The Anticipation is Building

It is now 6:15 PM...in less than 12 hours we will be at Hillcrest Hospital getting me ready to be induced to have the baby. The phone calls and text messages from various loving/concerned family members and friends have started to come in. All of the love and support is overwhelming. On tv this morning was Father of the Bride Part II; when the mom and daughter both have babies, at the end of the movie when they are getting ready to deliver I almost found myself breaking down in tears. I seem to be fine except for when my friend Erin texts or emails...every time I hear from her for some reason I feel like I am going to break down. I am both so excited and scared to death all at the same time. It's hard to even attempt to equate all of the emotions I have try to even process what is going to go on tomorrow. My mom asked me if I am scared about being in pain...I said well less scared of the pain and more scared of the process and it taking forever. Hopefully our little one will cut me some slack tomorrow and be ready to make the big debut (and not be too "fashionably late"). I know how many people have been and will be praying for us tomorrow and I am just going to trust that everything in my pregnancy has been healthy and normal for these 40 amazing weeks and that tomorrow will be no different. We are so excited to share our little one with the world soon.

This will be my last post before becoming a mom...just thinking about that word makes me think of how wonderful my mom is and my grandma was and for the so many other moms I know that have been such an important part of my life so far. Thank you for all you have done and for those things you have yet to do.

Belly Pictures 40 weeks & 2 days

Since I forgot to take pictures last week, I figured we would take one more picture of me and Baby Beyer before he/she makes their big debut! I can't help but feel restless now that we are 2 days past due date...part of me feels bad that I should have more patience or something, but Joe and I are just so excited. I am still feeling pretty well overall considering I am 2 days past due date. Mostly I just don't want to go to work tomorrow, but I will continue to go until Baby Beyer arrives. Here we are mom and little one for the last time in utero:

What a Difference a Year Makes!

It is hard to believe that exactly one year ago my friend Lauren and I were running in the Akron Road Runner half marathon! Lauren and I were talking yesterday about all of the training and preparation that went into planning for the race and how we had countless conversations about getting pregnant (hopefully at the same time) and becoming moms. Now being one day past due date it's crazy to think how fast the past 9 (well 10) months have gone and how time is just flying by. I know it will only be a few more days (hopefully sooner than Thursday, if possible) that we will be holding our little boy or girl. For now we are just waiting in excited anticipation!

Dr. Appointment #13- Due Date!

We met with Dr. McGrew this morning for what we hoped would be our final appointment. Unfortunately, there was no change in my cervix since last week (as far as dilation goes). He says my cervix is still continuing to thin (which is good), but now I need to start having contractions so that the baby’s head pushes farther down. The good news is that all of my vitals as well as the baby sounded healthy and strong. The plan is to wait out the next few days and see if Baby Beyer comes out on his/her own. Dr. McGrew’s hospital day is Thursday which means if no baby by then we have an appointment at 6:00 AM to be at the hospital for me to be induced. Hopefully our little boy/girl will be ready to brave the world before then…but if not that is the plan. I plan to wash all of the floors, etc. tomorrow morning in the hopes to coax him/her out. There could also be a rigorous amount of jumping jacks to be started soon.

Joe and I wake up each day hoping that today will be the day…thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers. The Ducks will be Flying Soon (hopefully)!

Getting a Little Closer

So the last few days have been pretty uneventful that was until yesterday. In the afternoon I started to get a stomach ache/cramps (but not having contractions). Lauren and I walked around DSW during lunch which seemed to help, but when I got back to work and sat down I felt icky again. Basically since yesterday afternoon I have had a constant stomach ache. Mom says that this is good because it means I am getting closer to having the baby.

I called the doctor yesterday to see if there were any earlier appointments for tomorrow (originally my appointment was at 3:45 PM). When I called there was a cancellation at 9:00 AM so we will be going first thing in the morning which works out better for me and Joe. If Dr. McGrew says not yet, both Joe and I will go back to work; if he says it is time…then the DUCKS WILL FLY AT MIDNIGHT! I am not having contractions yet (that I really know of) I still think they are Braxton Hicks because they are not very consistent and I am not in any pain (which is good). I am going to make sure to be more conscious of movement today so that I can write down and track any possible contractions that I do get. For now I am at work and just waiting…

Dr. Appointment #12

I just got back from the doctor and it was a good visit. I am still only 1 cm dilated, but getting close to 2 cm. Dr. McGrew said he can definitely feel the baby’s head and he/she is in a good position. The good news is that since last Friday my uterus has started to thin which is an important part of the process. For Baby Beyer to arrive three things need to happen: 1) Dilation, 2) Uterus thinning 3) Baby’s head down. We have two of three going on which is good. Dr. McGrew said that at my visit next Friday (assuming the baby does not come before then) that depending on how much I have dilated they could admit me since I will be full term, but we will wait and see how the next seven days go…who knows Baby Beyer could surprise us all and be here sooner! Both mine and the baby’s vitals continue to be strong and healthy so at this point we are just waiting for he/she to be ready to make their grand entrance.

