and calm. Until there is a baby clawing its way out of me and you are asking me to repeat my street address for the fourth time.
Now would also be a good time to pack up all your stuff for the hospital. I made this list in case you don’t know where to begin.
I wear contacts. Because I am as blind as a bat. Except I don’t have awesome sonar. I thought my vision was going but then my doctor told me that this is normal, and it will come back. Sure enough it did. So before you get your eyes checked out and a new prescription, check with your doctor.
Otherwise, all the regular symptoms will continue. Nothing new to report. Just try to enjoy these last few weeks.
If you want to catch up…  

Week 15 

Week 23 

40 Weeks of Pregnancy – Week 32

Welcome back to Week 32 of my week by week pregnancy guide. If you are new and want to catch up, scroll to the bottom.
Week 32
Your baby is now breathing, and suckling and doing all sorts of other cute things. I am sure this is not medical terminology, and I am sure your doctor will have more information for you, especially since around now you are going to start seeing your doctor every two weeks or so.
With Munchie around this time I was diagnosed with mild preeclampsia. Mildly, it is nothing to really worry about, but if you get a severe case of it you may be put on bed rest, or have an emergency c-section. If you have it, your doctor will tell you what you need to do.
As you are looking into different methods of childbirth, you have probably heard about Lamaze, a breathing technique most people have heard of. But there is also the Bradley Method, similar to Lamaze that is also worth trying. I looked into both, but honestly, I didn’t use either. Mainly because when it came to actually giving birth I was too busy hyperventilating to remember anything.
When considering where you want to give birth you may also be thinking about who you want to deliver your baby. I went the traditional route at a hospital with my doctor. But I have also heard of some people who have used a Doula, and have had great success. Look into and see if it is something that may interest you.
What have you been considering?
If you want to catch up…  

Week 15 

Week 23