When...

When a 2x nursing tank isn't big enough for your "girls"...
When your ta-tas are at LEAST 3X the size of your baby's head...
When you line up tucks pads in your underwear like pepperoni...
When you sit on a donut to nurse so your bum doesn't hurt more than the delivery itself...
When you continue to wear the mesh underwear for all its "sexiness"...

BUT

When you see this precious face and realize she is all yours....

It's TOTALLY WORTH IT!!!!

(and yes the world's longest post about the past week in the life of the Brockmans is in the works... stay tuned.)

Kenley Faith Brockman

Kim and Clay welcome Kenley Faith at 4:42pm. 7lb 12oz. More details to come

36 weeks....

I'm sure everyone wants to see the pictures and may skip the "educational" information about 36 weeks so I'll start with them, but first here is a reminder of 32 weeks....

and now at 36 weeks... DEFINITELY BIGGER ;o)

And last night too to show the true size of my belly.....

What's also really funny is how much bigger we can make my belly look if I smush the "girls" out of the way. It's frightening at that point so I won't post a picture of me crushing the "girls" and the massiveness that is said baby.

Now the educational part:

Little Bean should be about 6lbs now and about 18 1/2 inches long. That's a lot to scrunch up in my stretched out uterus which is probably why the "wiggles" and "kicks" feel more like stretching and someone trying to protest for more room. The size should be comparable to a crenshaw melon. (The word crenshaw just makes me think of Bring It On: All or Nothing.. ha! Cheerleading movies get to me... totally off tangent...) Little Bean should be shedding the downy covering of hair and waxy substance that covered and protected him/her during the stay in the amniotic fluid. The baby then swallows these substances from the fulid (along with other things) and this is what results in that black meconium that you hear about for the first few bowel movements. YUCK! If we can make it one more week to 37 weeks, we will be considered full term. We shall see what happens. If we are born before 37 weeks we will be pre-term. This is NOT the same as being a premie. Pre-term babies are born early but completely developed. Premie babies are born early but have some not quite developed fully. The biggest concern here is that the lungs are not fully developed and ready for life outside the womb.

As far as me, I found it hard to sleep last night. I was up just about every hour and then got up for the day at 430am. This is why I may appear to be tired in the picture above. I'm anxious and excited and nervous and find myself always heading to the bathroom. Someone (not naming anyone... Little Bean....) thinks its a game to smush my bladder and then when I try to pee, it gets headbutted. It's quite a weird sensation. Other than that, I'm just watching the days pass and wondering if Little Bean will be a little boy or a little girl.

"Unplugged"

****WARNING******************************
I feel obligated to give the TMI warning...
continue at your own risk.......
********************************************
So I am still progressing... how do I know?

Well, tonight I lost my mucus plug. Interesting to say the least when you weren't expecting it. I was still having some bleeding from Monday's (wait that was just yesterday) exam of the cervix. That's also weird since you spend your whole pregnancy knowing you shouldn't see any blood.

I should have known something was up. The last few times I went to the restroom last night were different down there and then...SURPRISE, what the hell is this huge goober?

I didn't know a lot about mucus plugs so after telling Clay what had just transpired, it was time to consult Dr. Google. He wondered what it meant. All I could say at first was that it meant my body was progressing and continuing to prepare for the big show.

According to numerous sites (and everything on the internet is true, right?) you shouldn't be worried about losing the plug as long as you are 36 weeks gestation. Well, I was 35 weeks and 6 days and like 21 hours (since it was like 9pm) which is close enough for me. The articles also mention that labor is not imminent immediately but it is definitely LOOMING. The time estimates, since there is no EXACT science about when you will go into labor, say labor is usually within 1 to 2 weeks. (Here's hoping for the within 1 week mark.) I did also ask a few friends (to remain nameless for their protection) about their pregnancies and mucus plugs. One didn't recall losing hers (which Dr. Google said is actually common since you can lose it slowly over a few days instead of one big goober) and the other two both lost theirs within ONE week of deliver. ONE week people! OMG! So it appears Little Bean isn't going to be staying in utero until mid to late Jan. I'm expecting a Dec baby or a very early Jan one. Good thing our bag for the hospital is packed and ready and the car seat is in the car. Now I just have to prepare Clay for an "early arrival" and comfort and convince him that everything will be okay if Little Bean comes early. Babies come when babies come and you can't control it.

