37 weeks pregnant

Today I had a doctors appointment. I will be having weekly appointments from now until he's born.

Today came with a few surprises. First, I gained 2 pounds in a week. Which isn't that big of a deal, but it's always interesting to step up on the scale and wait for the numbers to appear. I've gained 48 pounds total so far in this pregnancy. Wow!

The second surprise was that I have group B streptococcus or group B strep or GBS. I wasn't exactly sure what this was. I didn't have this with Garrison so it's all new to me. I know that when your pregnant you get tested for this, but I never really paid attention to what it actually was, until today. They gave me a pamphlet that explains what it is, how your baby could be effected and how it's treated. GBS is a bacteria that does not usually cause serious illness in adults, but can be VERY dangerous to babies. If left untreated and the baby is delivered through the birth canal it can cause serious problems for the baby. It can hurt their blood, lungs, brain or spinal cord and may even lead to death. To treat this I have to have an iv put in during delivery that will be feeding me antibiotics. The pamphlet said that the antibiotics only work if taken during delivery. The bacteria grows so fast that if treated earlier, the GBS will probably grow back. Reading through all this and thinking that I have some kind of bacteria makes me feel a little dirty, but my doctor told me that I carry this bacteria and that it just decided to be active now. (I'm not sure if everyone carries this bacteria and sometimes it acts up and sometimes it doesn't) I guess I'll be adding another needle to my list when I arrive to have baby number 2.

The third surprise is that I'm progressing. Last week when they checked me I wasn't doing much of anything. Today I am 1 centimeter dilated and 50% effaced. I know that this doesn't always mean something spectacular will happen soon because I was 1 centimeter with Garrison for a whole month. It's just exciting to know that things are heading in the right way. With Garrison I had very painful Braxton hicks contractions, but with this one I haven't had a whole lot of pain. I've been more uncomfortable, not being able to sleep well, back stiffness and I can feel my stomach getting hard and soft, but it doesn't hurt. It's crazy to think that in a few short weeks I'll be holding both of my boys in my arms.

Stay tuned...