39 week doc appt.

At my 39 week appointment I met yet another doctor. I've liked all of them so far, but he definitely is the nicest and most informative, really took his time with me. He gave me a lot of info and really, I can only remember half of it, it was so much. I LOVE information, so that's probably why I like him the best so far. Maybe we'll luck out and have him deliver Eli!!! Anyway, here's what he said in a nutshell:

I am only 1 cm dilated, a little more than before, but not much. My cervix is very soft and he compared it to molding clay in that if it is really hard, it is hard to mold and move around. My cervix is room temperature clay, so that is good, easy to open even more to let Eli through. Eli's head is VERY low, which again, is good. In fact he is so low that my inner thigh pain is from him resting on a nerve. The doc even told me what nerve, but I couldn't tell you the name of it. He compared it to a baseball player being out due a groin injury whereas I have to deal with it daily until delivery. My blood pressure and urine look ideal, the baby looks "superb" (in his words) and my amniotic fluid is at a great level. He felt around my belly and really pushed around, which actually hurt a little. When he checked me, it really hurt, too, and at one point I even started laughing from the pain! Oh yeah, and he pulled out some of my mucus plug which he joked and asked if I wanted to keep it for the baby book. So I guess I won't have to look for that to come out anymore! But, he said he was really checking out my cervix as it was still back around by his head. Eli's heartbeat today was 163 and my weight gain is actually staying steady right now as I didn't even gain a pound from last week. Woohoo!!

He talked to me about induction and said that what they'll do is if he's still lovin' my uterus (I said that, not him) by next week's appointment on 8/23, they will check me again and depending on how everything is looking, they would schedule an induction. But, he said that if things look like nature would do a better job and to let me go to 42 weeks, they would. Basically if it looks like an induction would cause my labor to be really long and painful vs. waiting until nature takes it's course for a shorter easier labor, they would chose the later. He did give me a prediction, though, based on all the stats: Eli will be here WITHIN the next 10 days (by 8/26). I thought that was great that he said that as it kinda gives a little hope, ya know?? But, as all the docs I've seen have told me, dilation, effacement, etc. mean nothing until the chemicals in my body that start labor start to be released. It's just a pure waiting game.....

He told me to come into the hospital when my contractions are around 4-5 minutes apart lasting about a minute. He said to not wait until I am just dying of pain from them (that was nice to hear ;) and make sure the contractions are the kind where if I press on my belly, it is really hard and there isn't any way to press inward. I thought it was neat because he told me his wife was pregnant while he was resident and he had it all planned out for her to deliver during a 2 week break, which of course, she didn't (see, he's a planner like me!!). He even remembered the exact time and date his wife went into labor!

That's about all I can remember so I guess I'll stop now ;) Thank you for everyone's kind emails and phone calls checking in on me. We're just feeling ready!!!