Pregnancy TMI.

[rivka]

Just in case I wasn't off-balance enough, emotionally, today I passed two pieces of my mucus plug. About a teaspoonful each time, tinged with a little bit of blood.

I am so not ready to leave work and give birth, I cannot even begin to tell you. Ready for the baby, yes - although I'd prefer that he wait until he's full term, which would be sometime toward the middle of next week. Ready for maternity leave? No way.

I didn't freak out until after the second time. I called my midwife's office. Her very calm and level-headed assistant told me that it's entirely normal, especially in a subsequent pregnancy, to lose pieces of the plug quite early on. It doesn't mean I'm going into labor. It just probably means that I am dilating a little more.

Whew.

I think I now have the impetus I need to really, really focus my mind on getting things done here so that I can leave when I need to. Because, yeah. One of these days it's going to be the real thing.

Comments

[fairoriana.livejournal.com]

Yikes! Yeah, that is something of a wakeup call. I hope for your sake you have enough time to put things in order and feel comfortable.

[ailbhe]

*thinks about you really hard*

[kcobweb.livejournal.com]

*hug*

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

I'd prefer that he wait until he's full term, which would be sometime toward the middle of next week.

Okay, stupid "I have no children" question: is there a significant increase in development in the last seven days? And maybe I'm dealing with old, out-of-date definitions, but I had a vague idea that any newborn weighing at least 5 pounds was considered full term, regardless of the estimated due date?

In any case, good luck and all.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

"Full term" is generally considered to mean anywhere from 37-42 weeks of gestation. So my due date (40 weeks) isn't for almost a month, but Niblet will be "full term" next week, when I hit 37 weeks.

There was just a recent study that showed that, for elective C-sections, babies do much better if they're born at 39 weeks than if they're born at 37 or even 38 weeks - fewer breathing problems, shorter hospital stays, et cetera. Of course it's a different calculation when the baby is naturally born at the earlier end of term - presumably part of what triggers labor is the baby's maturity. But still, I think we're less likely to run into birth complications or feeding problems if he's fully-baked before he comes out.

And maybe I'm dealing with old, out-of-date definitions, but I had a vague idea that any newborn weighing at least 5 pounds was considered full term, regardless of the estimated due date?

You may be thinking about the difference between "preterm" and "premature." A baby can be preterm (born before 37 weeks) and yet physiologically mature - reasonably sized and all organs working properly. And that would be the most likely outcome if Niblet is born right now, although they're starting to realize that some subtle brain development happens in the last weeks or pregnancy.

[janetmiles.livejournal.com]

Cool! I didn't know that, about the last-minute brain development, and you're right, I was confusing pre-term and premature (or thinking they were the same thing, maybe).

[thette.livejournal.com]

37 weeks or more (but see ricevermicelli's comment below).

Good luck, rivka! Does the waiting get any easier the second time around?

[bosssio.livejournal.com]

btw, I lost my mucus plug with Liam at 37 weeks. He came at 40wks +1 day.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

The kind of anecdote I love to hear! Thanks.

More anecdotal data

[papersky.livejournal.com]

I can't remember exactly how long it was, but it was at least two weeks before, with Z. It was right about at the time when I could hardly pull myself out of the chair and I was typing someone's PhD thesis and desperately trying to get it done.

Z asked me what I was saying about him, and I told him, and he said that it was "Too gross!"

[ailbhe]

I didn't think it would help to know it was at least 25 days, with L. Somehow I don't think that birth is your standard...

[ricevermicelli.livejournal.com]

The big late pregnancy difference that I've been able to spot is lung maturity, and for that, it appears that a few more days can make a difference. The Washington Post ran an article last week discussing the fact that babies delivered by elective cesearean in the 37th and 38th weeks had much higher incidence of breathing problems than those delivered in the 39th.

A newborn weighing in at five pounds may be officially full-term by some standard definition, but is still really alarmingly teeny, more likely to have breathing problems and/or require NICU care than a larger baby. There's a pretty big difference between the point at which they won't make efforts to stop labor and the point at which labor is the optimum scenario.

Finally, fetal weight estimation is a guessing game at best. If a midwife felt me up, or looked at an ultrasound, and declared that my baby weighed five pounds, I would take that to mean that there was a 90% or so chance that the baby weighed somewhere between three and seven pounds - more baking time required.

[ricevermicelli.livejournal.com]

This was meant as a reply to Janet. If that helps explain it.

Rivka - Good luck. We're thinking good thoughts for you here, and for the Niblet.

[eeyorerin]

Oh, stay put, Niblet, your mama needs a few more weeks to get things in order, and you've been such a good baby so far!

I thought of you yesterday when I had three Alexandras in one class! Only one wants to be called Alex, though.

[rivka.livejournal.com]

She's recently been suggesting that she'd rather be known as Xandra.

[zeldajean.livejournal.com]

I knew a guy named Alexander in high school - well, K-12 really. For many years he went by Alex. In high school, he started using his full name on papers, Alexander Middle Last I. However, he preferred to be called Xander. :)

Pretty cool :)

[eeyorerin]

I've never had an Alexandra ask me to call her that before. :)

[acceberskoorb.livejournal.com]

Been thinking about you lots this week and sending you good vibes. This probably goes without saying, but if there's anything we can do, please don't hesitate to call. --or, more likely, email : )

[ex-serenejo.livejournal.com]

You probably have some idea how relieved I was that the cut didn't hide ABHY (anything bad happening yet). Take care of you. I just can't wait to meet the Niblet. You and Alex have added so much joy to our lives.