Things are a changing

In this case, we're talking about Stephanie's cervix. She had an appt at the OB office today, where she was told she is starting to dilate, currently 2cm. Sorry for those of you who think that's TMI. At any rate, this was not entirely suprising. Stephanie has been pretty uncomfortable for about the past day and a half, with the contractions becoming a bit stronger.

What does this mean? Well, it's hard to say, but it seems as if baby Thane is coming sooner rather than later. Contractions like Stephanie is having tend to move things along. It's possible for a woman to hang out at 2cm for weeks, but if things keep going like this the munchkin will be making an appearance by the end of next week for sure. The "if things keep going like this" is the key. Stephanie was instructed by her doctor to, and I quote, "Take the bedrest a little more seriously." :)

Will it make a difference if she stays chained to her bed? Probably not too much, besides driving her crazy! In spite of all the razzing I do about the Wal-Mart trips, Stephanie really has done as good a job as possible of limiting her activity while caring for a 2 year old and a 26 year old (i.e. me). She is now a full 34 weeks and 2 days, so they won't try to stop her labor this time. Statistically, otherwise healthy 34-36 weekers do just as well (in the long term) as their 37-40 week counterparts. The only drawback is the requisite NICU stay for breathing, feeding, and body temp issues. For her part, though, Stephanie seems pretty determined to keep this kiddo baking in her belly as long as possible.

6 weeks ago, I was pretty sure we were gonna have that kid any day. A couple weeks later, it seemed like our new boy would never get here. It's a little odd switching back and forth. We mentally prepare for one thing, only to readjust our plans, then readjust again. I guess that's life!