Wednesdays appointment. 40 weeks, 4 days.

It is way too hot for October!  I'm sweating just sitting, sweating getting ready, and let me tell you - the waiting room in the OB office was way too hot.  I was entertained because there was a character on her cell phone complaining for the whole office to hear.  Let me paint a picture for you: spicy woman with a lot of attitude and not afraid to voice her opinion and share it with her friend on the phone- and the entire waiting room.  Apparently she is 30-something weeks, and is complaining about her vagina hurting.  She wants them to give her something for the pain, and is ready to stop working now but short term disability won't kick in until the baby comes.  She's ready for her baby to come, but has at least a month and half to go.  She's not sure she can tolerate it.  She's sick of being pregnant, and is just absolutely done working... etc. etc. etc.

Now: Just imagine the face I was giving her. 


Good thing my back was to her.

I hope the friend on the phone was trying to talk some sense into her... she's got a long way to go. And the discomfort (I don't call it pain- because I know there are far worse sensations than what I'm experiencing now) isn't going to get much better my friend, so suck it up and be a lady.

Okay, so now with what the doctor told me after I went in complaining about my hoo-ha hoo-hurting. :-P

Scar tissue has thinned, but it is still pretty tough.  She was able to poke a hole in the middle of it (sounds painful huh?  It actually wasn't terrible.  Now I'm not saying it was fantastic nor do I want to experience it every day, but I'd say it was more uncomfortable than painful.  Definitely tolerable for a short period of time).  So now that there is an opening, she can officially label me as 1 cm dilated.  HOORAY!!!  So my cervix can now begin to open.  The cervix is 100% effaced, which means it is completely thinned- so it doesn't have to thin out anymore.  Good news!

I asked if the scar tissue will inhibit the progression of dilation during labor- and she does not think it will be an issue.  Because I was able to tolerate the rough exam today, she will be able to begin scar massage as soon as I'm admitted to the hospital (some women have to wait until after their epidural has been administered and has begun to take effect).  So more good news :)  The scar massage will help dilation, so verdict: she does not anticipate it inhibiting progression of dilation (thus the progression of labor). :)


Here's a picture to explain effacement and dilation, because I know you really wanted to know.  (This is the best one I could find from the internet in a five second search, so you can read it in English or Spanish.  Because I have so many spanish speaking friends...)



And those cm's are not accurate to size, ps.  10cm is quite large... about the length of an iphone.  Now you won't look at your phone the same way.  You're welcome! :)

So here is a picture to explain station.  Right now I'm at -2.  So she's getting in place and ready to come out (+3 would be crowning/coming into the world).  So she's "engaged" in the pelvis, but not "in labor". 









Very exciting huh?

So if she doesn't come before, I have another appointment next Monday at 2pm. 
They will do an ultrasound to check her weight and progression, and I'm assuming they will also check the vitality of the placenta.  Overall to check if there will be any complications during birth, or if she has become a mammoth baby in the last few weeks.  Hopefully she's sub-8, but we will see.  She's been baking for quite some time in there!
Induction is set for early morning Tuesday, October 30.

Either way, whether she comes tonight or I have to be induced, we will have a little sweetie here THIS TIME NEXT WEEK! 


JR and I are going to be parents! :)