38.5 weeks . . . still waiting!

Today I had my 38 week appt.  Bad news is that my blood pressure is still high, in spite of all I've been doing to try to lower it.  Good news is that it was much lower when I was lying down.  The "official" reading Sherry put on my chart was 149/72, but there were several other readings that were higher or lower.  She sent me home with one of her b/p cuffs so I can monitor it a couple times a day at home, and see how it is here.  Since I don't have other signs of preeclampsia, we are going to continue keeping a close eye on it but not stressing out too much.  The plan for this week is to increase the herbal tinctures I'm taking, continue taking the magnesium, and take my b/p daily, as mentioned above.  Baby's heart rate was 120s-140s, same as last week.

Now for the fun part . . . she offered to check for dilation, and also to give me some evening primrose oil to see if we can get something going, which I was happy to agree to.  I'm 3+ cm dilated and "very stretchy," and baby's head is very low.  She thinks I am likely to go into labor very soon, and progress quickly as in the past, so I was naturally pretty happy to hear that. :)  I have "orders" to call as soon as anything seems to be happening, and she said she doesn't think I will make it till my next appt, next Thursday.  I hope she is right. :)

Ever since I left her house, I've been having random contractions and baby feels even lower than before.  Not sure if that's the result of the exam and/or the evening primrose oil, but it feels like things are moving into place.  While I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much, I really feel like it's going to be sooner than later.

I "cheated" for supper and picked up a couple rotisserie chickens on the way home, and made some baked potatoes to go along with them.  It was yummy and fast, and I didn't have to put much work into the meal, which was nice, as I didn't really feel like cooking.  Jim has blown up the birth pool "just in case," and we'll see if anything ends up happening tonight.  I'll be sure to update as soon as possible if baby arrives . . . otherwise I will be posting a 39+ week update next week. :)