The Pregnancy Diaries: 38.5 Weeks

The Pregnancy Diaries: 38.5 Weeks

• Wednesday, July 11, 2012

This week baby is the size of: ...a watermelon still.  I guess that won't be changing until delivery. 19-22in, 7lbs.

How far along? 38.5 weeks. 1 week, 4 days to go!

Due date: July 22, 2012

Total weight gain: I think I have gained a couple pounds in the last two weeks.  Maybe 1-3 pounds.  So somewhere around 36-38 total.  Hopefully it all falls off with nursing!

Best moment this week: Knowing the baby can come any day now.

Movement: He used to be really active during the day and pretty quiet at night but now he has lots of energy at night.  I guess he is preparing for life outside the womb - staying up all night!  He doesn't keep me up with his movements though, which is great.  I feel him all over the place.  Little feet up high and hands and head down low.  He is just a wiggly little worm!

Food cravings: Still soda.  I just really want the fizz all the time!  Also...I have always been a milk-lover and drink lots of milk but I suddenly have just been downing the stuff.  We are going through 3 gallons of milk per week!  We buy 3 gallons every 7th day on the dot.  Tom thinks we should consider buying our own milk cow.  I have cereal for breakfast and must have a glass of milk with it.  And then I drink it with most meals when I'm home and then almost every night I drink a full glass of chocolate milk.  I guess either the baby or I (or both!) are really needing calcium.  Maybe the baby is needing it to strengthen those little bones before he comes out.

Symptoms: New symptoms seem to come and go all the time.  Honestly, I still feel great 90% of the time but there's that 10% of the time where I think "I just want to be normal again!" and where I feel a little bit miserable.  Here are the latest symptoms:

• Seriously a LOT of sharp pelvic pain.  It gets more frequent with each passing week.  I can't go a day without having several encounters with stop-dead-in-your-tracks pelvic pain.  It is not fun.
• On Sunday morning I had a lot of pelvic pressure and was really uncomfortable (sitting, walking, anything) so I thought maybe the baby had started to drop but then by Sunday afternoon I felt better and I've felt just fine the last couple days.
• Bruised belly :[ I have a tender area that really hurts whenever I touch it.  I asked Dr. Harward about it today and he said it's just from where the baby applies lots of pressure and bruises you internally.
• Sore hips.  Whenever I've been sitting or laying down for awhile my hips really hurt when I first get up and move around.  All that belly weight!
• Knee problems :[  I think my ligaments are all loosening up in preparation for delivery because my injured knee has been popping like crazy and has almost given out several times.  I finally bought a simple knee sleeve-type brace to wear to prevent any further injury.  I hate wearing it but it is much more low-profile than the other huge braces I have.
• Complete & total exhaustion.  I crash as soon as I get home from work and sleep for a couple hours. Then I'm up for a few hours before I go back to bed for the night.  You would think I wouldn't be so exhausted since I'm still sleeping through the night (besides potty breaks) but I guess working full-time still is taking its toll.

Labor Signs: None.  *sigh*  You start to wonder if the baby will ever come.

Feeling toward Pregnancy: I'm ready to wear my skinny clothes again!  I'm getting pretty bored with my limited pregnancy wardrobe.  Let's get this baby out.

What I miss: Being able to be really active without tiring really easily.  T & I have gone on a few long(ish) walks in the last couple weeks and I'm totally exhausted afterward and my hips and legs kill.  We don't even walk fast!

What I am looking forward to: LABOR. Bring it on.  I can't wait to meet this little boy!

Milestones: We are considered full-term.  The baby is safe to come whenever he wants - hopefully he wants to come soon :]

I haven't updated since 36 weeks so I will try to include things that have happened since:

• The doctor checked me at my 37 week appointment and I was dilated to 2cm and was 50% effaced. He estimated that the baby would come right around his due date.  I'm hoping he is right! (this was my doctor's partner doctor since my doctor was out of town during my week 37).
• Had a doctor appointment today at 38.5 weeks.  My doctor didn't check me (they will if you ask but I didn't ask).  I am measuring right on at 38cm and the baby's heartbeat sounds great.  He reminded me to go to the hospital if my water broke or labor started (duh).
• I've been getting up 5-6 times per night to use the bathroom but besides my regular potty breaks I am still sleeping pretty fabulously.  I don't wake up unless it's to use the bathroom and it almost never takes more than 30 seconds to fall back to sleep once my head hits the pillow again (unless the room is too hot - then I am miserable!).
• I started making the cutest felt counting book for baby.  It is very very very time consuming but I think it's going to turn out really cute!  I will post about it when it's finished.  I'm hoping (and really trying!) to get it all done before Baby arrives.
• I have the mentality of "any day now!"  Sometimes it's fun realizing it really could be any day.  That seems so crazy.  Other times it's really hard because every little thing that happens makes me wonder "is this the start of labor?" and every time I wake up to use the bathroom I hope my water has broken during the night.  This makes for really slow-passing days.  I try to remember my due date is still 1.5 weeks away but it just seems like I have been pregnant forever and I sometimes find myself wondering "is he really ever going to come?"  I'm sure every pregnant woman starts to feel that way.  It just feels a little bit surreal that I'm actually going to be having a baby.
• Still working full-time and I love my job so I still love working but oh my goodness am I getting exhausted!!  It's getting hard to make it through the day with any energy to spare.
• Most of our off-limits baby arrival days have passed like T's CPA testing days (yay, he has taken 2 parts! - we don't know if he has passed them yet or not).  The only off-limits day left is our anniversary, the 19th.  I feel like he will probably come that day just since it's the one day I have been not wanting him to come since we very first found out I was pregnant and calculated the due date.
• Remember how people were (and some still are) always telling me (or my coworkers) that I must be "about to pop!" ?  Well.  Just today I had three people tell me "I can't believe you are that close to your due date - you are just so tiny!" or something along those lines.  I feel very confused.  I guess everyone sees things differently.
• I have not been having any more Braxton Hicks contractions.  Maybe once every couple days but besides that I haven't been having any that I really notice.  Which is great since they're uncomfortable but which also makes me feel like there is nothing happening.
• I should document that although I had heartburn for a grand total of 2 days it went away completely after that and has not returned.  What kind of pregnancy is this?  It's like it's just warming me up for future (actually hard and more real) pregnancies.  Some people hate me for how easy and symptom-free my pregnancy has been.  I'm convinced it's going to bite me in the butt during delivery.
• I am feeling very, very nervous about becoming a mommy.  I used to think I knew how to take care of babies but the closer delivery gets the more I think "I have no clue what I am doing!"  I hope I can figure things out quickly.  What made me think I knew anything about having full-responsibility of a baby?