Just a little lesson about the mucus plug that I found interesting...the mucus accumulated early in pregnancy and has been a beneficial protective barrier against infection between the outside world and Little Bean. The plug is lost as the cervix dilates and effaces (thins) and the plug is no longer large enough to remain in place. Therefore, I bet I'm more than 2cm or 50% effaced now ;o)

On a completely different note, I was talking to Mel about it (sorry you don't remain nameless Mel). She made a funny comment. What feels like a long time ago, I wrote this post about synced up cycles. Well yesterday Melissa had surgery on her nose and nasal cavities to eliminate built up mucus from her sinuses. She put two and two together and said we were synced again. We were now both mucus free... ha! Too funny Mel!!!

Now the waiting game and the anxious nervousness about Little Bean's pending arrival is just enhanced. I can't wait to hold my baby and see his/her sweet little face.

36 week appointment

Today we were scheduled for our 36 week appointment. We are actually only 35 weeks and 5 days, but my Dr. is only working today and only a half day, so she was only seeing prenatal patients. Then she isn't working again until around New Year's Eve (when we go again for our 37 week appt. ) However when I got to the parking lot, my cell phone rang and it was the Dr.'s office. They said she had just left for the hospital. She had 3 ladies in labor and they needed to reschedule or I could see a different Dr.

Well being 36 weeks and wanting to get "checked" for the first time as well as get the Strep B thing out of the way, I agreed to see a different Dr. My 11am appt turned into a 1220 appt. The most waiting I had to do yet. We got called back to the room and they made it seem like the other Dr. wouldn't be doing any checking or the test. I was disappointed. But as we waited longer, the nurse came in again and said "Good news, Dr. Dutta is on her way back from the hospital." So, I was given my sheet and I prepared for the appt.

So here are the normal basic stats:
Weight: 208.6 lb
BloodPressure: 112/70
Baby's heartrate: 156bpm
Tummy measurement: 37 cm (measuring ahead again.)

New and EXCITING stats:
2cm dilated
50% effaced
Baby is still head down

What? I was totally expecting to be 0cm dilated and closed up like Fort Knox. However, I must remind myself you can stay at 2cms for WEEKS so it doesn't necessarily mean anything, but it was pleasant news that my body is ready to prepare for labor as we face the weeks ahead.

We did discuss how my fingers are very swollen today, but everything is okay as long as my blood pressure is in check. We also discussed with her some of our "birthing" plan ideas and got her opinion on a few things like the tub, birthing ball, etc. We talked about Pitosin and epidurals. I want to try to go as long as possible without the epidural but I am keeping things very open.

Clay isn't as excited about our progress because he thinks the baby should stay in there until Jan 20 to make sure it's "done cooking" and completely healthy. I keep telling him that the baby will come when the baby is ready to come and things will be fine.

We have class tonight and tomorrow so we are busy this week. With Christmas at the end of the week, next week and our 37 week appointment will be here soon. We take our 36 week pictures this Wed so stay tuned for those too ;o)

Crazy?

Clay told me a funny story the other night on the way home from our childbirth class. His buddy Bill was warning him that I may stay "crazy pregnant" for a few weeks after baby but that I should return to "normal" pre-pregnancy demeanor a few weeks after getting home. Clay added to this that I really haven't gone "crazy pregnant." I'm just my same old self and enjoying every minute of this experience, even the leg cramps and the lower back pain. So I have to ask, does that mean I started out crazy and Clay is just used to it ;o) Just curious.
I was talking about this at work with Liz and another co-worker Justin and we all had a good laugh because I really haven't ever been "normal" so maybe the "crazy" isn't so bad. Justin and I continued our conversation too to say that when you've gone through any wait with infertility that the "crazy" from that experience makes pregnancy look like a cake walk. (Justin and his wife also went to a reproductive endocrinologist for fertility help. His wife has PCOS too, but now they have wonderful twins. ) So I guess my 15+ month wait and walk through infertility to get pregnant helped with my crazy perspective and I'm loving every minute of this blessing.