38 Week Checkup

Brandy: I had my weekly checkup with Dinah this afternoon. Joyce, another midwife who is shadowing Dinah, sat in on our appointment. If she is available when I go in labor, she will be Dinah's assistant. She is super sweet! We talked about the Braxton Hicks contractions I have been having, as well as the cramping that feels like period cramps. All are good signs!! I also lost another piece of my mucus plug yesterday morning. This one was bigger than the first. My blood pressure was good today, so no pee test. My fundal height was 38cm, and Baby Markey finally decided to get into the ROA position!!! This is Right Occiput Anterior, which means the baby's back is on the right side of my belly, the occiput (correct part of the head) is presenting first and the baby is anterior facing. This means no more posterior! Hopefully the baby will stay in this position so I don't have to deal with back labor. And more good news, Baby Markey's head has now dropped down into my pelvis, and they said my pelvic bone is "nice and low". Dinah doesn't do pelvic exams until week 40 or 41, so I don't know anything about effacement or dilation. My body is definitely doing what it is supposed to do though, which makes me happy. I started taking evening primrose oil today. It does not induce labor, but instead acts as a prostaglandin to help soften the cervix. Also, tomorrow night is a full moon, and we all know what that means... People say that there is an increase in births on nights with full moons!! So tomorrow night calls for a good, long walk and some spicy Thai food with my hubby! We'll see if anything happens...