Bean is Moving Along!

Week 39

For over a week now, we've been advised for me to do some exercises to help Bean shift a little in his/her positioning.  Currently Bean is head down and sideways facing my upper-tummy right (so his back is a little too much towards my back) and we eventually want him facing my back with her back to my tummy.  It is not a bad position and it is very common for babies to roll into good position right before being born.  However, they might not and it's not the most comfortable thing to have your midwife or OB help them roll so I've heard.  My girlfriend down the street had the exact same positioning and highly recommended I do my exercises to hopefully avoid needing assistance.  Again, not the end of the world, but why wouldn't I want to avoid any extra discomfort?? So I've been having Josh massage the tight muscles and ligaments on my left hip and thigh area before laying at an upside down angle once or twice a day and also doing "cat-cow" movements once a day.  At first, being upside down on the plank was really not comfortable.  The pressure on my low back and shoulders was intense as well as having all of Bean's weight shifted right under my ribs and on my lungs.  I usually lasted about 5 minutes and was not very relaxed.  With a few tweaks from Josh, the angle adjusted and some pillow work we found a very pleasant position and I can now breath normal, relax and hang out for quite a while.  I usually only do about 10-12 minutes.  We think Bean twists a bit more, but definitely moves back to his favorite spot.  Hoping this means he's got the wiggle room and isn't stuck, just prefers her little spot.

My weekly midwife visit was Tuesday and uneventful, lol.  I'm doing and feeling pretty great, Bean's heart rate is good, my blood pressure is good, no swelling, no Braxton-Hicks, sleeping well for the most part and taking it easy these days.   Josh has tentative plans to go on a beer tasting tour with his mentor next Wednesday.  I told him that's when Bean will come.  ha!  I told Bean he/she should come Saturday.  We'll see!

OBGYN appointment was today (Wednesday) and much of the same except he gives me a quick dilation check while I'm there, which means nothing since women walk around up to 4cm for a few weeks sometimes, but it's fun to find out and also good to know my body is doing what it needs to do.  So last visit, 2 weeks ago I was just 1.5cm dilated.  Today I am 2cm dilated plus 50% effaced and Bean is at 0-station.  I am completely content with this process of no contractions and no discomfort all while dilating and effacing, ha!  What all that means for those who haven't gone through this already:

Effacement:  While you are pregnant, your cervix is usually around 2 to 3 cm long. In late pregnancy or early labor, Braxton Hicks' practice contractions start to shorten the cervix, a process known as effacement. Most women have a cervix that has shortened to 1 cm during the very early stages of labor. This is also referred to as 50 percent effaced. As the cervix continues to shorten, the cervix is gradually drawn up by the uterus, and by the time it is 100 percent effaced, the cervix will have started to open.

Dilation: Once your cervix is stretched and softened, it begins to open, or dilate, so that your baby can pass through into the vagina to be born. Regular contractions cause the cervix to dilate, and in first labors the cervix dilates at an average of 1 cm per hour; this rate is often faster for subsequent labors. Here, at 2 cm dilation, the cervix has shortened and is beginning to open. Contractions may still be irregular.  Once you reach 6cm you are in active labor and at 10cm are fully dilated and ready to push.

The Station: The "station" refers to the position of your baby's head in relation to your pelvis. This is recorded as a number between -5 and +5. Zero station means the head is "engaged" and has entered the vaginal canal within the pelvic bones. A negative number (-5 to 0) means that the head isn't engaged in the pelvis. A positive number (0 to +4) means that your baby's head is moving down the pelvis and +5 means your baby is crowning (being born). Ideally, you should not push until the head is engaged in the pelvis, even if you're fully dilated.