37 weeks

Okay, now that I'm almost at 38 weeks, I'm done.  It's been a long week of ups and downs and I now think I'm mentally ready.  For most of the week, I actually felt pretty good.  I didn't feel that horrible tired feeling and I didn't physically feel like it was the end.  There were some days that I actually had little bursts of energy!

On Wednesday, I took a half day off for to PT, the OB, and my breast ultrasound.  PT was great and my hips are feeling a lot better this week.  At the OB, I found out that I still have protein in my urine and my BP went up again, so they asked me to come back on Friday.

I had a few days to get used to the fact that because of these symptoms, they might want to induce me early or put me on bedrest.  I had to mentally prepare that it might happen right away and it was a little stressful when I felt like I still had stuff I wanted to get done.  Friday started out with a stop to Dunkin Donuts to calm me down...and it was National Doughnut Day!

So here's the Friday bump as I went back to the doctor to test again.  They found protein in my urine again and my BP went up just slightly.  They took a few vials of blood and sent those out to get tested over the weekend.  So obviously, they weren't super concerned on Friday and were fine with me waiting over the weekend.  I've been really trying to rest a lot and keep my feet up in case they do decide they want to induce next week.

I didn't feel ready, but now, I think I can handle it.  My to-do list was freaking me out, but we got almost everything done over the weekend.  I also had a mini freakout this morning when I realized that I don't remember some of the newborn care things like burping and breastfeeding a new baby.  I'm sure it will come back to me, but I started stressing about it.  I found a newborn book to glance through during the week so I'll feel a little more prepared.

On an exciting note, we got one of our teaser maternity pics! I love it and can't wait to see more!

Going home!

Thursday was our last day at the hospital. I couldn't believe it when the nurse walked in for our 2 am feeding and reminded me that we were going home that day!

I was starting to feel better and the doctors said my swelling went down a lot during the time I was there. I felt like we got into a pretty good routine with feeding, sleeping, and working with the nurses each day. What would happen when we get home and have to do everything on our own?

Luckily, we spent some time with our favorite nurse, Lisa, who went over a lot of tips for newborn care, feeding, diapering, and healing my body. We also met with the lactation consultant for the second day in a row to get more feedback on nursing. I was welcoming anyone who wanted to give us help or show us how to do things...the more information, the better! And it was really nice that Hubby was there to learn everything with me and take part in all the instruction.

The pediatrician stopped by at about 2:00 in the afternoon to do a final check on Connor. She looked at his chart and reminded us about feeding and said he looked good enough to go home. We've been so lucky with him that he was born completely healthy and without any major health problems. Such a lucky little guy!

Hubby and I packed our things up and I asked for extra of everything I could think of. The nurse told me they throw out any package that's been opened so we were free to take anything we wanted that was already started. Score! I also asked for more of those fabulous mesh panties and all the fun toilet stuff that I would need. Those plastic sheets they put down on the bed if you leak have been lifesavers! The nurse even taught us how to make ice diapers which are the best thing ever for someone with major swelling.

I almost teared up as we signed our discharge papers and she walked us downstairs and helped us into the car. We've been so lucky to have such caring and helpful people at the hospital to take great care of us and teach me so many things. It would never have been the same experience without them there. (I'm crying just writing this!) The doctors during the delivery were so proactive with telling me what was going on and making quick decisions about what to do. I'm so grateful for their help and making the experience such a memorable one.

In his going home outfit and getting anxious!

I'm done with the sappy emotional stuff now! So we all loaded into the car and I sat in the back with Connor. Of course, we got stuck in rush hour traffic so he had his first experience of living in Chicago. He slept pretty much the whole way home while I sat in pain from all the bumps on the road that were killing me.

Both sets of grandparents were waiting for us at home with dinner. I was a little too overwhelmed with everyone and feeling like I had so much to do. I think I overdid it a little because I was pretty sore and tired by the time everyone left. Once it was just me and the 3 boys, it was wonderful! We all got in bed (even Kitty) and snuggled! One big happy family!