Happy due date -- you made it! Since 40 weeks was the deadline you set for baby, you’ve probably already made sure the bassinet is made up, the car seat is installed and your hospital bag is by the door. In month nine, the average fetus is about 6.2 to 9.2 pounds and measures about 18.9 to 20.19 inches (wow!). But you really won't know exactly how big your baby is until his birth.

You still have a couple of weeks before you'll be considered "post-term." But to be sure your baby is still thriving, your practitioner will schedule you for testing to keep an eye on her if your pregnancy continues.

You may have a biophysical profile (BPP), which consists of an ultrasound to look at your baby's overall movements, breathing movements (movement of her chest muscles and diaphragm), and muscle tone (whether she opens and closes her hand or extends and then flexes her limbs), as well as the amount of amniotic fluid that surrounds her (important because it's a reflection of how well the placenta is supporting your baby).

Fetal heart rate monitoring (called a nonstress test or NST) will generally be done as well — by itself or as part of the BPP. Or, you may have what's known as a modified BPP, which consists of an NST and an ultrasound to assess the amount of amniotic fluid.

If the fetal testing isn't reassuring — the amniotic fluid level is too low, for example — you'll be induced. If there's a serious, urgent problem, you may have an immediate c-section.

One word... ICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ick ick ick ick!! And so begins the endless amounts of icky things to exit my body before and after the most adorable thing in the world. Isn't mother nature hilarious?? ^_^

What I got for my 31st birthday? An internal exam! Haha!! Had my checkup with the midwives today and decided to let them go ahead and check out my progress. Of course it gives you absolutely no clue as to when you'll go into labor, since you can go from 0 to 60 in one day, or you can be walking around dilated 5cm for weeks, but it can be helpful to know if you've started or if you're sealed up tight and need to try some extra tricks to get going! So verdict is that I'm about 30% effaced and 1cm dilated. Not great, but definitely better than nothing! Last night Ryoji and I watched a movie, and during the entire two hours I was having a painless contraction about every 5 minutes. Was really crazy! We both thought labor was starting and they would gradually get more painful. But, alas, we went to bed and NADA. But the midwife thinks maybe they'll continue and I'll efface and dilate more each day until BOOM I'm ready to go. Here's hoping! She recommended some acupuncturists, apparently they can have a good chance of getting your labor started, and some insurances cover it, so I may give that a try...

With a Saturday run to Ikea, we got the changing table and are officially done setting up baby's stuff! Aunt Debbie's changing pad fit in snugly but perfectly, and we got some purple boxes that matched our purple kitchen chairs (the changing table is in the kitchen by the way), and I'm liking how it's looking! I'm not a big pastel cutesie baby stuff kinda girl, so I'm happy all of the baby stuff we've set up so far goes with our styeI mentioned maybe needing to buy a nightlight or some kind of not too bright light for night changings, and Ryoji mentioned we could use the stove top light, which seems to be perfect! haha! He also fixed the crib height to a safe level, phew! So, last night Ryoji and I talked to Akapanchan to let him or her know we're ready and it's safe to come out whenever he or she is ready!

Your baby's waiting to greet the world! He continues to build a layer of fat to help control his body temperature after birth, but it's likely he already measures about 20 inches and weighs a bit over 7 pounds, a watermelon. (Boys tend to be slightly heavier than girls.) The outer layers of his skin are sloughing off as new skin forms underneath. He's probably able to flex his limbs now, his brain is still rapidly developing -- he's getting smarter by the week, and his nails may extend past his fingertips.

I've been on maternity leave for a full week now and have gotten so much stuff down! I think we're officially ready for Akapanchan's arrival! Unfortunately, the midwife I saw for my checkup yesterday said she doesn't think the big day will be early, though I didn't have the internal exam so it's not based on anything other than I'm a first timer with no signs of labor. I guess those are pretty good things to go by though!

The only thing we're still missing is a changing table, but we have the changing pad and cover and diapers and wipes and warmer, so we can just plop it all on a spot on the floor temporarily, no worries! I've set up the baby's "closet" which turned out quite nice if you ask me (and thanks to my sister who had the idea of using a shower rod to hang the curtains!). The crib is *almost* ready to go, with our wonderful organic mattress and mattress pad (which didn't have any sort of smell when pulling them out of their packaging - definitely a good sign!), but as you can see in the photo the mattress needs to be let down to the next level before we put the baby in there as I fear one big sneeze and Akapanchan would flip right out of there to the floor! ha!

Ryoji's co-workers threw him a surprise baby shower and he got tons of fun goodies including clothes, swaddle blankets, kimono style onesies from Japan, CUUUUUUUUUTE little fleece lined booties, etc. It was so sweet of them!!! We've been so blessed with such sweet gifts from all of our family and friends! I can't wait for them to meet little Emi or Kenzo! Below is the carrier/car seat and infant body support insert we're borrowing from Ryoji's awesome co-worker, Miyuki!

