Doctor update for 8/11/08 & Week 36

Jeff and I headed off to the doctor again.
Just to let you know how much we go. I don't even have to check in at the desk. The ladies their just wave at me as I walk in.

My BP is down 130/88. Not the best but it did go down.
Joe's heart rate ranged for 140-160. He is running out of room in there but still does his best to move around.

I am doing another collection for the lab on Tuesday. Once again checking for those protein levels.

Wednesday we will head back to see Dr. G. This will be the last check we have hopefully.
Dr. G said because I will be 37 weeks over the weekend that she would like to induce me on 8/18.
Providing that there is room in the hospital that day.
I am going to post information on the induction process because it is just that a process.

So as of next week the O'Schmidt's should have another member!!
Can you believe that?


Information From babycenter.com About Inducing Labor

What does it mean to induce labor?

If your labor doesn't start on its own, your practitioner can use medication and other techniques to bring on (or induce) contractions. She can use some of the same methods to augment, or speed up, your labor if it stops progressing for some reason. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one in five births in the United States is induced.

Why would my labor be induced?

Your practitioner will recommend induction when the risks of waiting for labor to start on its own are higher than the risks of the procedures used to get your labor going. This may be the case when:

You develop preeclampsia, a serious condition that can endanger your health and restrict the flow of blood to your baby.

What are some of the techniques used to induce labor?

This depends in large part on the condition of your cervix at the time. If your cervix hasn't started to soften, efface (thin out), or dilate (open up), it's considered "unripe," or not yet ready for labor.

In that case, your practitioner would use either hormones or "mechanical" methods to ripen your cervix before the induction. Sometimes these procedures end up jump-starting your labor as well.

If your labor doesn't start, you'll get an IV infusion of Pitocin after your cervix ripens. Pitocin is a synthetic form of the hormone oxytocin, which your body naturally produces during spontaneous labor. If your cervix is ripe to begin with, you'll get the Pitocin straightaway.

Some of the methods used to ripen the cervix and induce labor are:
• Using prostaglandins
• Using a Foley catheter
• Stripping or sweeping the membranes
• Rupturing the membranes
• Using Pitocin


Baby Stuff from babycenter.com
Joe is still packing on the pounds — at the rate of about an ounce a day. He now weighs almost 6 pounds and is more than 18 1/2 inches long. He's shedding most of the downy covering of hair that covered his body as well as the vernix caseosa, the waxy substance that covered and protected his skin during his nine-month amniotic bath. Joe swallows both of these substances, along with other secretions, resulting in a blackish mixture, called meconium, will form the contents of his first bowel movement.

At the end of this week, Joe will be considered full-term. (Full-term is 37 to 42 weeks; babies born before 37 weeks are pre-term and those born after 42 are post-term.) He's in a head-down position