Yesterday we headed back down to the city for our fetal monitoring appointment.  My mom, husband and I were all pretty excited since the night before I had lost my mucus plug and was expecting to go into labour at any moment!  However that wasn’t the case, nor is it the case that losing your mucus plug means labour is right around the corner!

We arrived and I was hooked up to a monitor where they document the baby’s heart rate for an extended period of time.  The baby’s heart rate was all over the place!  It would go from 155 all the way down to 119 and then back to 135 etc.  I assumed that the steadier the heart rate the better, but that is not the case.  What the nurses are looking for is exactly that variation as it proves that the baby’s heart is responding to activity.  When the baby is active the heart rate increases, when it relaxes, the heart rate decreases.  So baby is healthy, happy and very very comfy!

After about a half hour the nurse took me off the monitor and did my history.  We also requested that she perform a vaginal exam so that we could see if I had progressed at all since Tuesday.  At least this would give us a better idea of whether we should be getting a hotel for the night or go all the way back to Whistler.  Unfortunately there was no progress!  What a disappointment!

We were also told that induction doesn’t always work!  I could be induced up to three times before they consider doing a Cesarean!  This was a shocker to me because the idea of driving back and forth everyday for a while is a real drag!  It’s starting to look like I may not be celebrating Mother’s Day this year after all and that is truly a surprise.  I was so sure I would be holding my baby by now!

Today is May 2nd 2010 and no baby yet, no sign either!  Yesterday we spent the day walking, taking long drives on bumpy roads and several minutes of stationary bouncing but to no avail.

I was experiencing a sharp almost sting like pain very low and deep inside from what I can only describe as possibly being my cervix.  Apparently the cervix does start to reposition itself and begin to efface which can happen without experiencing any contractions, so maybe I am beginning to show signs of pre-labour.

However I have not experienced any braxton-hicks, spotting, flu-like symptoms or diarrhea of any kind which makes me think that I am still several days away.  Boo!  Last week I wasn’t ready to get things moving but yesterday was a new day and I finally felt mentally prepared to do this thing!  Of course now the waiting game begins…

Well I am at 32 weeks and counting down fast!  I’m so surprised at how fast the time is going by.  Work will be coming to an end soon, prenatal classes are next weekend, life insurance has been bought, wills are being written…it’s amazing what can be accomplished when expecting your first child.  I don’t think I’ve been this organized in years!

Even my husband is on board, possibly starting a new job, getting taxes done a month early and now we are also taking the next steps in purchasing a new home!  Today we are signing a contract to hold a property here in Whistler, a decision that has taken a while to come to reality.  Finally we have both concluded that Whistler is indeed where we want to raise our new family.  For 6 years we have been struggling with this decision, and our little unborn miracle is making all of this come together!

I find it all a little amazing really.  As our baby moves and gets stronger everyday, our lives have also gotten more rooted and clear from mental debris.  Pregnancy really is an incredible stage of life, taking us in directions that have taken us years to follow.  I can only imagine what comes next with becoming a mother.  These are truly exciting times…

So I decided that if I am to use cloth diapers I had better use cloth baby wipes as well.  I mean what good is there in using cloth diapers and then using disposable baby wipes?

The idea of a sewing project truly excited me, I haven’t done anything like it before but I do enjoy looking through fabric and saving money so this has to be a great assignment for me.  So a couple of weeks ago I made a trip into Vancouver and sourced out some great flannel there, decided on my fabric patterns and then headed to the cutting table for some advice on how much fabric I would need for my project as I had no clue.

I figured that I wanted to make around 50 baby wipes that would be double sided in fabric and roughly 7in x 7in.  I bought two different patterns of fabric and another fabric that matched both to be used as the second side, so I would have a two sided wipe, one with a patter and the other a solid colour.  The assistant told me I would need 5 meters in each pattern and 10 in the solid in order to make the amount I wanted.

So I watched as they measured out my fabric and I was absolutely sure that there was waaaaayyyy too much material, but as I am not the expert here I said nothing.  That was my first mistake!  Once it is cut the material is a final sale!  The second mistake was that I should have asked what the price was before they started measuring.  The assistant filled out an order sheet for me first which would have been my warning sign as the bill was $154.00!!!  And that was with a 30% discount!

Ooops.

So much for my inexpensive project.  The other day I started cutting out my squares and stopped at 60 wipes and I still have enough fabric to triple this project!  So instead my project has gotten larger, now I plan to make some fitted sheets, receiving blankets, bibs and whatever else I need.

Besides the material is sooooo cute!

I am at 15 weeks now and still feeling great despite two sore arms from various flu shots!  I am starting to notice a certain “wideness” occurring below the breast line but that happens to be my only sign of pregnancy at the moment.  I suppose I am lucky.

However the last few nights of sleep have been a bit different, particularly last night.  Lately I’ve been rudely awakened by horrific stomach rumblings so loud that they make my husband stir as well!  I comfort them with a big glass of water and get back to my sleepy dreams, but last night it occurred again, and this time it was slightly different.  I was very aware of my belly last night, a little bigger… maybe, a little bit more uncomfortable in bed…maybe, or maybe it was a movement or something.  Whatever it was I was not familiar with it and it kept me up for about an hour.

The rumblings are also getting louder every night.  I guess it is time to put granola bars beside the bed!  Regardless of the inconvenience, it is great feeling the new and unusual experiences of pregnancy.

I think I might be one of the lucky ones.  I feel fantastic, still.  Although I have to admit I tend to experience an unexplained day of exhaustion usually once a week that I can only attribute to my very busy baby making body.

This past Tuesday was so brutal I could hardly get off the couch!  It felt as though my entire being was processing something that I have never experienced before and I simply allowed it to continue.  My entire day was spent on the couch, drinking water and snacking on fruit and veggies. It was all I could possibly do.

Although it was frustrating as I felt like I was wasting my time  and I could have been working on many things around the house, at the same time it was an incredible experience.  For the first time I really felt pregnant, I could feel the miracle occuring within me, a kind of power that we cannot mentally comprehend.  Just an overwhelming feeling, a heavy buzzing of activity throughout my entire body.

I suppose my advice here is to embrace this exhaustion.  Give in to it, feel it, enjoy it.  Get comfortable on the couch, drink plenty of water, create a spread of healthy veggies and dip and let your body do its beautiful work.  I look forward to my next miracle day…