In body news, I just got the fun idea to measure my belly circumference which came in at a whopping 43 inches - yowza!! With 27 pounds gained, I guess it's no surprise! Will be interesting to see how big Akapanchan is at birth!

Also, yesterday's checkup was the first time my blood pressure was anything other than 110/70. It was 120/80 and neither the nurse nor the midwife mentioned anything about it, so I guess it's fine. Just curious if it was related to the big salty lunch I had with Shilpa a couple hours prior, or if it's on the rise and next week will be even higher... guess we'll have to see!

Yow! If you feel a sort of lightening bolt running up and down your legs (and in your crotch), don’t freak out. At 38 weeks, baby’s probably sitting pretty low in your pelvis, which means he’s bumping into all kinds of nerves down there -- including some pretty sensitive ones you might not know you had. Be on the lookout for signs of labor, including contractions that come on stronger, at more regular intervals, and the “bloody show.” It could happen any day now -- or it might not be for a few weeks. Until then, try to relax.

Your baby has really plumped up. She weighs about 6.8 pounds and she's over 19 1/2 inches long (like a pumpkin or a leek). She has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test when you hold her hand for the first time! Her organs have matured and are ready for life outside the womb.Wondering what color your baby's eyes will be? You may not be able to tell right away. If she's born with brown eyes, they'll likely stay brown. If she's born with steel gray or dark blue eyes, they may stay gray or blue or turn green, hazel, or brown by the time she's 9 months old. That's because a child's irises (the colored part of the eye) may gain more pigment in the months after she's born, but they usually won't get "lighter" or more blue. (Green, hazel, and brown eyes have more pigment than gray or blue eyes. She may have about an inch or so of hair already, and she's slowly shedding that white goo on her skin (called vernix caseosa) but you might see some of it at birth.

IN THE EVENT OF AN EMERGENCY: If the situation becomes life-threatening for Heather or our baby, we will of course yield to any request for life-saving intervention, upon the briefest of consultation. In the strong likelihood that we have the normal birth that we are expecting, we ask that you refrain from any routine interventions or measures that we have not previously agreed upon.


DURING LABOR:

·   Do not offer pain relief medication to mother. Heather or Ryoji will request if needed. No narcotics will be considered at any time.

·   Intermittent rather than continuous fetal monitoring.

·   Limit number of internal exams – ideally only initial assessment for admission and final check before pushing.

·   No IV if Heather is able to stay hydrated by drinking liquids. Saline or Heparin Lock permitted if required by hospital policy.

·   Permitted to eat and walk around if Heather desires.

·   Helpful suggestions are welcomed from birthing staff for positions and props to try in aid of pain relief, progression, and pushing.

·   Appreciate assistance to reduce tearing (i.e. perineal massage with oil, warm compress, encouraging Heather to breath and break from pushing, etc.)


POST-PARTUM (Mom & Baby Care):

·   Ryoji shall make the official announcement of baby’s sex to the mother and any one in attendance of the birth.

·   Kangaroo Care (skin to skin) immediately following birth for at least 30 minutes. Apgar, vitamin K shot, basic cleaning & testing to be done while baby is on mother.

·   Delay application of eye ointment as long as possible, ideally 1 hour.

·   No Hepatits B vaccine is to be administered to the baby.

·   Cut cord only after it’s finished pulsating.

·   Unless medically necessary, please do not administer pitocin to aid in delivery of placenta. Nursing and external massage should be tried first.

·   No supplemental formula or sugar water.

·   All procedures should be authorized by Heather and/or Ryoji, who should be present during any procedures.

·   Please use local anesthetic before making any repairs to Heather post delivery.

·   Boy baby will not be circumcised.

So, this was the big one, they even requested Ryoji to attend. And luck would have it, we had to wait less than 5 minutes - never had such luck in that office before! Usually it's more like 30 minutes, occasionally over an hour! So we got right in there, weight and blood pressure checked, as always. We were given a copy of my chart cuz apparently we have to bring it to the hospital ourselves. It was fun to review it, apparently my blood pressure has remained rock solid at 110/70 at EVER appointment! Got the baby's heartbeat on the doppler, sounded good and strong as always. She checked the position which is still head down, good news.

The greatest news - I'm negative for Group B Strep! Hoooo-rah!!!! That woulda put huge restrictions on our labor due to the requirement of getting 2 rounds of IV fluids in before the birth. But, no need!! I did ask if it's possible to develop strep between now and the birth, and she said the official recommendation is to test between 35-37 weeks and the risk of developing strep after that AND passing it the baby is VERY VERY slim and I shouldn't worry about it whatsoever. That said, of course the docs will always monitor the baby closely for any signs of illness, whether or not you have strep and did or didn't have antibiotics. So, good stuff, no strep!!

