37 Weeks Pregnant Check-up and Childbirth Class

Well, we went to the doctor yesterday to see how our little guy or little girl is doing. Everything went perfectly. The baby's heart rate is at a steady 156 beats per minute, his or her head is down and settling well in the pelvis--and boy do I feel it. I woke up this morning with some mild lower back pain and now I am realizing that our baby has really begun to descend. My blood pressure and weight were just fine and I am still in the effacement stage with no dilation yet. My doctor has ordered an ultrasound at the hospital for July 6th to determine the level of amniotic fluid and the health of the baby if he or she passes the due date of July 4th. I have a strange motherly feeling that this baby is just really happy in there and will most likely be a late arrival, so mommy and daddy wait patiently as long as he or she remains healthy and happy in there. :-)

Clayton and I went to a childbirth class all day last Saturday and learned some really good relaxation and breathing techniques that will hopefully help us during the labor. It was pretty ironic because throughout the class on Saturday I was experiencing some pretty strong Braxton-Hicks Contractions as if our baby knew we were at the hospital. :-) We took a tour of the hospital-the new hospital wing is so nice. It has really set in that we are about to welcome our first child as we saw where the birth will occur and where we will meet our baby for the first time. We are so excited and anticipating the day. We feel so blessed and cannot wait to be parents.