38 weeks- "Wow Amanda, you are looking HUUUGE!! Aw, gee thanks...you make me feel GREAT!!

    We've made it to the final stretch. Only 14 days to go! This pregnancy has gone by SO fast. I can't believe it's just about over. Although I'm incredibly grateful at this point that it IS over soon. I'm done. It's time for this little man to make his appearance!! And if we base it on the amount of comments being made to me about just how HUGE I am, he better be coming soon. Like now. Before I punch some comment maker in the face. Twice. 

    Back in 2007, I was in a REALLY bad car accident. I broke lots of bones, but the worst part was the two breaks in my pelvis as well as the broken tail bone. Those have caused me some pain and discomfort throughout this pregnancy, but not nearly as bad as I thought they would. I've been blessed with an easy pregnancy. I've bypassed a lot of the symptoms that make pregnancy miserable for most women and that has made working full time much easier. All of that has now changed. I feel like I shouldn't complain, seeing as how I've had it easy the rest of the time. But at the same time, it's hard NOT to complain some when you feel like your PELVIS HAS SHATTERED AGAIN AND THERE IS GIANT BELLY RESTING ON IT AND MAKING THE SHATTERED BONES GRIND TOGETHER. We think the huge jump from discomfort and some pain to EXCRUCIATING AND OMG I THINK I'M DYING has to do with baby "dropping". We don't know the full extent of my previous pelvic injuries with my current pain. However, I feel pretty strongly that there is a BIG connection. Duh. My pain can be broken down to 2 main locations. 

• Tail bone- When I go from sitting to standing, it feels like there is a small explosion where my tailbone is. Sharp, stabbing, shooting pains radiate outwards. If you've ever broken your tail bone, that is how this feels. Every. Time. I. Stand. Up. The longer I've been sitting, the worse it is. The harder the surface is that I've been sitting on, the worse it is. Sitting in different positions doesn't help. Sitting on cushions or special "pelvic" pillows doesn't help. Laying helps, but only until it starts to make my back hurt. But since that pain is way less intense, laying is the best solution. 

• Pubic Symphysis- this is the found where your pelvis comes together in the front. When I broke my pelvis,one of the two breaks happened in the bone next to the pubic symphysis, and misaligned the bones in relation to the pubic symphysis. This causes a sharp stabbing pain RIGHT there in my crotch. I mainly feel this pain when I'm walking, going up stairs, climbing in/out of the car & truck, and when rolling out of bed. Sometimes it's a grinding, stabbing pain. At least there is variety, right? Sometimes this pain also feels like a small explosion has taken place. That's when it brings tears to my eyes. 

    So between those pains, plus the fact that here at the end of pregnancy my body is releasing hormones that tells my pelvis to open WIDER. And WIIIIDER STILL. I have a 5 inch screw holding one side of my pelvis in place. So the other side is really the only side that can open. This inability to open bi-laterally could be playing a large part in my pain levels. Now that baby has dropped, and is putting more pressure on everything (which also encourages my pelvis to open WIDERRRRR) my pain level has jumped from like a 3 to a 20. Sometimes it hurts so bad to stand that when I'm at work I wheel my chair around as much as possible to avoid the pain. I probably look like the laziest person around, but I just DARE SOMEONE TO MAKE A COMMENT TO ME ABOUT IT! They won't appreciate the result. Don't mess with a very pregnant lady who is in a lot of pain. Duh. 
    Ryan and I talked about it, and we decided that it would be good to discuss induction options with my OB. I think that choosing to induce is a personal decision to be made with your spouse. If you don't believe in inductions, that is great for you. But lets not judge each other's choices, yeah? :)  Anyway. So at my appointment yesterday we asked my OB what our options at this point are. She said that in order to even discuss induction, I'd have to be dilated to at least 3cm. I'm only at 2cm. Which is better than the 1cm I was at my last two appts! Progress is good! I asked if she would at least do a membrane sweep and she said she would. I had been warned that it would be really painful, but that wasn't the case at all for me. The only pain I had was from her knuckles pushing on my pelvic bone. She said that there is generally only a 20% chance of the sweep helping you start labor, but that was good enough for me. Unfortunately, it didn't do much. I had more braxton hicks contractions, but nothing painful. But maybe it'll help me dilate more so at my next appt we can talk about inducing. I can hope!!