So, with all the check-up business done, the midwife sat down to go over what to do when we go into labor. We were instructed to call the office (they have an answering service for after hours) for any of the following: 1) contractions that are increasing in strength and don't go away with lots of fluids and rest, and are strong enough that you can't hide them, 2) water breaks (you have 24 hours til they are required to induce you), 3) heavy red period-like bleeding. She also gave us every midwife's cell phone number, in case we have trouble with calling the office.

During labor, she said I probably won't be thirsty but Ryoji should make sure I drink ALOT (of water and also watered down gatorade or similar drink), and should eat something light once per hour (ex. fruit, crackers, applesauce, yogurt). She also instructed me to eat CHOCOLATE just before arriving at the hospital, cuz they want the baby super active when they monitor me prior to being admitted. I thought this was funny, being told by your care provider to eat chocolate! Love it!!

She said we should bring: drinks and snacks (they only have apple juice available at the birthing center), our deflated birth ball (this was good news - she said the birth center has a pump, which is not what our birth instructor had told us!), breast feeding pillow, and car seat.

Then, she suggested I start taking Evening Primrose Oil as of today. 1 capsule orally in the morning, 1 orally at night, and 1 NOT orally (*wink wink*) at bed time. This is supposed to help ripen the cervix so that the baby can come down lower in the pelvis and help get labor started. Also, a soft and ripened cervix should dilate and efface quicker during labor. Sounds good to me! One of the side effects can be nausea, so I'm a little worried.

Ryoji headed off to Boston after the checkup for the next 2 days, so hopefully the primrose oil doesn't work too fast! I have 2 more days of work, and I'd like to have a good week off to get everything ready for Akapanchan! Though... 12/12/12 would be a pretty kick ass birthday!!

Everyday I come home to another box or 2 of goodies at our door step - it's so fun!! We got our awesome Britax B-Agile stroller from mom and dad set up with the bassinet, got the high chair which will remain boxed up for the next 6 months probably, and got a shelving unit which we plan to spruce up for bubs. Still waiting for the crib mattress and newborn diapers, which are probably the most key item

Well, this is a little out of order as this was last week, but better late than never! Ryoji and I flew home, no issues thank goodness as US Air is pretty lax about their regulations on flying when pregnant. You don't even need a doctor's note until a week before your due date! And I didn't even have to put up a fight against the new "cancer box" x-ray machine - they pointed me right along to the old style metal detectors which are supposedly harmless to the baby (you get more radiation exposure on the flight itself!)

Well, it was so great to go home and see everyone, and have everyone see my belly in all its massive glory! Dad really came through for us shooting some awesome maternity pix, saving us about $300 from going with a professional (my top 3 shots below) - THANKS DAD!! And Jennifer, mom, and Aunt Debbie threw us an awesome baby shower - it was wonderful having my friends from high school and my family all gather for us. I only see most of them once a year now, so it was a great opportunity to catch up! We played 2 fun games (one was like "Headbands" but with a baby related term pinned on your back". Mine was "diaper" and ryoji's was bottle". Andrea gave us a hint that I was out and Ryoji was in. I guessed correctly right away, but Ryoji's was hilarious - "Am I a boob"?? hahaha!! The other was a baby clothes & diaper changing contest where partners had to hold hands and change it all with only one hand each. Ryoji and I came in dead last, yikes! And the food... desserts... AMAZING!!!  We couldn't answer everyone's #1 question, which was "Is it a boy or girl??" but we were happy to share their #2 question "Do you have names picked out??" which are Kenzo Wilson Tomoyasu for a boy, and Emi Rebecca Tomoyasu for a girl. We'll find out soon!!

Did have one big scare while home, which was a tumble down the stairs! Silly me didn't think about wearing socks down the hardwood stairs, and my feet flew out from under me and I bumpety bumped my way down half a flight the day after Thanksgiving. Mom, Dad, and Jennifer came running, looking like they were about to have a heart attack, but thankfully all was fine!

As far as pregnancy symptoms go...

The good:  I love my big old belly, and LOVE that I haven't gotten any stretch marks (yet) to detract from this. Also, getting so excited to meet this baby!! No swelling, well, in the feet a bit but nothing major. Rings and such are completely fine.

The bad: In the past couple of weeks my sleeping has gotten not so great. After an hour or so my hips and legs get sore and I have to flip to the other side, which in itself is getting hard as my body starts to flip leaving the belly behind, haha!! But I have an hourly rotation: left side, right side, middle with right up under a pillow, then bathroom, and repeat. Blegh, not great. Randomly I'll have a 2-hour spell in the middle of the night where I can't sleep at all and I'm just laying there wide awake. I guess all this is preparing me for when the baby is here! I'm also having a bit of a pain under my ribs, it's almost like it's the skin and muscles being pulled down from the weight of my belly. It's quite annoying, but not constant thank goodness. And I get a slight backache from sitting for too long. And still have that major pubic muscle pain when flipping over in bed, standing up, starting walking, etc. But, well, I guess I've gotten used to it! Also, a bit of nausea has come back in the past few weeks. I have to be careful about eating frequently and also what kind of food I eat.