Belly Pictures 38 weeks 2 days

Apologies for such a long time since the last picture post. As you may guess I have gotten bigger...but not so much that I feel like I am falling over so that is good. Below are two pics of me from the side, the second one is me and Cosmo looking at each other!

Overall I feel like I am holding my own, I am still able to move over/maneuver pretty well. Sleeping gets a little more difficult each night, but it will all be worth it. One of the ladies at work (Jen) says I am not ready to have the baby yet because I am not miserable enough. While I would agree, the last two have been more trying and I anticipate the next 12 or so will be as well; but I am tough! When Baby Beyer is ready to make his/her big debut I am sure it will not disappoint!

Dr. Appointment #11

On Friday at exactly 38 weeks I had my most recent doctor's appointment. Baby Beyer and I had a very good check up. All my vitals continue to be healthy and strong and I am not retaining any excess fluid (only a small amount, which at this point the way the heat has been is Cleveland comes as no surprise). The baby is measuring a good size (as far as when the doctor measures from the bottom to the top of my uterus). Baby Beyer continues to have a strong heart beat at 150-160 bpm. When Dr. McGrew did my internal exam he determined that I am currently 1 cm dilated. I knew I had to be something bc the internal was not anywhere as near as uncomfortable as it was the first time (granted it wasn’t a picnic, but it was better). He said he was also able to feel the head which was in a very good position for delivery (the fact that he could feel the head kind of weirded me out a bit I am not going to lie). Hopefully when I go again this Friday we will have additional progress.

Last week I was tested to see if I am a carrier for Beta Strep (20% of pregnant woman are). It’s the same bacteria that cause strep when we get it. The test confirmed that I am a carrier. What this means is once I get to Hillcrest they will hook me up to an IV so I can begin taking antibiotics to combat the Beta Strep so that when Baby Beyer is ready to come out he/she does not get infected. The doctor said it takes about 6-8 to get 2 doses into the system which means now instead of hoping for a super fast labor, we just continue to hope for one that isn’t like 20 hours, but one that is long enough to make sure I am able to get all of the medicine I need in my system prior to the delivery stage. It also means that once I know I am in labor instead of potentially waiting a little at home we will go right to Hillcrest so I can get hooked up to the IV.

I have talked with a few friends who I did not even know also had this and I am happy to report that all of their little ones are just fine. In 99% of cases if the mom has the antibiotics prior to the baby’s arrival then the baby does not pick up any of the bacteria which is very comforting. Most deliveries tend to at least one minor set back…maybe this will be ours and we are just finding out in advance.

Joe and I just continue to pray for a happy & healthy little boy or girl whichever it is. I must say that sometimes I feel like Baby Beyer is trying to “break out” (of my stomach that is). The last 2 days the baby has been going crazy and my stomach has been moving around a lot…it’s quite funny to look down and see your shirt moving in so many directions! It’s crazy to think that our “due date” is only 12 days away J

Dr. Appointment #10

With less than 3 weeks to go until Baby Beyer’s due date the anticipation is starting to build like crazy…the suspense of he/she coming, knowing the gender, and finally giving a name to our first born has me overly joyed. I had my 37 week appointment on Friday (9/2), which included my first internal exam. The good news is that all of my vitals have continued to be strong and healthy (good heart rate, bp 120/70, no extra retention of fluid). The Baby’s heartbeat was loud and clear between 150-160 bpm! No exciting news as far as my cervix being dilated. I asked Dr. McGrew how big he thought Baby Beyer will be and he said that he estimates somewhere around 7 and a half pounds which sounded great to me; not so small that I would be afraid to hold my own child, but not so big that (hopefully) he or she would get stuck!

Baby Beyer is sure taking up a lot of room in my mid section these days. I find myself eating a lot less and just being full very fast, which is fine with me and it seems to be fine with him/her since I am not hungry or anything (more than usual). Dr. McGrew asked me if I have had any Braxton Hicks contractions, I told him I didn’t think so, but I wasn’t sure. There are a lot of movements/feelings going on now and some of them are readily identifiable, while others are not. The only thing I know up until this point is that my water has not broken and I have not had any real labor contractions. At this point, I figure unless all of a sudden I am in a lot of sudden pain I only need to worry about identifying those two things. My next appointment is this Friday and I have appointments every Friday from now until due date, Friday, September 23!