Are We There Yet? (The 3rd and FINAL Trimester)

                Entering the 3^rd trimester brought a mix of emotions…like having hormonal emotions weren’t enough.  At the beginning of July, Matt and I had said a bitter sweet farewell to our current jobs. I couldn’t have asked for a better job to work at while I was pregnant…I was more than WELL taken care of by everyone! For example, like the day I had a personal RN, Becky…who didn’t even charge me. ; ) That previous weekend, I had decided to go to my nephew’s soccer game without sunscreen. (You would think that I would’ve learned my lesson about lathering up on the SPF 500 when I landed myself in the ER in Pittsburgh one summer.) Needless to say, I ended up with a nice sunburn on my legs…which resulted in some swelling.  Luckily, Becky was there to “monitor” me throughout the day; checking my blood pressure, checking my legs for fluid, and making sure I had enough to drink.

                On the days I didn’t feel too great, or I had little energy, I spent most of my time in the center taking it easy. Sometimes my feet may have been propped up in a recliner chatting with the participants, or we were sitting around the table playing dominos. No matter what kind of day I was having (whether it was a good day, a tired day, or sometimes even a teary day) it was nice to know that people were there, regardless what my emotional state was. I hope they all know exactly how much I appreciated their friendships…especially Gina, who I complained to, cried to, and who answered my embarrassing questions. Not once did she judge me or think I was completely nuts! I know she would have told me to my face if I was a little nuts…that’s the type of friend she was and I loved that about her!

                Before we left Huntington, we were “showered with love” not only once, but three times. The participants at the Adult Day Center (along with my coworkers and boss) had a nice little baby shower full of games, cake, ice-cream, and of course, presents.  We played the “guess how big the belly is” by cutting off a strand of yarn that (they thought) would fit around my stomach. Some were nice enough to cut off a small piece, while others, not so much. : ) But it was all in fun and it added some laughs to the party.  The next shower was thrown by Matt’s coworkers.  Matt didn’t know about this one. : ) It was a fun time and we received a lot of nice things for Madalyn which included our favorite gift ever, a penguin lawn chair. (We wanted to do her room in penguins but couldn’t find much of anything…so we decided to just fill her room with miscellaneous penguin items.) The final shower was on my last day at SarahCare. My boss, Kelly, along with my coworkers and their spouses, and daughters, had a nice dinner together at The Olive Garden. It was an enjoyable evening and once again, Mady received some more great presents!

                On the 5^th of July, we packed up our townhouse and loaded the moving truck, with the help of our parents. (Well, I pretty much just sat around and gave orders while everyone else packed. : ) Not really…I did try to help as much as possible but it was rather difficult with a huge belly in the way.) The next day, with the help of our parents, my sister and nephew, we (I mean everyone but me) moved all of our belongings into our new townhouse.  

                August came along and to avoid going into labor I spent some quality time on the couch. Here’s why. Matt’s previous employer allowed us to remain covered under their insurance for the month of July. It was considered “out of network” but it still was better than nothing.  So in August we were flying solo…or we had the option of COBRA, which was a complete joke. It would have been a little over $2,000.00 JUST for the month of August. The Case Manager at my OB/GYN was aware of our situation and tried to help us as much as possible. But of course, we were over qualified for any programs or assistance. We had decided that since COBRA allowed up to 45 days from the day you are no longer covered, to apply for that ridiculous COBRA, if I went into labor that’s what we’d do. Thankfully, we didn’t have to go that route.

                FINALLY!! September was here. At my 37 week appointment I was about 1.5 cm dilated. I had my fingers crossed going to my 38 week appointment because I was SO ready for her to be OUT! Considering we had 2 flights of stairs in our house, it was either walk half way up (sit down for an hour and take a break then finish the other half) or have Matt push me up. Laugh all you want, but at the time it was not funny and I am so glad no one saw us. I seriously had to have Matt help me get out of bed in the morning before he went to work. “Miserable” didn’t even touch how I was feeling. Ok, so back to 38 week appointment. I was at a maybe 2cm. Really? All that cramping and I was only a half cm more?? 39 week appointment – still at 2cm. At this point I was bound and determined that she was NEVER going to work her way out. At my 40 week appointment, I was still at 2cm. The doctor discussed our options and decided that she wasn’t going to let me go over 41 weeks. We decided to be induced on Friday, September 23.

                Going home from our appointment that day, it had finally hit me. Mady would be in our arms in THREE DAYS whether we liked it or not. That in and of itself, spooked me out a little. I had never been so excited and nervous all at the same time. For our one last baby free “date,” we decided to go out for dinner that Thursday. Apparently, Mady had other plans…

Up next: Labor and Delivery (the Edited version of course) : )

~Renee